CQC and ADASS Strengthen Partnership with Refreshed Joint Working Protocol
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) and the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services (ADASS) have published an updated Joint Working Protocol (JWP), setting out a renewed framework for collaboration on information sharing, quality improvement, and the safety of adult social care services across England.
The revised protocol, agreed in May 2026, replaces an earlier agreement that had been in place since 2019. Both organisations acknowledged that significant changes within the health and care landscape over the intervening years had made an update necessary.
The refreshed JWP introduces a tiered approach to engagement and governance, with a renewed commitment to collaborative working at local, regional, and national levels. A central feature of the updated agreement is a stronger emphasis on data and intelligence sharing, with the aim of enabling earlier and more proportionate intervention before problems escalate within care settings.
The protocol also widens its scope to encompass human rights, equality, and the reduction of health inequalities — reinforcing a shared commitment to ensuring that care and support services are equitable, respectful, and safe for people from all communities.
In addition, the agreement strengthens safeguarding arrangements, including clearer expectations around information sharing relating to the misuse of the Mental Capacity Act and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards — areas of particular relevance to residential and nursing care providers.
Improved co-ordination between the two bodies during emergencies and serious incidents forms another key pillar of the updated framework, with clearer roles, communication channels, and escalation routes designed to support a faster, joined-up response during periods of heightened pressure on the system.
Chris Badger, Chief Inspector of Adult Social Care and Integrated Care at the CQC, said: “This refreshed joint working protocol reflects our shared commitment to open and constructive partnership working, and to continuously improve. Most importantly, by strengthening how we work together at local, regional and national levels, we are helping to support better outcomes for people who rely on adult social care services, keeping them safe when using services and ensuring they receive high-quality care.”
Phil Holmes, President of ADASS, added: “Strengthening the working relationship between ADASS and the CQC via the refreshed joint working protocol is another collaborative step towards improving adult social care services. Improving how we work together and share information effectively will help ensure our members and the people who they support — who are drawing on social care — know that the services they are using are safe and effective.”
