July 23rd 2025
Every year, the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services (ADASS) send a survey to Directors in the 153 English Councils with social care responsibilities. This report, published 15 July 2025, shares the key findings.
The survey report shows the ongoing challenges facing social care, with growing financial challenges, increased activity shifting from the NHS to social care, and a rising strain on unpaid carers. Despite these pressures, responses also highlighted the opportunities available in the sector, particularly when it comes to supporting the government’s three key shifts:
- from hospital to community
- from treatment to prevention
- from analogue to digital.
Supporting the adoption of Technology Enabled Care (TEC)
Technology Enabled Care (TEC) is seen as a clear opportunity in the Spring survey. It will be a vital element in achieving the government’s three shifts and is increasingly being seen as a proactive tool to support the prevention agenda and personal independence.
Directors were asked what they thought would most benefit their areas in terms of supporting TEC. Of the nine options, 89% of respondents indicated “additional funding and resources to invest in preventative technologies”. While the number of councils investing in technology remains high at 65%, this has dropped from 72% in the 2024 Spring Survey, potentially reflecting the broader financial pressures which councils face, typified by prevention spending falling to its lowest level since 2021/22.
The next most common answers were “improving digital skills and confidence among care staff and services users” and “improving system interoperability”; however, the report points out that they saw significant regional differences in the weighting of these answers and suggests that this indicates variations in digital maturity.
Awareness and confidence in emerging technologies
Directors were asked to share their councils’ current awareness and confidence in engaging with emerging technologies.
Figure 19 – Councils’ current awareness and confidence in engaging with the following emerging technologies in ASC (135 responses)
Confidence in emerging technologies—beyond remote monitoring and smart home solutions—remains relatively low – and ADASS suggest that progress will need to be encouraged and supported.
Further reading
- Read the full ADASS Spring Survey 2025
- Download the press release