Introduction
Despite its growth and ubiquity, paid adult social care (ASC) work in England persists as a site of very low pay, insecurity, and exploitation, where ‘decent work’ remains elusive. Promoted by a neoliberal agenda focusing on competition and choice, social care provision has developed a quasi-market model. This involves local authorities assessing and commissioning predominantly independent sector providers to deliver care, which relies on outsourcing and contributes to workforce fragmentation. This atomisation, with thousands of providers and many workers employed to support people in their own homes, contrasts with the terrain of more established trade unionism and impedes organizing. Thus far in the English context, however, this phenomenon has received only limited attention in academic research. These challenges within the sector and limited organizing mean that it is important to understand priorities and progress in relation to ASC organizing.