Unlocking Untapped Potential
How embracing neurodiversity can address the care staffing crisis
It started with a conversation in Parliament.
Last year, our Chief People Officer and Co-Owner Leah-Marie Smith helped chair a roundtable alongside Sojan Joseph MP, Co-Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Adult Social Care. Around the table were sector leaders, neurodiversity advocates and people with real, lived experience of what it means to be neurodivergent in social care, as both a worker and a person receiving support.
The conversations were honest and grounded. They covered inclusive recruitment, leadership, workplace culture and regulation; where barriers remain and where progress is being made. And, importantly, what meaningful inclusion actually looks like when it moves beyond policy documents and into daily practice.
Today, we are proud to publish the report that brings those discussions together.
Why this matters to us
We have always believed that neurodiversity is not a challenge to be managed. It is a strength to be recognised. The people who work in care bring different ways of thinking, communicating and problem-solving, and that diversity makes our teams stronger and our care better.
This report reflects that belief. It captures where the sector is now, where it needs to go and what practical steps can make a real difference. Not theory and not aspiration. But real, grounded recommendations from people who know the landscape.
A commitment we take seriously
This launch feels especially meaningful as we have been named a UK Top Employer for the third year running. Our approach to neurodiversity and inclusive recruitment more broadly is central to how we build workplaces where people can thrive. It is not an initiative or a programme; it is part of who we are.
With thanks
We are grateful to everyone who took part in the roundtable and shared their experience so openly: Sojan Joseph MP, Theo Smith, Karolina Gerlich FRSA, Susan Miller-Jones (Chartered FCIPD), Richard Preston, Anita Goyal MBE, Kirstie Jones, Sadie Pilgrim and Sue Harris.
Their insight and honesty made this report what it is.
Read the full report
The full report is available to download here. We hope it supports others across the sector to begin, or strengthen, their own journey towards neuro-inclusion.
