The CARE Lab project so far
In July 2025, we shared that we’re collaborating on the CARE Lab project, led by Cardiff University’s Centre for Adult Social Care Research. This three-year programme brings together different sources of routinely collected data to build a better understanding of adult social care provision in Wales.
The project is being carried out in partnership with a lived experience group, including people who use adult social care services, receive care and support, or act as unpaid carers. Their involvement helps ensure the work reflects people’s real experiences.
You can read more about the aims and approach of CARE Lab in our previous blog here. One year on, the first phase of the project is now complete. This has included an initial analysis of data from the Welsh Government’s first Adults Receiving Care and Support Census.
Adults Receiving Care and Support Census
The Adults Receiving Care and Support Census collects core information about adults in Wales who had a care and support plan in place during the census period. The first census includes data from 2023 to 2024.
It provides anonymised demographic information about people with care and support plans, alongside details such as:
- their disability
- their most recent period of care
- whether their plan has been closed (if applicable)
- any safeguarding notes.
Additional data is collected for people with an active care plan on the census date. This includes:
- the type of care and support they access
- whether they have a known carer
- any caring responsibilities they have themselves
- relevant events, such as assessments or reviews.
Early findings
CARE Lab’s analysis of the census data has identified some early points of interest.
There were around 60,000 care and support plans in place with local authorities in Wales at some point during 2023 to 2024. The data also shows variation between local authorities, with some having more people accessing care plans relative to their population size than others.
At this stage, it’s unclear why these differences exist. They may reflect variations in how the census has been interpreted, differences in levels of need across populations, or other factors.
The analysis also highlights differences in the types of care and support accessed by different genders. A higher proportion of people recorded as male were accessing direct payments, living in supported accommodation, or using day care services, compared with those recorded as female. The reasons for this are not yet understood.
Next steps
In the next phase of the project, researchers will interview social care staff and people who access care and support. This will help to build a deeper understanding of the census findings and what sits behind them. It will also help ensure that the data reflects people’s real experiences.
The CARE Lab lived experience group were involved in identifying key themes to be covered in these interviews and will take part in co-interviewing.
Future phases will bring together additional data sources to provide a more complete picture of adult social care provision in Wales. This will include information about people’s:
- education
- use of healthcare services
- households
- protected characteristics.
Researchers will continue engaging with social care staff and people who access care and support throughout this work.
The Research team at Social Care Wales will also produce a briefing on CARE Lab’s analysis of the Adults Receiving Care and Support Census. This will focus on supporting the workforce to make use of the findings.
To learn more about CARE Lab, you can read the International Journal of Population Data Science article outlining plans for the three-year project. You can also visit the Centre for Adult Social Care Research website for further information about the CARE Lab project.