Strategies, policies and procedures

Our market position statement has been developed in partnership with our excellent care market in Shropshire. This document is designed to:

• Inform providers, and future providers, of adult social care services about the existing and future demand for care services
• Be a starting point for discussions between us and providers about how we can best work together to shape a diverse, flexible market for care, which achieves the best possible outcomes for Shropshire residents, in line with our key principles
• Be a resource for providers, where market information, including best practice, can be pooled and shared
  

Our market position statement will be reviewed regularly and any update will be added to this page so that, in addition to our overall and strategic commissioning intentions within the MPS, you'll be able to see updates on current commissioning changes and intentions.

You may also want to take a look at the market position statement published rates for residential and nursing beds update 2025-2026. In recognition of the impact of financial pressures on providers and our commitment to supporting a sustainable and varied market, we revised our rates for new purchasing in 2025/26 and will seek to commission care at these rates wherever possible. 

Co-production framework 

We recognise the value of co-production, and the co-production framework is the next step in embedding it as a daily working practice at Shropshire Council.

Co-production is about recognising and listening to the experiences of the communities who use services provided or funded by us, to achieve the best outcomes for both those communities and the council.

This means that individuals should have a voice in how they're supported to live their lives, and that services should be planned and delivered in a way that works for them. Co-producing support plans and services that make a positive difference to individuals and local communities will enable Shropshire Council to work in an effective and efficient way.

Practice framework - Adult social care

The Practice Framework - Adult Social Care, has been co-produced by Adult Social Care staff and people who draw on services. It was created in 2019 and updated in 2023. The document sets out the values which inform the work and practice of all staff in the People’s Directorate and how we will know when we have achieved these.

The framework includes a staff pledge to:

• ensure you are at the centre of everything I do
• be open and honest with you and respect your views
• aim to make your experience positive

The Local Account is Shropshire Council’s yearly update on adult social care, also known as 'Our Story Continues'. In this edition, we share what happened during our recent Care Quality Commission inspection— what it means for the support we give to vulnerable people, how we’re performing overall, and where we’re focusing on making improvements.

We’ve told the story of the past year through the voices of people who experience adult social care in Shropshire in different ways. Their stories show the impact of our work and the difference it makes every day.

It would be helpful to us if you could just spend a couple of minutes completing a very short form on you and your interest in the Local Account.

This strategy underpins everything we do.

The new All Age Autism Strategy for Shropshire was officially approved in December 2025. This new strategy is the result of extensive engagement, co-production and partnership with autistic individuals, families, carers, professionals and stakeholders across our community. 

Our vision is clear: Shropshire will be a place where autistic people, regardless of diagnosis status, are welcomed, supported, and valued for their unique strengths and perspectives. We are committed to promoting a cultural shift across all services, adopting an all-age approach to autism as a lifelong condition, and ensuring equality of access so that no one is left behind.

The strategy sets out a comprehensive framework for action—spanning health and assessment, education, employment, housing, social care, and the criminal justice system. It recognises the need for joined-up, proactive, and autism-accessible services, and places the voices of lived experience at the heart of planning and delivery. 

The new strategy aligns with the priority areas outlined in the National Autism strategy - five year National Strategy for Autistic Children, Young People & Adults. This was released in 2021 addressing an all-age approach covering the period 2021-2026.  This is due to be updated this year. 

The Shropshire All Age Autism Strategy 2025-2030 aligns with local and national priorities and sets out clear strategic intentions. These will attract operational focus over the next 12 months to drive changes through our processes and systems, ensuring accountability and clear time-scales in managing measurable outcomes. Broadly the areas of work include: 

• Embedding needs led, person centred support at any stage of diagnosis
  
• Improving autistic children and young people’s access to education, and supporting positive transitions into adulthood
  
• Supporting more autistic people into employment
  
• Embedding autism competence and confidence to elevate understanding
  
• Building the right support in the community 
  
• Improving support in the criminal and youth justice systems
  

This on-going work will continue to involve autistic people and stakeholders providing regular opportunities for engagement and feedback on progress.

If you'd like any further information on the progress we're making, or would like to know how to become more involved in the implementation of the strategy, please email Pip Long, Commissioning Officer Autism  Pip.Long@shropshire.gov.uk or commissioning@shropshire.gov.uk 

For autism support please take a look at the following:

For children and young people (under the age of 19) and their parent carers and families, please get in touch with Kids who provide our Shropshire Autism Support Service offer. Kids provide online training resources, one-to-one support and social events.

For autism support and assessments please take a look at the following:

• For ages 0-5 years – Shropshire Community Health Trust
• For ages 5 – 18 years – BeeU, Midlands Partnership NHS Foundation Trust (MPFT)
• For adults – Shropshire Autism Hub/A4U - first line of enquiry for adults wanting an autism assessment. The Shropshire Autism Hub provides pre-assessment support and organises training, activities and social groups

Further support can be found on the NHS Healthier Together website.

This strategy is part of the following ‘golden thread’, so that all plans and strategies link:

• Partnership plans and strategies
• Shropshire Council corporate plan
• Vision and strategy for adult social care
• Service/team plans
• Individual staff appraisal objectives

This strategy has been developed by the Shropshire Autism Partnership Board. Its purpose is to provide the strategic direction for statutory health and social care organisations in Shropshire, with regard to supporting adults and young people with an autistic spectrum condition.

There are approximately 1,400 adults living with a learning disability in Shropshire who we want to enable to engage and participate meaningfully in all aspects of our community. The learning disability strategy explains how we do this.

Direct payments

Our policy, co-produced by Shropshire Council staff and people who use direct payments, has been created to reflect the aims of the direct payment vision - to be open and honest, flexible and creative, and clear and simple.