Adult Social Care Series 1 — Article 1 of 4

VCSE Commissioning Analytics Series — Article 1 of 18 | Adult Social Care Series 1 — Article 1 of 4

What Changed for Adult Social Care VCSE Contracts in 2026? | Adult Social Care Series 1 — Article 1 of 4

Adult social care VCSE data reporting is the structured process by which voluntary, community and social enterprise organisations delivering local authority-commissioned social care services demonstrate outcomes, activity, and service quality against a defined framework of metrics. In 2026, this reporting obligation has become significantly more structured, following the publication of the government’s Adult Social Care Priorities for Local Authorities 2026 to 2027 and the accompanying Annex C metrics framework.

For VCSEs holding local authority adult social care contracts — whether delivering reablement support, prevention services, carers services, or community-based social care — the data expectations attached to those contracts have changed in a way that most organisations are not yet fully prepared for.

The 2026 to 2027 Adult Social Care Priorities publication sets out three priority outcomes for local authorities and their VCSE delivery partners. These are: safe and responsive care that meets people’s needs; people maintaining their independence and quality of life; and the development of more integrated health and social care services. Each priority outcome is supported by a specific set of metrics drawn from the Adult Social Care Outcomes Framework (ASCOF), which local authorities are now expected to monitor and report against in partnership with commissioned providers.

This matters for VCSEs for a direct contractual reason. Local authorities are under increasing accountability pressure from the Care Quality Commission, which commenced formal local authority assessments in December 2023 and completed its two-year baselining period in April 2026. CQC assessors use ASCOF metrics and other mandated data collections as evidence when assessing whether local authorities are meeting their statutory duties under the Care Act 2014. That evidence chain runs through commissioned providers — including VCSEs — because local authorities cannot produce population-level outcomes data without it flowing from the organisations delivering their commissioned services on the ground.

The government has also introduced two new metrics for 2026 to 2027 specifically: adult social care waiting times, derived from Client Level Data. VCSEs contributing to social care access and assessment pathways will find these waiting time metrics directly applicable to their contract performance reviews.

The Adult Social Care Outcomes Framework: What VCSEs Need to Report

ASCOF is the primary measurement framework for adult social care in England. It contains metrics across several domains that directly touch VCSE-delivered services. The most relevant for VCSEs include: social care-related quality of life scores; the proportion of adults who feel safe and are supported to manage risks; the proportion of carers who feel supported to continue in their caring role; delayed transfers of care from hospital attributable to adult social care; and long-term admissions to residential care homes for people aged 65 and over per 100,000 population.

VCSEs delivering prevention services, carers support, or community-based social care are directly affecting the first three of these metrics. VCSEs involved in hospital discharge pathways and intermediate care affect the fourth. And VCSEs providing intensive community support to older adults are part of the evidence base for the fifth. The challenge is that most VCSEs are not currently collecting data in a way that is aligned to ASCOF metric definitions, and their case management systems are rarely configured to produce ASCOF-compatible outputs.

How Local Authority Commissioners Are Changing Contract Requirements

The shift in local authority commissioning practice is not theoretical. Across England, local authorities are embedding specific data reporting requirements into adult social care contract schedules that reflect the new accountability framework. VCSEs are increasingly being asked to provide: activity data at individual service user level, not just aggregate counts; outcome data using validated tools that align to ASCOF quality of life domains; protected characteristic data to support equity reporting; and evidence of their contribution to prevention and independence outcomes.

These requirements represent a significant step change from the activity-based reporting that characterised most adult social care contracts even two to three years ago. Many VCSE organisations are finding that their existing data collection — however diligent — does not produce outputs in the format, frequency, or granularity that commissioners are now expecting.

What Good VCSE Adult Social Care Data Reporting Looks Like in Practice

A well-configured adult social care data reporting system for a VCSE organisation has three characteristics. It collects data at individual service user level from the point of referral through to discharge, enabling both activity reporting and longitudinal outcome tracking. It uses outcome measures aligned to ASCOF domains — for example, using ASCOF-compatible wellbeing tools such as WEMWBS or domain-specific tools agreed with the commissioner. And it produces automated reports that present data in the format commissioners need for their own statutory returns, rather than requiring commissioners to reprocess VCSE outputs.

At Quematics, our VCSE commissioning analytics service works with VCSEs to audit their current data against local authority reporting requirements, identify gaps, and build Power BI dashboards that connect existing systems — including Charitylog, Lamplight, and Excel-based trackers — to produce ASCOF-aligned outputs automatically. According to NHS England, shared databases between VCSE organisations can hold client data and enable reporting against KPIs, building wider intelligence that can be used for performance management within contracting. This is the model Quematics supports — managed analytics infrastructure that turns existing operational data into commissioner-ready evidence.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is adult social care VCSE data reporting?

Adult social care VCSE data reporting is the structured process of collecting, analysing, and presenting service activity and outcome data by VCSE organisations holding local authority-commissioned adult social care contracts. In 2026, reporting obligations have become more structured through the Adult Social Care Priorities framework and the ASCOF metrics set.

What is the Adult Social Care Outcomes Framework (ASCOF)?

ASCOF is the national measurement framework for adult social care in England, containing metrics across quality of life, safety, independence, carers support, and service access. Local authorities are accountable for ASCOF metrics through CQC assessments, and this accountability flows through to VCSE providers delivering commissioned services.

Do VCSEs need to report against ASCOF directly?

VCSEs do not submit to ASCOF directly — local authorities aggregate and submit ASCOF data. However, local authority commissioners increasingly require VCSEs to collect data at the individual service user level using tools and definitions compatible with ASCOF, so that their data can contribute to the local authority statutory returns.

What data systems do VCSEs typically use for adult social care reporting?

Common systems used by VCSEs delivering adult social care include Charitylog, Lamplight, Mosaic (where local authority-supplied), and Excel-based trackers. The challenge is that few of these systems are configured out of the box to produce ASCOF-aligned outputs, requiring data transformation before commissioner submission.

How does Quematics help VCSEs meet local authority adult social care data requirements?

Quematics audits existing VCSE data against local authority contract requirements, identifies gaps in collection or format, and builds Power BI dashboards that connect to systems like Charitylog and Lamplight to produce automated, ASCOF-aligned commissioner reports without requiring system changes or additional data entry.

To discuss how Quematics can build adult social care data reporting infrastructure for your VCSE, visit our data analytics for charities page or contact us for a free 30-minute data review.