CQC and ADASS refresh joint working protocol

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) and the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services have published an updated Joint Working Protocol, setting out how they will work together to support quality, safety and improvement across adult social care in England. The refreshed protocol was published on 22 May 2026 and replaces the previous agreement to reflect changes across the health and care system.

What is the protocol?

The document explains how CQC and Directors of Adult Social Services (DASSs) will coordinate their work at local, regional and national level. It sets out expectations around communication, information sharing and joint working where concerns arise about the quality or safety of regulated services.

The protocol states that the organisations will work together to:

• share information and intelligence where appropriate
• identify emerging quality and safety concerns
• support improvement across adult social care
• coordinate responses where providers experience serious difficulties or are at risk of failure
• promote equality, human rights and reduce health inequalities. (Care Quality Commission)

What’s changed?

The updated agreement introduces a stronger emphasis on collaboration across local, regional and national partnerships, alongside greater sharing of data and intelligence to help identify risks earlier.

It also expands its focus to include equality, human rights and reducing health inequalities, while strengthening arrangements for joint responses during safeguarding concerns, emergencies and serious incidents.

The protocol also recognises CQC’s role in assessing local authorities under Part 1 of the Care Act 2014 while making clear that the agreement primarily relates to the regulation of registered adult social care providers.

What does this mean for providers?

The publication does not introduce new regulatory requirements for care providers.

However, it provides greater clarity on how CQC and local authority adult social care leaders intend to work together when concerns arise, how information may be shared between organisations, and how improvement activity may be coordinated.

Providers can also expect continued collaboration between regulators and local authorities when responding to emerging risks, safeguarding concerns and quality improvement initiatives.

Further reading

If you’d like to explore the documents in full, see:

• CQC Joint Working Protocol with ADASS
• ADASS announcement on the refreshed protocol
• CQC Joint Working Agreements hub

Daily Round takeaway: While this protocol won’t change providers’ day-to-day compliance requirements overnight, it offers a useful insight into how CQC and local authority leaders plan to share intelligence, respond to concerns and support improvements across adult social care. It’s a worthwhile read for anyone responsible for quality, governance or regulatory compliance.

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