In Control Scotland and Housing Options Scotland have announced a new collaboration with IMPACT to deliver a national Demonstrator project focused on improving how housing and adult social care work together. IMPACT [Improving Adult Care Together] is the UK centre for implementing evidence in adult social care.
The organisations are now seeking a local authority or Registered Social Landlord (RSL) to act as a host site for the 2026–27 project.
The demonstrator will explore practical ways to strengthen alignment between housing and social care, with a particular focus on supporting people with more complex support needs — including people with learning disabilities and autistic people, in line with Scotland’s Coming Home agenda, which establishes that everyone should have the right to live independently, with dignity and choice, in a place they call home.
The project will work with a host site to test and refine approaches in a real local context, focusing on areas such as:
• Integrating housing considerations into care planning
• Improving joint decision-making across services
• Making better use of existing housing options and local resources
Demonstrator projects developed by IMPACT are designed to generate practical evidence and learning in live settings, supporting partners to test new ways of working and share insights nationally.
The selected host site will receive targeted support and additional capacity to focus on a locally identified priority, alongside opportunities to contribute to national learning and influence future practice.
Pauline Lunn, Director of In Control Scotland, said:
“This project is about working alongside a local partner to explore what more joined-up working between housing and social care can look like in practice.
We know there is strong commitment across Scotland to supporting people to live well in their communities, and this project offers an opportunity to build on that work and develop approaches that can be shared more widely.”
The Opportunity
Local authorities and RSLs are invited to express interest in hosting the demonstrator, particularly those:
• Looking to strengthen the housing–social care interface
• Working to improve transitions and pathways
• Interested in developing approaches to better match housing and support
Timeline
• 17 July 2026: Expressions of interest close
• August 2026: Host site confirmed
• September 2026: Project begins
Please send expressions of interest to Pauline Lunn, Director of In Control Scotland at info@in-controlscotland.org.uk
About IMPACT:
IMPACT [Improving Adult Care Together] is the UK centre for implementing evidence in adult social care. Funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) and the Health Foundation. IMPACT is led by Professor Jon Glasby at the University of Birmingham.
Working across the four nations and with co-production at its heart, we draw on insights from research, lived experience, and practice knowledge to make a difference to front-line services, and to people’s lives. IMPACT believes “good support isn’t just about ‘services’ – it’s about having a life.“ In pursuit of this vision of adult social care, key objectives for the centre are to enable practical improvements on the ground and make a crucial contribution to longer-term cultural change.
About In Control Scotland:
In Control Scotland is a small, national charity that works collaboratively to improve social care support. They work at the intersection of policy and practice, helping to embed lasting, practical change that embeds the principles of choice, control, fairness, and dignity.
In Control Scotland is the host for New Routes Home, a collaboration of people with lived and professional experience that works to end the institutionalisation of Autistic people and people with a Learning Disability.