About us
The Care Association Alliance (CAA) is a collective of local care associations from across England, representing nearly 10000 care providers.
Established to strengthen the voice of independent adult social care providers, the CAA serves as a vital link between local services and national policy-makers.
Through it, local care association members benefit from being part of a nationwide collective network and having their voice heard by national government.
Who are the CAA?
The CAA was founded in 2010 by a group of local care associations as a vehicle for them to share best practice and establish common positions on national issues.
Since then the CAA has grown to include over 50 local care associations, each supporting care providers within specific local authority areas. these associations represent a diverse range of services, including:
- Residential and nursing homes
- Domiciliary care
- Supported living
- Learning disability services
By uniting these associations, the CAA ensures that the perspectives and needs of local providers are effectively communicated to national decision-makers.
The CAA has no paid officers, all its functions and activities are carried out by it’s member care associations.
CAA's Mission
The CAA aims to:
- Advocate for the sector: Representing the interests of care providers in discussions with government bodies and policymakers.
- Share best practices: Facilitating the exchange of knowledge and strategies among member care associations to improve service quality.
- Inform national policy: Providing insights from local trends to shape effective and responsive social care policies.
Regional Representation
While the CAA operates nationally, it also has regional branches that address local challenges and opportunities.
Each English region has a CAA regional branch made up of its local care associations.
These regional bodies ensure that local concerns are addressed within the broader national framework.
How the CAA benefits members of local care associations
The CAA actively engages in advocacy to address pressing issues in the social care sector. For example, in March 2025, the CAA expressed disappointment over the government's decision not to exempt health and care providers from increased National Insurance Contributions. The CAA warned that this move could jeopardise the financial stability of many care providers .
Additionally, the CAA collaborates with other organisations, such as the Care Provider Alliance, to call for increased funding and support for the sector. Concerns have been raised about workforce shortages and the adequacy of the Fair Cost of Care funding .
Collectively, the CAA represents more care providers than all the other national care associations combined. This is increasingly being recognised within national government circles. Representatives from the CAA meet regularly with senior civil servants and Government ministers, ensuring that your membership of your local care association also translates to representation at a national level.
Key Staff
List of Services
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Melanie Weatherley MBE - Co ChairList Item 1
Melanie co-founded Walnut Care in 2002. Walnut Care delivers domiciliary care for adults across Lincolnshire. The company is one of Lincolnshire County Council’s lead providers of adult home care in the county and employs over 200 people. Since 2002, Melanie has served as the chief executive of the company. Walnut Care is a family run, independent business and bases its central operation in Langrick, just outside of Boston.
As a passionate advocate for the care industry, Melanie is the Chair of the Lincolnshire Care Association. Before taking up this position in July 2016, Melanie previously served as the Vice Chair of the same association for eight years, since 2008. The aim of the organisation is to represent all types of care providers across the county. Through these roles, Melanie has become a respected commentator on care and health issues within Lincolnshire and more widely in the UK. Melanie has made appearances on a variety of TV and radio stations. Melanie is also proud to serve as a fellow at skillsforcare – a national body which supports care providers in developing, maintaining and retaining their workforce. As the CEO of a small and medium-sized care provider,she is determined to speak up for the small care providers across the country,many of which Melanie believes are delivering excellent standards of care,under challenging circumstances. Melanie aims to use her platform, on a local and national level, to ensure their voices are heard
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Eddy McDowall - Co ChairList Item 2
Eddy has been CEO at Oxfordshire Association of Care Providers since 2014. He has a long career is social care having started a care worker in the 1990s before managing early dementia support services and learning disability services. He has worked for local authorities, Department of Health and the Local Government Association as well as running his own business.
Regional Representatives
List of Services
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East MidlandsList Item 4
Andy Lawrence
Leicestershire Home Care Alliance
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London
Peter Webb
London Care and Support Forum
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South EastList Item 1
Andrea Pattison
Hampshire Care Association
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South WestList Item 2
Anna Knight
Dorset Care Association
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West MidlandsList Item 3
Keiron Broadbent
West Midlands Care Association
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Yorkshire and Humber
James Creegan
Kirklees Care Association