# Care Commons Equal Care Co-op’s pilot in commons-based care in Hackney built on five years of developing and delivering our *Teams Model* of home care in Calderdale, Yorkshire. Together, these two phases have tackled two persistent challenges in traditional care models: * The disconnection between the care worker, the person receiving care, and their wider support networks. * The disconnection between care providers and the community networks in the neighbourhoods they serve. From 2019 to 2021, our *Teams Model* addressed the first challenge by enabling deeper, more relational care between care workers, recipients, and families. In 2023, the Hackney pilot shifted focus to the second: activating the untapped potential of local community networks. *** ## Reconnecting Care In most conventional care systems, there’s a sharp divide between *formal* care (delivered by paid workers or organisations) and the *informal* networks that quietly sustain people day-to-day: friends, neighbours, family, volunteers. These informal networks are often rich in trust and understanding. Yet they are rarely recognised in care planning and cannot easily connect with formal care providers. The result is fragmented, task-based care that misses the bigger picture: the relationships, environments and activities that make life feel meaningful. A commons approach seeks to close that gap. It treats care as something to be shared and stewarded by communities; not just delivered to people, but shaped *with* them. *See also:* [*The Role of Teams in the Community Care Networks*](https://play.equal.care/evaluation-framework/data-analysis/community-network-map-analysis-and-overview/the-role-of-teams-in-the-community-care-network) *** ## Beyond Public and Private Ownership Care is often framed as either: * a **public service** (run by the state), or * a **private commodity** (delivered for profit). The **commons** offers a third path: care as a shared resource, held in trust by the people who give and receive it. Nobody owns it outright. Instead, the community works together to ensure it is sustainable, fair and responsive. This approach aligns closely with Equal Care’s co-operative model, where decision-making and ownership are shared. A commons view of care supports more local control, stronger relationships and more space for care to reflect people’s lives and values. *For more on this principle in practice, see:* [*Co-production*](https://play.equal.care/equal-cares-model/co-production) *** ## Commoning is a Verb Commoning isn’t just a concept - it’s something people *do*. It’s the daily work of managing shared resources, responsibilities and relationships. A useful way to think about this is the **Triad of Commoning**, developed by Silke Helfrich and David Bollier. It describes three interlinked dimensions: * **Social Life**: building trust, cooperation and shared responsibility * **Peer Governance**: making decisions together about how care is given and received * **Provisioning**: sharing what we have: time, skills, knowledge, meals, even physical spaces — in ways that meet people’s needs and care for the whole Together, these practices help shift care from a service model to a shared way of life - one built on connection, mutuality and belonging.

The Triad of Commoning, from "Free, Fair and Alive: the Insurgent Power of the Commons", by Silke Helfrich and David Bollier

*You can see examples of this in action in:* [*Experiences & Learnings from the Clapton Circle – Commons Outputs*](https://play.equal.care/evaluation-framework/data-analysis/reflections-from-the-ground-insights-from-key-circle-leads/commons-outputs-experiences-and-learnings-from-the-clapton-circle.) ## The Concept of The Care Commons The **Care Commons** reframes care as a *shared*, *community-governed* resource — one that brings together both formal and informal caregivers into a more connected, relational system of support. Rather than seeing care as something delivered *to* individuals, the Care Commons recognises the everyday work of care that already happens in communities: among neighbours, friends, volunteers, and families. It values this work as **community care wealth**: something to be nurtured, shared, and protected. *See also:* [*Mapping Care Wealth*](https://play.equal.care/evaluation-framework/data-analysis/community-network-map-analysis-and-overview/mapping-care-wealth) *** ## What is Community Care Wealth? **Community Care Wealth** is the value created in relationships: in the trust, mutual support and acts of kindness that people offer one another. It is generated through everyday caregiving - from checking in on someone to cooking meals, giving lifts, or simply being present. This kind of wealth doesn’t show up in budgets or spreadsheets. But it is foundational to healthy, resilient communities. It grows when people: * Spend time with each other * Share skills, spaces or resources * Look out for one another * Build trust and connection By treating care wealth as a **commons resource** - something shared and stewarded by the community - the Care Commons supports a more *sustainable*, *relational* and *distributed* approach to care. *** ## The Role of Community Care Networks A core feature of the Care Commons is the integration of **formal** and **informal** care. This includes: * Paid care workers and professionals * Family and chosen family * Peer supporters and volunteers * Neighbours and local groups When these networks are connected, care becomes more than just meeting physical needs — it includes emotional, cultural and social support too. The quality of care is shaped not just by tasks, but by **relationships**: between those giving and receiving care, and the community around them. Mapping these relationships makes hidden care wealth more visible, helping us understand where support already exists and where it could grow. *To explore this mapping in detail, visit:* [*Community Network Map*](https://play.equal.care/evaluation-framework/data-analysis/community-network-map-analysis-and-overview) *** ## The Commons in Equal Care’s Model The Care Commons is not separate from Equal Care’s work — it is part of how the co-op is structured. As a dimension of our model of care, it has its own **outputs, activities and outcomes**, reflected in our interactive **Theory of Change**. ## Commons Theory of Change {% tabs %} {% tab title="Commons Outputs" %} * **Commons resource circles** bring volunteers together to gift time, care and skills * **Local partnerships** connect Circles to community spaces and anchor organisations * **People co-produce their care**, shaping it around what matters to them * **Trust and reciprocity** are built across teams, families, neighbours and peer groups * **Evaluation tools** measure the strength of cooperative and community connections * **Gifting and sharing** become part of everyday care (meals, support, knowledge) * **Social experiences** increase — from shared meals to group gatherings * **Less paid care** may be needed over time, as informal networks grow stronger {% endtab %} {% tab title="Commons Outcomes" %} What happens when community care wealth is made visible and shared: * 🧑‍🤝‍🧑 **More people feel the power balance is right**\ People giving and receiving support feel their voices matter. Decisions are made together, not for them. * 🌐 **Stronger community networks and partnerships**\ Relationships deepen between teams, circles and other local organisations with shared values. * 💬 **Peer support is widespread and normalised**\ People begin to look to each other for support: across families, neighbours, volunteers and care workers. * ❤️ **More trusting, equitable relationships**\ People feel safer, more respected, and more able to express their needs and preferences. * 🏡 **Care happens in familiar, community-rooted places**\ People use local spaces to meet, organise, and connect beyond the care itself. * 🌈 **Community kindness and connection grows**\ Gifts of time, care, presence and skills increase. Acts of generosity become part of everyday life. * 🎁 **People benefit from gifted care, time and assets**\ Unpaid care and support are visible, valued and supported alongside formal roles. * 🍽️ **Mealtimes become more social experiences**\ Simple moments of care become shared, social and joyful. * 🌿 **Care and support exists in greater abundance**\ The support on offer is richer, more responsive and more widely distributed. * 🧭 **Care meets more of what matters to people**\ It supports quality of life, not just basic needs. * 📉 **Over time, some people need less formal paid care**\ As informal and community-based care becomes more embedded and trusted. * 🤝 **Trust in care workers and the co-op grows**\ People feel more confident in the support they receive and in the structures behind it. {% endtab %} {% endtabs %} {% embed url="" %} ## 🌱 Why it Matters Incorporating the commons into co-operative care addresses a gap in conventional systems where efficiency and compliance often come at the expense of relationships and wellbeing. A **commons-based approach** makes care: * More flexible and relational * Grounded in community trust * Co-governed and participatory * Focused on *abundance* rather than scarcity It’s not a utopia, but it offers a way forward. One where care is everyone’s business, and where communities have the power to shape and sustain the support they need. *To explore how we measure this impact, see:* [*Equal Care’s Social Climate Framework*](https://play.equal.care/boneyard/social-climate-framework) {% hint style="info" %} ## Challenges and Considerations: Insights from our pilot in Commons-based Care. For a comprehensive account of the experiences, insights and recommendations on implementing the Commons Outputs and building a care commons see the following pages in the evaluation framework below: [About the pilot](https://play.equal.care/evaluation-framework/commons-based-care-the-context) [Community Mapping](https://play.equal.care/evaluation-framework/methods/community-mapping) [Community Care Network Analysis](https://play.equal.care/boneyard/original-page-community-network-map) [Commons Outputs: Experiences, learning and recommendations.](https://play.equal.care/evaluation-framework/data-analysis/reflections-from-the-ground-insights-from-key-circle-leads/commons-outputs-experiences-and-learnings-from-the-clapton-circle.) [Key Recommendation: Strategic Partnerships for Commons-based Care](https://play.equal.care/boneyard/six-dimensions-of-partnership-for-commons-based-care) [Assessing Capacity for Co-production](https://play.equal.care/evaluation-framework/the-toolbox/co-production-capacity-assessment-tool) [Scaling Commons-based Care: A Care Commons Service Specification](https://play.equal.care/service-specification) {% endhint %}