ADHD Taskforce final report is a call to action for social workers
The publication of the second part of the Independent ADHD Taskforce report last month marks a pivotal moment for everyone working with neurodivergent people.
The findings are stark. Unsupported ADHD is a major pathway to educational failure, unemployment, criminal justice involvement, and poor health.
The economic cost to the UK is estimated at £17 billion annually, but the human cost in terms of lost potential, fractured families, and preventable suffering, is even greater.
These gaps are not just statistics; they are lived realities. This report brings those realities into sharp focus and offers a roadmap for systemic change, placing social work at the heart of the solution.
For our profession, this is both a challenge and an opportunity. The report calls on us to step up, build our expertise, and lead. The question is: are we ready?
What does the report say about social work?
The report is clear: social work is part of the core workforce that must develop competencies in recognising and supporting ADHD.
It states: “Mental health professionals across all disciplines, including… social workers, require core competencies in recognising and supporting ADHD.”
The report also calls for government departments to deliver training on ADHD and neurodivergence to all sectors that engage with people with ADHD, including social work: “This includes all the workforce (not just specialists) in education, job centres and careers advisors, NHS staff (e.g. emergency departments), criminal justice system, social work and HR staff, by updating curricula for professional training and providing CPD.”
The report also recognises that social workers are often the bridge between families, education, health, and justice. We are uniquely placed to identify unmet needs, challenge stigma, and advocate for early, needs-led support, often before a formal diagnosis is made.
Turning insight into action
The report doesn’t just outline the scale of the problem; it identifies social work as a key part of the solution. With our unique position across systems, and our commitment to social justice, we are well placed to respond.
But recognition alone isn’t enough. If we are to meet the moment, we must translate insight into action. That means rethinking how we work with ADHD, embedding new competencies, and leading change across the sectors we touch.
So, how should social work respond?
1. Champion early, needs-led support: The Taskforce calls for a shift away from gatekeeping support until after a formal diagnosis. Social workers should advocate for and deliver early help based on need, not labels; whether through family outreach, parenting interventions, or school-based support.
2. Develop and share ADHD competence: All social workers, not just specialists, must have the skills and confidence to recognise ADHD, understand its impact, and support individuals and families. This means seeking out CPD, sharing learning, and embedding ADHD awareness in supervision and team discussions.
3. Bridge systems and challenge silos: ADHD does not exist in isolation. Social workers are uniquely positioned to connect health, education, justice, and voluntary sectors, ensuring that individuals do not fall through the cracks, especially during key transitions, such as moving from children’s to adult services.
4. Tackle inequality and stigma: Marginalised groups - those living in poverty, care-experienced young people, and individuals in the criminal justice system - face the longest waits and greatest barriers. Social work’s commitment to anti-oppressive practice and social justice is vital. We must challenge stigma, advocate for equity, and ensure our practice is inclusive and culturally competent.
5. Co-produce solutions with lived experience: The report calls for co-design and co-production with people with ADHD and their families. Social workers should ensure that support plans are built with, not just for, the people we support.
6. Advocate for quality and accountability: Social workers play a key role in holding systems to account, ensuring that people with ADHD receive safe, evidence-based, and person-centred support. We must use our voice to highlight gaps, challenge poor practice, and push for the implementation of the report’s recommendations.
7. Prioritise adult ADHD: While much attention is rightly given to children and young people, adult ADHD remains under-recognised and under-supported.
Social workers must:
- Recognise ADHD in adults, especially where it intersects with mental health, substance use, or housing instability
- Ensure that adult services are equipped to support ADHD, not just refer on
- Advocate for workplace adjustments, benefits access, and community support tailored to adult needs
- Challenge the myth that ADHD is something people “grow out of”; instead, promote lifelong understanding and support
Looking ahead
The ADHD Taskforce report gives us both a mandate and a roadmap. Now it’s up to us to make it real. Let’s lead the way so that every person with ADHD receives the support, respect, and opportunities they deserve.
What needs to change in practice?
- Advocacy: Push for needs-led support in your local area, and challenge systems that require a diagnosis before help is offered
- Partnership: Build strong links with schools, health services, and voluntary sector partners. Integrated working is not a buzzword, it is essential
- Transition planning: Pay particular attention to young people moving between services to ensure they are not overlooked. Extend this focus to new parents who may be recognising ADHD traits in themselves while seeking support for their children, as well as to women approaching perimenopause, for whom burnout poses a significant risk
- Listening to lived experience: Co-produce support plans with people with ADHD and their support networks and families. Their expertise is as valuable as any professional's, and that’s coming from someone who walks both sides of that line
- Data and evidence: Collect and use data to highlight gaps, challenge inequity, and drive improvement
Final thoughts
The Taskforce’s recommendations are ambitious, but they are achievable, if we work together. For social workers, this is a call to action: to lead, to advocate, and to innovate. The report gives us the evidence and the mandate to push for real change.
How can we lead the way?
- Be proactive: Act on need, not diagnosis
- Be a connector: Unite education, health, justice, and voluntary sector partners
- Be a challenger: Speak up when systems fail people with ADHD
- Be a learner: Build your knowledge and share it with others
- Be an ally: Listen to and amplify the voices of people with ADHD and their families
Daisy Long is a registered social worker and chief executive of a social work consultancy and training organisation. She is also visiting fellow at the National Centre for Post Qualifying Social Work at Bournemouth University and special visiting lecturer at University of Wolverhampton