16 June 2025
On 13 June 2025, Isaac Samuels, Trustee at the Social Care Institute for Excellence, was awarded an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in The King’s Birthday Honours List 2025.
In response, Isaac Samuels OBE said:
“I am humbled and honoured to receive this recognition. This award is not just for me, it’s for every person whose voice has been marginalised or silenced, and for every community fighting for dignity, fairness, and equity. My lived experience has taught me that the best solutions come from those who have faced the greatest challenges. This OBE affirms the power of co-production and the importance of centring lived experience in shaping the services that affect our lives.”
With over 25 years of service across the health, social care, and housing sectors, Isaac has been a transformative force in the fight against inequality, stigma, and systemic injustice. Their work has championed co-production, anti-racism, and inclusive practice, placing the voices of people with lived experience at the heart of decision-making. As the first person with lived experience to co-chair the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Adult Social Care working group, Isaac has helped bring authentic voices of people who draw on care and support into national policymaking and helped to embed co-production as a core principle
Isaac’s leadership has spanned local and national initiatives, tackling health inequalities, advancing mental health advocacy, and fostering inclusive communities where all individuals can thrive. Their rights-based approach and relentless pursuit of social justice have made a significant and lasting impact on the lives of countless people, particularly those experiencing poverty, disability, and systemic discrimination.
Kathryn Smith OBE, Chief Executive of SCIE, offered her congratulations:
“We are incredibly proud of Isaac and all they have achieved. Their OBE is a well-deserved recognition of decades of commitment to making social care fairer, more inclusive, and truly person-centred. Isaac brings not only powerful lived experience but also unmatched dedication to co-production and justice. They remind us every day that services work best when shaped with the people who use them. We are honoured to have Isaac as part of the SCIE community.”
Notes to editors
The Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE) improves the lives of people of all ages by co-producing, sharing, and supporting the use of the best available knowledge and evidence about what works in practice. We are a leading social care improvement independent charity working with organisations that support adults, families and children across the UK. We also work closely with related services such as health care and housing. We improve the quality of care and support services for adults and children by:
- Identifying and sharing knowledge about what works and what’s new.
- Supporting people who plan, commission, deliver and use services to put that knowledge into practice.
- Informing, influencing and inspiring the direction of future practice and policy.
Our mission is to support best practice, shape policy and raise awareness of the importance of social care, working together. With the government’s ambition of reducing consultancy bills, SCIE can serve as the not-for-profit partner of government, working collaboratively to identify and implement improvements.
If you have any questions regarding this submission, please do not hesitate to contact media@scie.org.uk