This briefing from the National Minimum Data Set for Social Care (NMDS-SC) explores the distinct characteristics of the adult social care voluntary or third sector. This briefing, as in previous briefings, identifies that voluntary sector employers had lower turnover and vacancy rates than the private sector as well as higher pay rates. As the government continues to promote the Big Society this briefing also explores the characteristics of unpaid volunteer workers in the adult social care sector, where they work, their roles and their demographics. At the end of May 2011 there were approximately 25,200 care-providing locations in the NMDS-SC, of which almost 20% were from the voluntary sector. Within these 5,000 voluntary sector locations there were 150,000 workers, of which 77% (115,000) had provided individual worker information. Just over half of all services provided in the voluntary sector were adult residential (56%), with the majority being care home services without nursing (36%). Adult residential services made up 71% of the private sector and 14% of the statutory sector. In the voluntary sector a further 17% offered adult domiciliary care services, and 9% adult community services.