DEPARTMENT FOR WORK
AND PENSIONS News Release (Reference DRC-064) issued by The
Government News Network on 3 March 2008
The Government
will today announce plans to transform the lives of disabled
people, including extra funding for organisations that are run by
disabled people.
The 'Independent Living Strategy', a cross-government
strategy which underlines the Government's commitment to
supporting disabled people to do the things non-disabled people
take for granted, is published today by the Office for Disability
Issues. It was developed in partnership with disabled people and
aims to give them more choice and control over the support they
need and greater access to employment, transport, health and
housing opportunities.
Welcoming the Strategy, Prime Minister Gordon Brown said:
"We are committed to a vision of equality for all disabled
people by 2025. A vision for Britain where all citizens are
respected and included as equal members, and where everyone has
the opportunity to fulfil their potential.
"This Strategy sets out how we will make progress towards
achieving that goal. Transferring power to those needing support
and joining up services to ensure this happens, changes the way in
which support and services are delivered and experienced. It
unlocks opportunities, enables people to participate and
contribute, and strengthens our communities."
The Strategy shows how six central government departments will
work with disabled people and their organisations to ensure they
have the opportunities others take for granted.
Pulling together recent Government initiatives on employment,
housing and social care to remove barriers and to improve access
to services, it makes a series of new commitments including:
* Demonstrating how to move resources from professional
assessment and care management to user-led support, advocacy and
brokerage so people get the right support to make decisions for themselves.
* A regional initiative to develop independent living
opportunities for older disabled people with high levels of
support needs.
* Developing a national strategy to enable people to remain in
employment when they acquire an impairment or their condition worsens.
* An awareness campaign aimed at practitioners, in social work,
the NHS and elsewhere and disabled people themselves, to ensure
that health, social care and other services are delivered in ways
which will give disabled people more choice and control over how
their needs are met.
* A new toolkit to assist the development of local independent
living strategies for and with older disabled people.
* Good practice guidance to enable people to have choice and
control over their continuing health care.
Secretary of State for Work and Pensions James Purnell said:
"Disabled people should have the same choice and control
over how they live their lives as everyone else.
"The Strategy is unique as it was developed in partnership
with disabled people from the outset, to ensure it reflects their
real life experiences and has drawn on their expertise to identify
how to address the barriers they face.
"I welcome it as it moves beyond the usual practice of
consulting people on policy proposals, to involving disabled
people right from the start. It is also a powerful illustration of
cross government working."
In addition, the Department of Health will today announce extra
funding for 12 user-led organisations that help disabled people to
have more choice and control over their lives. User-led
organisations are led and controlled by disabled people and are
committed to their civil rights.
Health and Care Services Minister Ivan Lewis said:
"User-led Organisations are key to achieving independent
living for disabled people. Today's announcement is a step
toward a more self-sufficient system for disabled people to lead
their own lives, with the availability of advocacy support if it
is needed. The best practice resulting from the organisations
receiving this grant will be shared to ensure every locality has
the chance to develop and have access to a user-led organisation."
The Independent Living Review was launched in July 2006. Its aim
was to find imaginative ways of supporting independent living for
disabled people. It was a cross-government project led by the
Office for Disability Issues. It is the work of that Review that
has led to today's Strategy.
The Independent Living Strategy is designed to make a real and
measurable impact on the lives of disabled people. A commitment is
written into the strategy to monitor its impact, year-on-year, in
partnership with disabled people.
Notes to editors
1. The Independent Living Strategy is published at http://www.officefordisability.gov.uk/independent/strategy.asp
2. The Government has already announced significant new spending
on initiatives which will enable people to have choice and
control. The initiatives, brought together in the Strategy, include:
* a 31% increase in funding for the disability facilities grant
over the next 3 years (a total of £460m); and £33 million to
enable an extra 125,000 older people every year to get repairs and
adaptations to their home to support them living independently ,
announced on 25 February by Communities and Local Government ,as
part of the Lifetime Homes Lifetime Neighbourhoods strategy;
* An additional £520 million to help Local Authorities transform
social care services to deliver personalisation, choice and
control announced by Alan Johnson, Secretary of State for Health
on 10 December;
* New investment of £340 million to help transform services for
disabled children, including £19m in a Transition Support
Programme for young disabled people aged 14-19 announced in
"Aiming High for Disabled Children" in May 2007.
The new initiatives in the Strategy announced today involve new
investment of up to £3million in 2008 to 2011.
3. Funding for User-led organisations
The ULO's are divided into two categories. Those who have
£50,000 are category one applicants (will use the grant to improve
their business and organisational skills. It will also help them
make links with - and get support from - local authorities and
PCTs and other sources).
Those with £100,000 are category 2 applicants (are advanced and
well established and will act as mentors to foster the development
of organisations in areas where they currently don't exist).
Information on the grant process and how applicants were decided
will be found on: http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/SocialCare/Socialcarereform/Userledorganisations/index.htm
4. The following sites are the ones selected to receive the funding:
* Dial Barnsley - £50,000
* .Whitby and District Action Group - £50,000
* Gateshead Access Panel - £50,000
* Bath and North East Somerset People First - £50,000
* Breakthrough UK Ltd (Manchester) - £50,000
* Enfield Disability Action - £50,000
* Walsall Disability Information and Advice Line - £50,000
* Living Options Devon - £50,000
* Ealing Centre for Independent Living - £50,000
* Choices & Rights Disability Coalition (Hull) - £100,000
* Vision Sense Limited (Jarrow) - £100,000
* Essex Coalition of Disabled People - £100,000
5. The Independent Living Strategy is jointly owned by the Office
for Disability Issues, the Department of Health, Department for
Children, Schools and Families, Department for Transport,
Department for Work and Pensions, Communities and Local
Government, and Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills.
6. Details of the members of the Expert Panel of the Strategy can
be found on the ODI's website at the following link: http://www.officefordisability.gov.uk/independent/panel_members.asp
7. The Office for Disability Issues was set up in 2005 to help
government achieve its vision of equality for disabled people by
2025. It works to make equality a reality for disabled people by:
* promoting joined-up government to improve policy making and
service delivery
* involving disabled people in what we do and encouraging others
to do the same
* being a source of evidence and expertise on disability for the
rest of government
* promoting human rights and ensuring effective disability
equality legislation
* communicating what is happening on disability across government.
Website http://www.dwp.gov.uk