REDP: Disabled people get right to control services

Regional Equality & Diversity Partnership

Disabled people get right to control services

Date: 22/12/2010
Summary: December 13th saw the start of a radical shake-up of the way disabled people use state funding, allowing them to buy their own support services or equipment through the Right to Control.

For the first time, disabled people in five ‘Trailblazer’ areas will be able to buy their own support services or equipment through the Right to Control, combing money from different state funding streams.

For example, someone with a learning difficulty who currently gets help from Supporting People (to learn skills like cooking and budgeting) and Work Choice (getting help to find a job) could combine the support to pay for a local college course teaching both life and job skills.

Minister for Disabled People Maria Miller, said: “This is about increasing personalisation and putting disabled people in charge of their own decision making – instead of telling them what they can and can’t spend their money on.

“Disabled people should have the same choices and opportunities as everyone else and I am convinced that this will help to deliver the greater independence that disabled people tell me they want,” she added.

Right to Control does not change eligibility for services, but means that disabled people can use their funding more flexibly. Advice will be available to help those people who wish to choose services and decide how to spend their money.

The Trailblazers are partnerships between local authorities, Jobcentre Plus and disabled people’s organisations that will work with disabled people to develop individual support plans. Each plan will make effective use of all the funding available to an individual, to meet their goals.

The five Trailblazers launched on 13 December are Essex County Council, Leicester City Council, the London Boroughs of Barnet and Newham, and parts of Surrey County Council (Epsom and Ewell Borough Council; Reigate and Banstead Borough Council).

Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council and Sheffield City Council will start on 1 March 2011. Greater Manchester (including Manchester City Council, Oldham Council, Bury Council, Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council and Trafford Council) will start on 1 April 2011.

Source: Leicestershire Centre for Integrated Living

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