25/06/09

Funding Shake Up For Disabled People

A national consultation that could dramatically change the way every disabled person lives their life has been launched by Secretary of State for Work and Pensions Yvette Cooper. And it could have a significant impact on care farming in the UK.

Right to Control is a shake up of the way disabled people can use the funding they receive from the state. The policy forms part of the Government's radical welfare reforms and will for the first time enshrine in legislation the principle that disabled people are the experts in their own lives and have the right to choice and control over their support.

Under the new scheme, disabled people will be able to choose who delivers their services and how they receive them. They can have as much or as little control as they wish and they could choose to spend the money on a wide range of support to help them to live their lives with greater independence and freedom.

For example, public bodies may currently only be able to offer a limited choice of services, such as access to a daycentre and a specific employment programme. In the future, a disabled person could decide to employ someone directly to help them with work, home and leisure activities. They could decide to keep things the way they are, or have a mixture of both.

Disabled people and their organisations are being asked to help shape this initiative - by taking part in the consultation they can influence how the Right to Control works.

The scheme will be tested in a limited number of trailblazer areas, before a decision is made on whether to implement the policy nationally. Pilots in a small number of public authorities will run in England from 2010 for an initial period of 2-3 years.

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