More and more people with learning difficulties are making heard their views as they progress gradually towards the independent lives they crave. The author looks at the achievements of people with learning difficulties, and the obstacles which face them in their quest for choice and control over their lives.
More and more people with learning difficulties are making heard their views as they progress gradually towards the independent lives they crave. The author looks at the achievements of people with learning difficulties, and the obstacles which face them in their quest for choice and control over their lives.
Research into the problems faced by people with learning difficulties who want to live in homes of their own should feed into the government's review set up to produce a learning difficulties strategy for England.
Research into the problems faced by people with learning difficulties who want to live in homes of their own should feed into the government's review set up to produce a learning difficulties strategy for England.
Subject terms:
independence, housing, learning disabilities, social welfare law, supported living, user views, carers, case records;
In its creation, Valuing People represented a radical departure from the traditional processes of Whitehall policy development. For the first time, people with learning disabilities were actively involved in the working parties from which the White Paper was developed; their views, needs, ambitions, and dreams were reflected in the final document. Subsequent to the White Paper’s publication, the involvement of both service users and family carers has continued to be an important element of the implementation process; in particular they have had an important role to play in Learning Disability Partnership Boards. These new structures within local government aim to bring together key local stakeholders, including people with learning difficulties and family carers as well as social services and health and a wide range of providers of services, in order to raise awareness of learning disability issues beyond the specialist services and plan for the implementation of the changes the White Paper required. Taking as its starting point the assumption that effective implementation of Valuing People would require significant changes to services at both a strategic and operational level, the Strategies for Change project posed a number of questions: How can local strategies be developed which reflect the needs, wishes and concerns of local populations? How can people with learning disabilities and family carers be involved effectively in the work of Partnership Boards? How can the types of support offered to people with learning disabilities be changed, to enable people to take more control over their own lives? What role should commissioners of learning disability services play in bringing about these changes? How have people with learning disabilities experienced previous changes to their support services and how can these changes be user-led?
In its creation, Valuing People represented a radical departure from the traditional processes of Whitehall policy development. For the first time, people with learning disabilities were actively involved in the working parties from which the White Paper was developed; their views, needs, ambitions, and dreams were reflected in the final document. Subsequent to the White Paper’s publication, the involvement of both service users and family carers has continued to be an important element of the implementation process; in particular they have had an important role to play in Learning Disability Partnership Boards. These new structures within local government aim to bring together key local stakeholders, including people with learning difficulties and family carers as well as social services and health and a wide range of providers of services, in order to raise awareness of learning disability issues beyond the specialist services and plan for the implementation of the changes the White Paper required. Taking as its starting point the assumption that effective implementation of Valuing People would require significant changes to services at both a strategic and operational level, the Strategies for Change project posed a number of questions: How can local strategies be developed which reflect the needs, wishes and concerns of local populations? How can people with learning disabilities and family carers be involved effectively in the work of Partnership Boards? How can the types of support offered to people with learning disabilities be changed, to enable people to take more control over their own lives? What role should commissioners of learning disability services play in bringing about these changes? How have people with learning disabilities experienced previous changes to their support services and how can these changes be user-led?
Subject terms:
independence, housing, learning disabilities, policy, severe learning disabilities, social exclusion, standards, user participation, user views, carers, central government, children, education, employment, empowerment, health care, government policy;
Includes chapters on: supporting families of children and adults with learning difficulties; achieving supported housing; supported employment and real jobs; continuing education for adults with learning difficulties; institutional trends in services; developing better relationships between health and social services; assessment and care management; making contracts work for people with learning difficulties; user participation in services; complaints procedures; developing better services for people from black and minority ethnic communities; gender issues; older people with learning difficulties; self advocacy; challenging behaviour; sexuality; parents with learning difficulties; poverty; and media images of people with learning difficulties. Also contains sections on services provision in the United States and Canada.
Includes chapters on: supporting families of children and adults with learning difficulties; achieving supported housing; supported employment and real jobs; continuing education for adults with learning difficulties; institutional trends in services; developing better relationships between health and social services; assessment and care management; making contracts work for people with learning difficulties; user participation in services; complaints procedures; developing better services for people from black and minority ethnic communities; gender issues; older people with learning difficulties; self advocacy; challenging behaviour; sexuality; parents with learning difficulties; poverty; and media images of people with learning difficulties. Also contains sections on services provision in the United States and Canada.
Subject terms:
independence, learning disabilities, mass media, multidisciplinary services, older people, parents, parents with learning disabilities, poverty, quality assurance, residential care, sexuality, sheltered employment, social care provision, supported housing, user participation, women, assessment, care management, complaints, contract procedures, contracts, education, families, employment, equal opportunities, health care;