RADAR Welcomes 'Right To Control' For Disabled People, UK

Main Category: Public Health
Article Date: 12 Dec 2008 - 3:00 PDT

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On December 10, Rt Hon James Purnell MP, Secretary of State for Work and Pensions announced that the Government will legislate for disabled people to have the right to control the support services they receive from the state.

The commitment is included in the Welfare Reform White Paper, "Raising expectations and increasing support: reforming welfare for the future". Legislative provisions will be included in the forthcoming Welfare Reform Bill (due to be published at the end of January 2009).

Strongly welcomed by RADAR, this would involve disabled people being told how much they are eligible to receive in support and empowered to choose how that money is used to achieve outcomes agreed with the State. A range of central and local government funding streams will be included in this system, which builds on the success of individual budgets pilots.

A right to choice and control combined with joined up funding streams is a central provision in the Disabled Persons (Independent Living) Bill - once rejected as 'unnecessary'.

The right to control will not go nationwide until the new system has been piloted (or 'trailblazed' to use the latest jargon) in 2010 to iron out teething problems.

Although no expansion in eligibility for different services is envisaged, this is a major milestone in the campaign for rights to independent living.

Caroline Ellis, Joint Deputy Chief Executive of RADAR said:

" RADAR has long argued that if choice and control is to become a reality for disabled people then we must legislate for it. Today's announcement is a great leap forward. A right to control would empower those eligible for state support to take control of their own lives. We would anticipate significant improvements in employment and other outcomes as a result.

" To achieve the goal of 1 million people off incapacity benefits by 2015 Government must go further and ensure the new active welfare system cuts through the discriminatory rules that prevent disabled people accessing vital support, moving to take up work or becoming volunteers."

Notes

1. RADAR, founded in 1977, is the UK's largest disability campaigning network with over 900 individual and organisational members. RADAR stands for the Royal Association of Disability and Rehabilitation.

2. RADAR is a charity run by and for disabled people that depends on the financial and voluntary support of others including public donations. To find out more please visit our web site http://www.radar.org.ukor call 020 7250 3222 / minicom 020 7250 4119 or email radar@radar.org.uk

3. The Disabled Persons (Independent Living) Bill was reintroduced in the House of Lords by Lord Ashley of Stoke on 9 December. It provides rights to control for all disabled people who require support to participate.

4. Discriminatory rules that prevent disabled people taking up employment opportunities include:

- Lack of portable support: Currently if a disabled person moves out of their local authority area then they have to give up whatever payments or services they are receiving and start again from scratch to negotiate a new package with their new local authority. This causes unnecessary stress, hardship and upheaval and is a powerful disincentive to relocating to take up a better job.

- Exclusion of volunteers from Access to Work Scheme: Although voluntary work is an important route to paid employment, disabled people are not entitled to 'Access to Work' funding (for equipment; travel and support workers) to take up these opportunities. - Charging policies: Many disabled people give up state support because they cannot afford escalating charges; disabled people in care homes cannot take up paid work because all their earnings could be clawed back in fees, leaving them just £20 a week 'pocket money'.

RADAR: for a just and equal society whose strength is human difference.

New disabled leaders and role models. A fantastic array of winners of RADAR's People of the Year Human Rights Awards were presented on 1 December by Boris Johnson, James Purnell and leading disability figures. For a full list of winners see here.

RADAR

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