Forward thinking national disability charity Shaw Trust joined with Northamptonshire County Council to hold a ground-breaking event which looks set to transform the lives of some 7,000 people in the county and thousands more across the
160 delegates from local authorities across the country came together on Thursday (Jan 31st) to share ideas and plan the future of a revolutionary system which helps people who need care to live more independent lives.
"The system of Individual Budgets is all about giving people the power and freedom to organise their own services and supporting them to be successful," said James Varlow, Northamptonshire County Council Care Options Team Manager.
"We have been working with Shaw Trust for two years developing new ways to support more and more people through Direct Payments and this important event was the first of its kind which brought professionals together to share ideas and learn how we can best move forward," he said.
In a further drive to modernise social care provision the Government aims to encourage everyone to have their care delivered through a Personal Budget by 2010, building on Direct Payments which are already in place.
This transformation towards Personal Budgets will mean individuals will be in charge rather than professionals, which will allow them to be more flexible and creative in commissioning the services they need.
Shaw Trust Director for Scotland and the North of England Thomas Moan who chaired the conference explained: "We can offer a complete integrated service not just helping people manage their Direct Payment budgets to live more independently but drawing together a wider range of support and funding which can help them achieve greater economic opportunities that can satisfy their employment aspirations.
"We are uniquely placed with the right network of services and national employment programmes such as Pathways to Work to offer the extra support that people need," he added.
The event was sponsored by specialist IT monitoring company CM2000 which has developed sophisticated systems through which care workers can call to log work hours using telephone and internet resources.
"There is widespread recognition that as care moves into the 21st century information technology has a very important part to play in the way people's services are provided and managed," said CM2000 Managing Director Peter Longman.
"Our system will generate payroll reports, invoices, even alerts if people haven't logged in, all of which will make life easier for clients using Direct Payments and for the service provider," he added.
Individual Budgets have been piloted by the Government in 13 areas and are now set to be rolled out across the rest of the country.
In Northamptonshire 600 people currently receive Direct Payments and by 2010 the majority in the county ie some 7,000 people will be using the new Individual Budgets.
Since Government first introduced legislation in 1997, disabled people assessed as needing support have had the option of asking local authorities to pay them directly.
But in practise, many found the prospect of employing, training and managing staff on their own far too big a step to take.
"Personal Budgets are set to turn the traditional Social Care model upside down by putting people at the heart of the decision-making," said Thomas Moan.
"Shaw Trust is already supporting some 2,500 people on 10 Direct Payment schemes across the
Editors Notes
1. For further details, please contact Shaw Trust Communication Manager Annemarie Taylor on 07815 946837 or Becky Gammon on 07779 784901 or you can email: crucialpr@shaw-trust.org.uk
2. Shaw Trust is a national charity which for 25 years has helped people with disability or disadvantage to find work and achieve independence. We do this not only by delivering government programmes, but also through our own self-funded initiatives, and by campaigning to change attitudes at all levels.
3. Across the
