Response from Think Local Act Personal on the Government's Social Care White Paper
THINK LOCAL ACT PERSONAL PARTNERSHIP (TLAP)
www.thinklocalactpersonal.org.uk
DATE: Wednesday 11 July 2012
EMBARGO: for immediate release
Response from Think Local Act Personal on the Government's Social Care White Paper
Commenting on today's release of 'Caring for our Future: Reforming Care and Support', TLAP Co-Chairs Sue Bott, Bill Davidson, Peter Hay and Martin Green have released a joint statement:
"During an era where money is scarce and the desire for reform is great, working together across the sector with positive determination is the only way to achieve the best possible outcome for people, their families and their communities.
"TLAP stands ready to work positively with the Department of Health to bring practical reality to aspirations set out in the White Paper including establishing a collaborative network to support and spread the adoption of community-based approaches; leading work to strengthen the quality framework; and to promote commissioning practices that focus on improving peoples' outcomes. We will be working alongside the Care and Support Implementation Board in taking forward this work.
"We will actively engage with our partner organisations to make a contribution to the pre-legislative scrutiny process and will shortly publish our TLAP work programme setting out our practical support for personalisation.
"We are pleased to see that the core themes of the White Paper reflect TLAP's vision for maximum choice and control and improved outcomes for people who use services. We will work to strengthen the voice of people who use services and family carers, as set out in Making it Real - our markers for progress with personalisation and community-based support.
"We welcome confirmation that personalisation and community based support remains core to government policy. We reiterate that personal budgets (PBs) - whether taken as managed PBs or direct payments - must offer authentic choice and control with minimum process and maximum flexibility. Strong attention should be paid to ensuring that all experience the full benefits that self directed support can bring. Councils should demonstrate progress in this direction by checking the results of personal budgets alongside people and carers. We are pleased also to see a focus on developing a diverse market and on supporting the building of community capacity to enable people to be both supported and contributing citizens."
Media Contact:
Jaimee Lewis, Senior Communications Adviser
Think Local Act Personal
Tel 07850 774 453/ jaimee.lewis@scie.org.uk
5th Floor 2-4 Cockspur Street London, SW1Y 5BH
www.thinklocalactpersonal.org.uk / twitter: @tlap1
Notes to editors:
1. Think Local Act Personal is an alliance of over 30 national social care partners committed to personalisation in social care working to help improve the implementation of personalisation and community-based support.
www.thinklocalactpersonal.org.uk
2. The Partnership is co-chaired by four leaders representing the views of providers, local government and people who use services and carers:
- Sue Bott - Director, Disability Rights UK
- Bill Davidson - TLAP's National Co-production Advisory Group
- Peter Hay - Immediate Past President, Association of Directors of Adult Social Services
- Martin Green (on behalf of Miranda Wixon) - Chair, Care Providers Alliance
www.thinklocalactpersonal.org.uk
3. The TLAP work programme for 2012-13, which has been developed in partners and in consideration of the with the priorities identified in today's White Paper, will be published on http://www.thinklocalactpersonal.org.uk/ shortly.
ENDS