The development of personalisation in social care is part of a
wider shift in our society towards including all people as fully
equal citizens. This is long overdue, has had to be fought for, and
is far from complete. It has emerged primarily from the efforts and
struggles of disabled and older people, with support from their
progressive allies in public services.
Over many years, disabled people worked out how to achieve
independence and avoid services that trap them in dependency and
limited lives - by demanding direct payments and personalised
support. They had to fight to take charge, often achieving this
despite a service system that struggled to shift away from its
institutional roots. In recent years, the social care policy of
successive governments has started to reflect people's aspirations
to direct their own lives, in particular through the introduction
of personal budgets and an expectation of tailored support. While
this is to be welcomed, it does not of itself transform the way
people experience care and support. This big change to culture and
practice is still in its relatively early stages in many areas.
In a period of severe resource pressures, and with worrying
reports of significant budget cuts in disability and older people's
services in some areas, we wait and hope for a funding solution
from the government's Dilnot commission, which is due to report in
the summer
In the meantime, there is a high risk of distraction from, and
perversion of, the things that make personalisation real. In some
places we see crude cuts being justified in its name, or
restrictions on the use of personal budgets, which make no
financial sense yet seriously hinder opportunities for creativity
and efficiency. Where rigid local rules only allow individual
budgets to be spent on "personal care", this means people can't
make their money work harder by, for example, supporting
themselves into work.
As a result, some people start to see personalisation as part of
the problem rather than central to the solution. It's vital that
councils and providers demonstrate the difference being made and
share the results with local people. Evaluation carried out by In
Control has shown an improvement in quality of life for two-thirds
of people with a personal budget, and dignity in care improved for
more than half. Further findings from a national personal budget
survey will also be available soon, giving a detailed picture of
their impact.
The Think
Local, Act Personal Partnership is launched this week, a
coalition of more than 30 organisations working in social care. It
argues that when resources are tight, they have to be used
especially well. This means a preventive approach. It also means
personal budgets delivered without unnecessary bureaucracy so that
people can target resources, based on their expertise in their own
needs and lives. At times like this we mustn't take our eyes off
the prize for which people have fought for so hard and so long.
Instead, let's work, argue, influence and fight for true
personalisation.
This blog has been published on the
Guardian website.
Last Updated : 19 April 2011. Page Author: Laura Bimpson.
