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London, 04 June/GNN/ -- DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH News Release issued by The Government News Network on 4 June 2008 Minister for Care Services Ivan Lewis today announced an extra =A3900,000 to help disabl

Speaking at an Office for Disability Issues consultation event on delivery
of the Independent Living Strategy the Minister pledged new funding to
help create up to 14 user-led organisations become new Action and Learning
Sites. These organisations are led and controlled by disabled people and
aim to help disabled people lead more independent lives.

Also being launched today is the Personalisation Resource Toolkit, part
of the early work on the Personalisation Programme. This programme will
work with leaders in the adult social care field to help councils transform
their systems so social care service users have more control over the care
they receive. The toolkit is the first product of the programme and will
provide advice and examples of good practice to local authorities as they
move to implementing a personalised system.

Minister for Care Services Ivan Lewis said:

"I am delighted to announce this new funding for Action and Learning sites,
to support disabled people in leading more independent lives. Last year over
100 User-Led Organisations applied to become action and learning sites. We
hope that there will be a similar level of interest in the Second Wave. We
are already supporting 12 sites which we announced in March this year.

"I am also pleased to support the Personalisation Programme with the
introduction of the Personalisation guide. This guide will provide councils
with the building blocks to deliver a more personalised care service where
the individual themselves is in control of their support. The Department
of Health will also be working with leaders in the adult social care sector
to recruit a National Director for Social Care Transformation, and will be
leading a series of workshops around the country to help local authorities
transform their systems."

The extra funding will assist User-Led Organisations to develop and improve
their capacity and long term sustainability. The best practice resulting from
the Action and Learning Sites will be shared to ensure that every locality
has the chance to develop and have access to a user-led organisation.

Minister for Disabled People, Anne McGuire, said:

"Today's announcements reflect the Government's commitment to give people
greater choice and control over the support they receive. We are consulting on
how to involve disabled people in implementing and monitoring the Independent
Living Strategy. I welcome the additional funding for user-led organisations
which are so important in achieving independent living for disabled people".

The Personalisation Toolkit is an on-line resource to help councils and
their partners set up a change programme and will provide helpful tools,
templates and examples based on early learning from the individual budget
pilot and the work of in Control.

[ENDS]

Notes to Editors:

1. If you have any enquiries regarding this issue, then please contact the
Department of Health News desk on 0207 210 5221

2. The funding announced in this release is on top of the =A3750,000 which
has been shared between 12 User-Led Organisations to help them become Action
and Learning Sites from March 2008

3. User Led Organisations and The Personalisation Resource Toolkit are part
of Putting People First, announced in December 2007 the cross government
concordat, which sets out the shared aims and values, which will work across
agendas with users and carers to transform people's experience of care and
support services.

4. The Personalisation Programme is being developed and delivered with the
Association of Directors of Adult Social Services, the Local Government
Association and the Improvement and Development Agency.

5. The Personalisation Toolkit is available from
www.toolkit.personalisation.org.uk and includes help to develop resource
allocation systems for personal budgets, advice on the range of ways people
can manage their budgets and different approaches to to support planning and
brokerage. Over the next few months, a team from the Care Services Improvement
Partnership will share the materials in regional workshops with those leading
transformation in councils.

6. Putting People First is included in the cross-Government Independent
Living Strategy published in March 2008. The Strategy is jointly owned
by the Office for Disability Issues, the Department of Health, Department
for Children, Schools and Families, Department for Transport, Department
for Work and Pensions, Communities and Local Government, and Department
for Innovation, Universities and Skills. The Strategy is available at
http://www.officefordisability.gov.uk/independent/strategy.asp

Source: Department of Health

2008-06-04 06:28:55 0376903 PRNEWSWIRE