So what on earth has happened to the promised green paper on social care?
As far back as March 2017 in that Budget, the Government said that it would publish a Green Paper on social care. The budget announcement then came two years after the government decision in July 2015 to defer the decision about adult social care.
The green paper has continually been delayed from 2017, through the whole of 2018, it was supposed to be launched in January 2019 the government told us and now we are told something called the ‘forthcoming‘ Green Paper on social care for adults will now be published at “the earliest opportunity”.
So, despite the fact English councils spend a third of their spending budget on providing social care, we have had to wait so long to take this forward. We think this highlights the disdain with which disabled people feel they are treated.
Anyway, here is the link to the House of Commons library briefing on the ‘forthcoming‘ Green Paper on social care for adults.
It’s the intention of Disability Sheffield and the Disability Hub to work with individual disabled people, trying to secure their independence through a wholly inadequate social care service, to speak up about their experiences locally and to challenge the status quo.
As well as highlighting the inadequacies of the funding available locally for social care it is incumbent on us to educate people on what we mean by ‘independent living‘. Independent living you see is about one’s lifestyle, it’s about everything surrounding the individual and how individuals self–determine what their lifestyle is all about.
Please watch this space for further developments with the government green paper.
In the meantime you may be interested in reading more about the Reclaiming Our Futures Alliance (ROFA) call for a ‘National Independent Living Service ‘. Entitled, Independent Living for the Future Our vision for a national independent living support system, the authors say it would eliminate the postcode lottery in support and cement the entitlement to social care, support and independent living more aligned to Article 19 of the UN Convention on the Rights of Disabled People (UNCRPD).
If you want to get involved with future work around adult social care and independent living, either by completing a survey or helping others respond to the consultation or taking part in an action group through the Disability Hub please contact Andrew on (0114) 253 6752 email andrew.crooks@disabilitysheffield.org.uk
