A national think-tank is in Cumbria today to gauge the success of a special pilot scheme which is giving people with learning disabilities in the county more control over their care budgets and the support they receive.
Researchers from the think-tank Demos are in Carlisle today to meet with some of the 250 service users from across Cumbria who have been using the In Control scheme to manage their own care and support services.
The scheme, which has been operating in the county since 2005, gives people with learning disabilities individualised budgets coupled with control over the different types of support they receive.
From the original six pilot authorities, 80 local authorities have now joined In Control working with a range of client groups. In Control improves users' quality of life while ensuring that the money available to them is spent as creatively and wisely as possible.
People using the scheme in Cumbria have said that they feel far more included in the process of arranging their care and support services, and much more in control of their lives as a result.
Through their individual budget, service users have been able to make changes in their lives which they had previously thought impossible like finding a job or thinking about moving on to more independent accommodation.
Families have been able to use their individual budget to purchase creative support and innovative short breaks for their sons and daughters during school holidays.
One family who have been using the new system and who have experienced the system before the introduction of In Control have said that the new scheme has meant they feel far more included in the decision making process.
As well as meeting service users today, Adult Social Care staff will also be asked for their views on how the scheme is working. A social worker who has worked closely with families involved in the scheme will tell Demos how rewarding it is to see people making the big decisions about the support they or a member of their family receives.
Cumbria's success in providing more choice and independence for service users has been a major factor behind the Department of Health's decision to choose the county as one of five areas in the country to pilot a new expanded self-directed support for Adult Social Care Service users called Total Transformation.
Under Total Transformation the county council will seek over the next two years, to offer half the 12,500 adults it currently arranges services for, to the chance to take control of their own social care budgets, manage their support and choose the services that suit them best.
Councillor Oliver Pearson, cabinet responsible for Adult Social Care and Health in Cumbria, said: "Giving service users much greater control over their care is at the heart of the county council's vision for social care in Cumbria and we are delighted that our work in this important field is the subject of national attention."
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Media enquiries to Mark Graham, Media Officer on 01228-606337
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More information can be found on the In Control website at www.in-control.org.uk or on the county council's own website at www.cumbria.gov.uk/adultsocialcare/partnerships/cicn/