What the government say about Direct Payments
What the government says about Direct Payments
Government policy on direct payments is clear:
- Improving the Life Chances of Disabled People (Prime Minister's Strategy Unit 2005); describes direct payments as ‘the most successful public policy in the area of social care in recent years'. The report prepares the way for individual budgets for disabled people, to bring together the services to which they are entitled and give them greater choice over the mix of support they receive in the form of cash and/or direct provision of services.
- Independence, Well-being and Choice (Department of Health 2005 Independence, Well-being and Choice: Our vision for the future of social care for adults in England); sets the direction for increased access to direct payments for groups where take-up has been low, such as people with mental health problems, in the context of positive risk-taking, adequate information, individually tailored assessment (including self-assessment) and a move towards individual budgets.
- The Direct Payments Guidance (Department of Health 2005 Direct Payments Guidance: Community Care, services for carers and children's services.); provides local authorities with the means to carry out their duty to make direct payments to those people who are eligible and are willing and able (alone or with support) to use them. This guidance and subsequent ministerial statements confirm the Government's intention that all authorities must be making direct payments routinely available to people with mental health problems.
