Improving the Life Chances of Disabled People (Prime Minister’s
Strategy Unit Jan. 2005) defines disability as:
“disadvantage experienced by an individual resulting from
barriers to independent living or educational, employment or other
opportunities that impact on people with impairments and/or ill
health”
Someone with a 'disability' or disabling condition usually
receives medical intervention (treatment) followed by a period of
recovery (rehabilitation).
The main focus and responsibility of the Adult Care and
Community Service follows this process of treatment and
rehabilitation and is aimed at supporting people with long-term
disabling conditions, whatever their cause, to live as independent
a life as possible as part of their local community.
In general terms, this means an assessment and care management
service leading to the provision of a range of support services,
either within or outside the home.
Examples range from advice or assistance (including aids and
adaptations) to support the individual in their daily life, through
to periods of specialist residential care and short-breaks. There
are also specialist services and workers available to deal with
specific types of disability (e.g. sensory disability).
The law which defines the overall responsibilities of the local
authority to people with disabilities and has governed the local
authority’s role as regards offering such services for the last
half-century is the Chronically Sick Disabled Persons’ Act 1948.
The basic responsibilities have been modified through subsequent
legislation (e.g. the Disabled Persons Act 1970 and the Disability
Discrimination Act 1995) and the current government policy
documents to which Social Care are working called Independence,
Well-being and Choice; Improving the Life Chances of
Disabled People and the National Service Framework for
Long Term Conditions.
These broad responsibilities translate into local services that
are organised into two blocks: Older People and Working Age
Services.
Older Peoples Services offer support and
assistance to people aged over 65 who are experiencing difficulties
due to a physical or mental disability.
Adult Services is the overall banner for
services to adults with disabilities and includes services to
people with mental health problems, learning disabilities and
sensory disabilities.
Services to people with physical disabilities are currently
delivered through Older People’s Services, although we are
currently in the process of re-aligning services in view of other
recent organisational changes.
www.optua.org.uk
www.hea
dway.org.uk
www.mssociety.org.uk
www.parkinsons.org.uk
www.scope.org.uk
www.spinal.org.uk
www.uk-disabilitydirectory.co.uk
www.unitedresponse.org.uk
www.ncil.org.uk
www.nas.org.uk
www.epilepsy.org.uk
www.disabledparentsnetwork.org.uk
www.dlf.org.uk