£700K award for disability organisations

Charities across Scotland are set to benefit from almost £700,000 to expand and improve the information and  advice they provide to thousands of disabled people and carers.

The money will help organisations which work with people who have physical disabilities, learning disabilities, mental health issues, dementia and sensory impairments, supporting them to access the care services they need.

It supports the goals of the Scottish Government’s national Self-Directed Support Strategy, in particular that people are assisted in their desire to live as independently, for as long as possible, in their own homes and communities.

The strategy and the Self-Directed Support Bill, to be introduced by the Scottish Government in the coming months, will put people who receive social care services in the driving seat. They will be able to have a big say in what services they think will best help them to live in their own homes and communities – giving disabled people the chance to change their lives for the better.

Public Health Minister Michael Matheson said:”This funding will enable organisations to work with more people, from different backgrounds and communities, for longer periods of time and in more creative ways. This is vital in supporting people who receive social care services to have a real say in how the services they need to live independent lives should be delivered.

“For example, Glasgow Centre for Inclusive Living (GCiL) currently offers a range of support to 600 disabled people receiving social care services in order that they can live more independent and equal lives. With this new funding from the Scottish Government, GCiL will be able to support even more people, in more communities across the city and beyond.”

GCIL’s Chief Executive, Etienne d’Aboville, said:”I am delighted that the Scottish Government has awarded Glasgow Centre for Inclusive Living funding as it will enable us to extend our existing services to, and develop new services for, more people. It will help ensure that disabled people and their carers can make the most of the exciting new opportunities which self-directed support offers.

“Self-Directed Support has the potential to transform the lives of people by giving them more choice and control over every day things that many people take for granted – whether that means being able to decide who provides help with personal care, doing your own shopping or simply having the confidence to live a more active and independent life.”

Florence Burke, Scottish Director of the Princess Royal Trust for Carers, said:”We are delighted to have received funding to ensure that carers and their families can seize the opportunities presented by Self-Directed Support in improving the support and care they receive – and ultimately their quality of life. Working with the network of Carers’ Centres in Scotland, the funding will allow us to provide carers with essential information and advice and to help build their confidence in working with local officials to assess, review and plan the support that they and their families need.”

The following allocations have been made for this year:

• Alzheimer Scotland – £16,635
• Ayrshire Independent Living Network – £27,934
• Borders Independent Advocacy Service – £15,816
• Borders Direct Payment Agency – £17,925
• Cornerstone – £32,500
• Direct Inclusive Collaborative Enterprise – £17,500
• Dundee Carers Centre – £43,906Equal Say Advocacy – £20,000
• Glasgow Centre for Inclusive Living (development of case management system for access by users) – £57,697
• Glasgow Centre for Inclusive Living (development of support and brokerage service for new groups) – £59, 004
• Minority Ethnic Carers of Older People Project – £23,176
• Outside the Box – £48,268
• Princess Royal Trust for Carers – £30,112
• Self Directed Support Scotland – £100,700
• Scottish Personal Assistant Employers Network – £109,300
• SDS Forum East Renfrewshire – £42,097
• Stroke Association – £17,985
• Tagsa Uibhist – £10,909

Details of further allocations will be announced in due course.The 10-year Self-Directed Support strategy, drawn up with the support of COSLA and stakeholders, aims to make Self-Directed Support the mainstream route for funding of support services. It is hoped that as many people as possible will take advantage of this route.

Self-Directed Support, encompassing direct payments, provides individual budgets for people to buy or arrange their own support packages to meet their assessed personal, social and healthcare needs. More than 3,500 people across Scotland are already choosing to use Self-Directed Support, but the Scottish Government aims to increase this number.