A report said that young disabled people, often with severe and complex conditions, were being denied a real choice about how and where they lived. Lack of government funding, a postcode lottery of services, a chronic lack of data, and negative attitudes about 'residential care' among some policy-makers and professionals, were to blame.
Source: Rachael Christophides, Young, Disabled and Forgotten, John Grooms (020 7452 2121)
Links: Report | John Grooms press release
Date: 2006-Aug
The government set out (following consultation) its preliminary conclusions on the future of the Supporting People programme, and the areas where further work and discussions would be carried out. A full Supporting People strategy would then be developed covering the issues raised.
Source: Supporting Independence: Next Steps in our Supporting People Strategy, Department for Communities and Local Government (0870 1226 236)
Links: Report
Date: 2006-Jul
The social care inspectorate said that the Supporting People programme (providing housing-related support services to enable vulnerable people to live independently) had made a "real and significant difference" to many people?s lives. It had enabled councils to strengthen their focus on prevention, provide a wider range of services and models of support, and actively to promote people?s independence. It had placed housing centre stage in meeting people?s needs, and enabled more effective joint working across health, housing, and social care services. But the impact of the programme had been inconsistent across councils, due to lack of corporate ownership, insufficient preparation for the introduction of Supporting People, and lack of capacity.
Source: Supporting People ? Promoting Independence: Lessons from inspections, Commission for Social Care Inspection (0845 015 0120)
Links: Report | CSCI press release
Date: 2006-May
A study assessed the extent to which six English housing associations took account of accessibility issues during refurbishment programmes. The housing associations were very willing to encompass access improvements for individual disabled tenants: but their approach had been concerned with meeting these 'special needs' rather than improving the accessibility of their stock overall.
Source: Marcus Ormerod and Pam Thomas, Implementing Decent Homes Standards: How housing associations are addressing accessibility issues, York Publishing Services for Joseph Rowntree Foundation, available from York Publishing Services Ltd (01904 430033)
Links: Report | JRF Findings
Date: 2006-Feb
A report presented the findings of a survey into the attitudes of tenants and leaseholders to the making of disability-related adjustments to the common parts of the rented and leased residential premises.
Source: Mark Stephens and Karen Croucher, Attitudes to Making Adjustments to Common Parts of Rented and Leased Residential Premises, Research Report 317, Department for Work and Pensions (0113 399 4040)
Date: 2006-Feb
A survey found that disabled customers were unable to enter almost 1 in 5 pubs. Some pubs and bars were clearly aware of their legal obligations, and had made changes to ensure that disabled customers could access their service: but others seemed to have taken little account of their legal requirements.
Source: Public House? A report into pubs and accessibility, Leonard Cheshire (020 7802 8204)
Links: Report | Leonard Cheshire press release
Date: 2006-Feb
The government began consultation on ways to improve the Supporting People programme.
Source: Help Us to Make Supporting People Even Better, Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (0870 1226 236)
Links: Consultation document
Date: 2006-Jan
The government announced that it was making ?121 million available for the disabled facilities grant in England in 2006-07, up 17 per cent on the previous year.
Source: Press release 27 January 2006, Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (020 7944 3000)
Links: ODPM press release | Mencap press release
Date: 2006-Jan