Independent living

Overall aim

All disabled people having the same choice, control and freedom as any other citizen - at home, at work, and as members of the community. This does not necessarily mean disabled people 'doing everything for themselves' but it does mean that any practical assistance people need should be based on their own choices and aspirations.

Achievements from 2005 to 2009

• Independent Living Review launched in July 2006 to identify imaginative and practical solutions to support independent living for disabled people.
• Independent Living Strategy co-produced with disabled people and published in March 2008, setting out government commitments to improve the life chances of disabled people needing support.
• Independent Living Scrutiny Group established July 2009 to provide independent assessment of the progress being made towards independent living.

Next steps on our strategy

• Independent Living Scrutiny Group will report annually on the progress being made towards independent living.
• Government believes that change can be achieved without new legislation, but we will review the situation if sufficient progress has not been made by 2013.

• Article 19 - living independently and being included in the community
• Article 23 - respect for the home and the family

• 1.1 (awareness building and attitude changing programme to create support for an independent living approach).
• 1.2 (communicate Independent Living messages to practitioners).
• 1.3 (communication materials to practitioners).
• 1.4 (communicate Independent Living messages to users and potential users of services and carers).
• 1.5 (focus on specific communication needs of different groups of disabled people, including black and minority ethnic (BME) communities and older people).
• 6.7 (the role of Disability Living Allowance and Attendance Allowance in supporting independent living).
• 7.1 (social care modernisation programme and individual budgets).
• 7.2 (work with In Control Total and ensure that this initiative is linked in with the five year Strategy).
• 7.3 (continue to encourage and monitor take-up of direct payments by adults, particularly amongst currently under-represented groups).
• 8.1 (support local organisations to develop local action plans for the mapping and provision of support, advocacy, information and brokerage services).
• 8.2 (commission a scoping study to assess the need for, and the costs and benefits of providing, independent advocacy when disabled people are at risk of losing choice and control).
• 8.2.1 (subject to the scoping study, commission research).
• 8.3 (user-led organisations).
• 8.4 (National Advocacy Qualification).
• 9.1 (develop cross-government toolkit to assist development of local IL strategies for older people).
• 11.1 (promoting good practice in children's and adults' health, education and social care).
• 11.1.2 (promote good practice: Pathfinders).
• 11.2 (involving disabled parents in all activities relating to supporting families).
• 12.1 (report on the ILS as part of the ODI annual reporting process).
• 12.2 (Life Chances departments will review progress in time for the next Spending Review and performance framework whether future action to deliver outcomes is needed).
• 12.3 (Government will review the need for legislation if sufficient progress has not been made against the outcomes by 2013).