Alice Squire and Pete Richmond draw on research from the Scottish Government to show that independent living can be more efficient than congregate care.
Authors: Alice Squire and Pete Richmond
The battle for independent living by disabled people has been going on for over 50 years. There has been real progress, but many fear that things are starting to slip backwards. A combination of austerity, vested interests and a failure of strategic leadership is starting to undermine earlier achievements.
The critical question is not cost. We have a right to live independently, even if the system could find cheaper ways of 'taking care' of us. Fundamental human rights do not go away because of supposed 'economies of scale.' However it is important to note that, for those who have dedicated their lives to advancing independent living in practice, it often turns out to be a better and more efficient way of supporting someone.
Sadly there has been insufficient attention paid to the costs of independent living. The assumption that it will cost more dominates policy discussions - even though it's a false assumption. This is what makes this report so welcome; using evidence gathered by a researcher working for the Scottish Government, the authors show that support costs for people with highly complex support needs, have typically reduced over time, if that support was personalised and organised to advance community connections.
Read and download the free pdf in your browser here.
The publisher is the Centre for Welfare Reform.
No Place Like Home © Alice Squire and Pete Richmond 2017.
All Rights Reserved. No part of this paper may be reproduced in any form without permission from the publisher except for the quotation of brief passages in reviews.
