Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of tables and boxes
- Foreword
- Acknowledgements
- List of abbreviations
- one Introduction
- two History
- three From indirect to direct payments I: legislation
- four From indirect to direct payments II: guidance and extension
- five The progress of direct payments
- six The experiences of different user groups
- seven The advantages of direct payments
- eight Possible difficulties
- nine Practical issues
- ten Conclusion: implications for community care
- Bibliography
- Appendix Useful resources
- Index
- Related reports from The Policy Press
Foreword
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 April 2022
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of tables and boxes
- Foreword
- Acknowledgements
- List of abbreviations
- one Introduction
- two History
- three From indirect to direct payments I: legislation
- four From indirect to direct payments II: guidance and extension
- five The progress of direct payments
- six The experiences of different user groups
- seven The advantages of direct payments
- eight Possible difficulties
- nine Practical issues
- ten Conclusion: implications for community care
- Bibliography
- Appendix Useful resources
- Index
- Related reports from The Policy Press
Summary
This book charts a profound change in the relationship between disabledpeople and the welfare state. The impact of direct payments may only bemarginal as yet, but their potential is growing ever larger. They may intime reshape the entire provision of social care.
Direct payments are based on a disarmingly simple idea: that what stopsdisabled people from being independent is a lack of control over theservices that support them. If they can control the budget being spent ontheir behalf, they can choose support staff that suit them individually.Such a simple idea challenges the traditional view of disabled people asvulnerable and dependent on others.
Direct payments are an example of a social policy developed by users andsubsequently taken up with enthusiasm by government. But, as this bookshows, turning a grassroots initiative into a national policy optioninvolves a lot of trial and error, and we are still at a point of testingsome of the practice ideas.
Setting direct payments in context, as well as explaining the current law andpolicy advice, is an important element in this book. Jon Glasby and RosemaryLittlechild have reviewed a wide range of material on direct payments andgathered it in one volume for the first time.
I welcome this addition to the direct payments literature, because it willhelp to spread this simple but revolutionary idea more widely. I hope itwill help to take direct payments into the mainstream of social care. Directpayments matter because they offer the choice of independent living. It ismy dream that every disabled person has this choice in future.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Social Work and Direct Payments , pp. viPublisher: Bristol University PressPrint publication year: 2002