SCIE media releases 2004
Independent living: SCIE's helping to turn hope into reality
23 November 2004
More than 100 leading figures who campaign for the right for independent living for people with disabilities attended a Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE) seminar on Monday 22 November 2004 in London.
Independent living is the most pressing issue for people who use services and their families.
The conference provided a forum for raising some of the issues and discussing some of the barriers and solutions to independent living.
It is hoped the seminar will galvanize people into commenting on the soon-to-be-published green paper on adult social services, which it is believed, will focus heavily on enabling service users to live independently.
Speaking at the seminar, Minister for Community Care, Dr Stephen Ladyman MP, stressed that support for independent living is crucial in breaking down barriers to disabled people's full participation in social, economic and civic life.
"My vision for adult social care is about realising the potential of all members of our society. It is about independent living. I honestly believe that between us, we can reshape social care and the context in which it operates to the benefit of individuals needing support, their communities and wider society," he said.
Dr Ladyman went on to say that SCIE was a key partner in the development of the green paper, in particular because of its strong contact with service users.
Other speakers at the seminar included Frances Hasler from the National Centre for Independent Living; Gerry Zarb from the Disability Rights Commission; Charles Leadbeater from Demos; Professor Colin Barnes, Professor of Disability Studies at the University of Leeds; and Sue Bott, Chief Officer at the Shropshire Disability Consortium.
SCIE Chair Jane Campbell said, "Independent living is a major issue for people who use care services and their families. Great progress has been made in recent years but there are still many people who could benefit from this style of service delivery. We hope that this seminar has helped to push the boundaries of thinking about how independent living becomes a real choice for service users."
SCIE has played a key role in the formation of the government's green paper on adult social care. As well as hosting and compiling the results of the government's initial consultation, SCIE has also consulted with 22 focus groups, nine of which were with service users, to better enable the government's green paper to reflect service users' views.
Media contact
Margaret Lynch | Press Officer | T: 020 7089 6858 | M: 07834 194 896
Notes to editors
SCIE produces free paper and web-based publications which bring together existing information about a particular area of social care, draw out key messages for good practice and identify areas where more research is needed to inform good practice. SCIE's work includes projects on services for adults, children and families; participation; human resource development; social work education; e-learning and the use of knowledge in social care. Publications are available from the publication section of our website, or can be ordered by emailing publications@scie.org.uk or by calling 020 7089 6840. SCIE also owns and runs the free Social Care Online (www.elsc.org.uk).
Despite terminological differences there is general agreement amongst disabled activists and their allies that independent living in founded on four basic assumptions. These include:
- that all human life, regardless of the nature, complexity and/or severity of impairment is of equal worth
- that anyone, whatever the nature, complexity and/or severity of their impairment has the capacity to make choices and should be enabled to make those choices
- that people who are disabled by societal responses to any form of accredited impairment - physical, sensory or cognitive - have the right to exercise control over their lives
- that people with perceived impairments and labelled 'disabled' have the right to participate fully in all areas - economic, political and cultural - of mainstream community living on a party with non-disabled peers (Bracking 1993; Morris 1993; Charlton 1998; Barnes 1993).
