Personalisation for someone with a learning disability
This video introduces a young woman, Hannah, 22, who has Angelman Syndrome and lives with her family in a rural setting. Hannah’s mum, dad and sister provide care and support for her in the home because she doesn’t like being with people who she doesn’t know. Personal budgets have made a big difference as the family have negotiated with Essex County Council to pay Hannah’s sister to provide support. Hannah’s sister, Chrissi, explains in detail how the personal budget integrated fund has worked for them. She also talks about how the family have ensured that, despite Hannah’s extremely limited communication, her self-directed support really is a reflection of her own needs. Hannah’s mother emphasises how personal budgets have allowed the whole family to function better and have prevented Hannah from going into residential care. The film ends with Hannah and her sister going on holiday.
Messages for practice
- Personal budgets and self-directed support can make a significant difference to someone with a learning disability, even if they are severely disabled.
- Families and carers can benefit when a service user has a personal budget.
- Personal budgets and self-directed support can improve life for all people with learning disabilities and can help prevent some people from going into residential care as adults.
- Social workers and local authority personnel need to work creatively and flexibly with people to make personal budgets a success.
Who will find this useful?
Commissioners; local authority finance managers; social workers; managers of learning disability services; social care and health workers supporting people with learning disabilities; people with learning disabilities, their carers and families; social care and social work students; personal assistants; specialist advocates; the general public.