TIN Arts: Using personal budgets to provide choice

Lead service provider/commissioner

Name:

Durham County Council

Type of knowledge

Type of knowledge:

Project evaluation

Type of evaluation:

Survey

Prevention service description

GeTIN2Dance is a weekly contemporary dance day session for adults with learning disabilities. Sessions involve exploring a variety of dance styles, trying out different moves and rehearsing for any upcoming performances. Participants are supported to come up with their own moves. Themes of performances constantly change to keep participants excited and engaged. Working with Durham County Council, it is funded through personal budgets via direct payments, so that people can choose to attend as part of their local authority care. It has been run in this way since 2005.

Other courses, such as GeTIN2Arts and GeTIN2Academy are run in similar ways but focus on drama, music and other creative arts as well. They are run 36 weeks a year at a cost of £52 a day. The courses are listed in Durham County Council's information guide so that people receiving direct payments and their carers know what options are available to them. Invoices are issued to each attendee and when they share this with the local authority release the funding into their account.

Target client group(s):

Adults with learning disabilities; Adults with mental health problems