A key aspect of our Social Care Support policy involves the development and delivery of the People-Led Policy Panel. Using the lived experience of disabled people to shape the policy areas services that directly affect them.
The People-led Policy Panel is made up of people with a wide range of experiences of using adult social care support, both as supported people and unpaid carers. There are people in the Panel who have never given their views and ideas before, as well as people who are already very experienced in giving their views. Panel members come from across Scotland and from different backgrounds.
The People-Led Policy Panel has worked with the Scottish Government and other stakeholders since 2018 to co-produce the reform of Adult Social Care. The main aim is to ensure that the experiences and views of disabled people and unpaid carers are at the heart of shaping policy. On the 12th June 2019 Jeanne Freeman, the then Cabinet Secretary for Health and Sport, launched the co-produced Reform Programme for the adult social care support in Scotland.
National Care Service Co-design
Following the Independent Review of Adult Social Care Support, led by Derek Feeley, Scottish Government introduced a consultation on a proposed new National Care Service (NCS). Inclusion Scotland and the People Led Policy Panel (PLPP) responded to the consultation. Follow this link to read our response.
A draft National Care Service Bill (the bill) was proposed by Scottish Government. This has been through a period of ‘scrutiny’ in its first stage at the Scottish Parliament, which means parliamentarians looked closely at the bill and what it would mean. The Health, Social Care and Sport Committee led this scrutiny and there was a delay of them completing it and having an end of stage one debate in Scottish Parliament. This will take place at the end of January 2024. This delay has allowed Scottish Government to come to agreements with various groups who opposed the bill, including COSLA (link) and the Scottish unions.
Meanwhile, the Scottish Government has been co-designing the future NCS. Co-design means people who use health and social care support are working together on an equal basis with the Scottish Government and organisations delivering health and social care support to design the new NCS.
The PLPP has a key role in this process, working closely with the Scottish Government to ensure that people with lived experience are at the heart of the policy development and service design of the NCS. The PLPP meets regularly with the Scottish government to input into key themes that have been identified through this process such as rights and the NCS Charter, Eligibility Criteria and Access to Advocacy.
Reform of Adult Social Care Support Since Covid
All work on the Reform Programme was stopped because of the COVID-19 pandemic and the People-led Policy Panel moved its meetings online. The pandemic has had a catastrophic impact on disabled people and unpaid carers. Many people who use social care support were left abandoned and without access to even the most basic of human rights. In September 2020, the First Minister announced an Independent Review of Adult Social Care, which was led by Derek Feeley. The People-led Policy Panel was the first group that Derek Feeley met with and he also invited one of our members onto his expert advisory group.
The Independent Review consulted widely with supported people and unpaid carers as well as people who work in social care support. In February 2021 it reported its recommendations based on what people said needed to change. Recommendations included the creation of a new National Care Service based on human rights and accountable to the Scottish Government.
Members of the People-led Policy Panel and others involved in the Independent Living Movement have been calling for these changes for a long time. We now want to see the commitment to a National Care Service and all the 53 recommendations of the Independent Review implemented. The People-led Policy Panel also want to be at the centre of the co-production process to make a National Care Service a reality.
You can find out more about the Independent Review and its recommendations on the Scottish Government website.
The Panel put in its own submission following extensive discussion. Inclusion Scotland sent a separate submission. The Review recommendations chimed well with what the PLPP said in its submission.
Social Care Support and Independent Living
Social care support is a key part of making the right to Independent Living real. Independent living means all disabled people having the same freedom, choice, dignity and control as other citizens at home, work and in the community. It does not necessarily mean living by yourself or fending for yourself. It means rights to practical assistance and support to participate in society and live an ordinary life.
Social care support policy has a huge impact on disabled people and unpaid carers. Even when there are lots of opportunities for disabled people and carers voices to be heard by policy makers, it is not always clear that this has made any difference. Disabled people and carers have long been saying that there is no point in coming to consultation events if nothing actually changes.
At Inclusion Scotland we recognise that disabled people and carers should be making policy with decision makers and then making sure that the co-produced policy is used and works properly. Our aim is for the People-Led Policy model to be part of transformative change within social care support and contribute to the movement for independent living. We also believe that this model is transferable to other policy areas.
Find out more
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