Why the Care Act has failed – viewpoint from Colin Slasberg

“I have just finished reading your book War on Disabled People. I want to congratulate you – its a great book. I learned much l from it.

“I also want to bring to your notice an important point you make that I am clear is not correct. It concerns social care, which is my area of interest. I believe you are quite right to say the Care Act has progressive intent. I think it would be hard to put a cigarette paper between the dimensions of wellbeing in the Act and the UN definition of Independent Living. I believe you are also correct to say the Act has made absolutely no difference.

 “However, it is not correct to say that is due to failure to provide the funding required.  That is an idea sector leaders want to convey. Funding for social care has actually increased in real terms since 2010. The true reason is, at both national and local level, a fear of exposing the true level of funding required.

“The Care Act does not require councils to meet all needs for wellbeing(/independent living). That was , of course, a disappointment to service user groups. But the ACt does require them to assess and cost all needs for wellbeing(/independent living). But doing so, of course, would expose unmet need and therefore the funding gap. It would be information in the public domain. The Act also requires councils to make sure they put in place all the resources required for all to have all their needs for wellbeing(/independent living) met. Councils, with the connivance of central government, are ignoring these parts of the Act in order to perpetuate the traditional ‘needs test’. This has the effect of shaping ‘need’ according to local resources, and in the process demeaning service users who are told what their needs are by the council (use of jargon to describe the assessment such as ‘co-production’ is a cynical cover for the real experience for service users).  Consequently spend always matches budget, however inadequate the budget is to local need, whilst ensuring there is never any unmet need. That’s simply too good a formula for political and sector leaders to let go of.”

Posted by Ellen Clifford