The meeting looked at the future of social care Social care means the services that give care and support to people who need it. and discussed the Care Bill, which is currently being debated in Parliament Parliament is a group of people who make laws and check what the government The Government are the people who run the country. The Government decide how much tax people should pay and how things like the National Health Service (NHS) should work. is doing. .
Research by Mencap and leading disability charities shows that over 100,000 disabled people will not have access to care and support for basic needs, under the Government’s proposed changes to eligibility criteria in the Care Bill.
56-year old Lorainne Bellamy, who works for Mencap and has a learning disability A learning disability is to do with the way someone's brain works. It makes it harder for someone to learn, understand or do things. , said:
I have been living on my own now for six years and I used to not get any support at home, I struggled a lot. Mencap helped me get a social worker A social worker is someone who can help you get the support you need. Social workers usually work for your local council. and six hours of support a month from social services. It has made a big difference and really helps me.
Lorainne spoke to peers, MPs, senior social care figures and people with a learning disability at the APPG about how just six hours of social care support a month keeps her in work, out of debt, and able to do activities that she is passionate about.
My social worker, Gina, helps me with letters about my tax Tax is the money that pays for things like schools, hospitals and the police. There are different types of taxes like income tax Income tax is the money that is taken out of the money you earn every month. It helps to pay for things we all need like hospitals and schools. , VAT VAT is also called Value Added Tax. VAT is the extra money you pay when you buy things. The money goes to the government to pay for things like schools and hospitals. and council tax Council Tax is the money that people pay to the council. It helps to pay for things like social care (support for people), parks and dustbin collection. . credits which are really difficult to understand. She helps me read and understand my telephone bills, my gas bills, my insurance and my statements from the bank. She has helped me set-up direct debits so I can pay my bills and not get into debt.
Gina also supports me to go out more and she pushes me to do things. I enjoy swimming but find it difficult on my own. Being with her gives me confidence. She also supports me with cooking. I love cooking and she helps me make cakes and biscuits for me to bring into work.
One third of people who use social care services are working-age disabled people, like Lorainne.
Social care for working-age disabled adults is under-funded by at least £1.2 billion. What’s more, 40% of people with a disability said that social care services don’t meet their basic needs like washing, dressing or getting out of the house, and 47% said that the services they receive do not enable them to take part in community A community is the people and places in an area. life*.
Lorainne urges the Government to listen to the voices of people with a disability to make sure they don’t lose out on the vital support they need to live independent lives:
I’m worried that there are people worse off than me who don’t get any support at all and worry about what happens to them. I hope the Government and others listen to people with a learning disability and their families so that they get the support they need.
-ENDS-
For further information, please contact the Mencap press office on 020 7696 6950 or media@mencap.org.uk.
Notes to editors
About Mencap
There are 1.4 million people with a learning disability in the UK. Mencap works to support people with a learning disability, their families and carers by fighting to change laws, improve services and access to education Education is when you learn things. When you fill in a form to get a job, education means you write where you went to school, college or university. , employment Employment means having a job. and leisure Leisure is when you have time to do things you enjoy like playing sports or going to the pub. facilities. Mencap supports thousands of people with a learning disability to live their lives the way they want.
For advice and information about learning disability and Mencap services in your area, contact Mencap Direct on 0808 808 1111 (9am-5pm, Monday-Friday) or email help@mencap.org.uk.