Tag Archives: personal budgets
100% personal budgets target scrapped
Care minister says councils must have 70% of service users on personal budgets by April 2013, ditching 100% ambition.
Pic Credit: Rex Features
The government has scrapped its target for councils to move all service users in the community on to personal budgets by April 2013, care minister Norman Lamb announced today.
Lamb said he had agreed a new target of having 70% of users on personal budgets by the same date, following talks with the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services.
Lamb said personal budgets were not suitable for everyone, but stressed that the 70% target was a staging post and should not be seen as a ceiling.
His announcement, at the National Children and Adult Services Conference, was strongly welcomed by Adass president Sarah Pickup.
She said that it would mean councils could stop “chasing a number” and focus on outcomes.
Lamb also issued a strong personal commitment to implementing the Dilnot commission’s proposals of a cap on the care costs faced by individuals.
Carers are at their wits’ end and need more help
Desperate carers appeal for help
EXTRA help for adult carers is vital, a voluntary group leader claims, after a father killed his severely disabled son because he feared placing him into full-time care.
Chairman of Stafford Carers, Frank James, spoke out saying local people were “at their wits’ end” and said he feared that the tragedy of Christopher O’Rourke – who was killed by his devoted father Kevin – could be repeated.
Carers have the option of managing their individual budgets – providing them with an opportunity to pay privately for services specifically tailored to their needs.
