Sheffield Centre For Independent Living

Our Annual General Meeting took place on Wednesday 26th October from 2-4pm in Conference Room 1 at the Circle, 33 Rockingham Lane Sheffield S1 1FW. We celebrated our work in the past year and looked forward to the future. Here is the meeting agenda  , our minutes from last year's AGM and a presentation giving highlights of the year for our AGM.

Four disabled residents from the West Midlands have won a landmark legal challenge against Birmingham City Council after a court ruled the authority’s plans to cut its adult social care budget were unlawful. The case was brought by the families of four disabled adults from Birmingham who were told earlier this year by the Council that as from 1 April 2011, any needs which were not considered ‘critical’ would no longer be paid for, leaving them concerned that many of their essential care and support needs unmet. Please follow this link for more information

The Office of Disability Issues has worked with disabled people to develop the Right to Control legislation. The government has selected a small number of local ‘ trailblazer ‘authorities to test out Right to Control. Sheffield is a joint trailblazer with Barnsley. In Sheffield the trailblazer is a partnership arrangement between adult social care at the Council, Jobcentre Plus and Sheffield Centre for Independent Living. Right to Control is a new legal right from 1^st March 2011 in Sheffield for disabled people and people with long term health or mental health conditions over the age of 18. Right to Control gives disabled people more control over the help they need to access social care, housing related support and employment support services.  

 The specific ‘funding streams’ are:-

• Access to Work
• Work Choice ( employment support services )
• Adult Social Care services
• Disabled Facilities Grant
• Supporting People ( housing related support )
• Independent Living Fund ( for existing clients )

 Staff in the six funding streams and Right to Control partners will be working together to improve how they deliver support to disabled people to ensure that they have greater control over the support they receive from different services.  

Having the Right to Control gives disabled people:- 

• A simple ‘customer journey’, from assessment of your needs through to arranging your support.

• Access to professionals and organisations to help you make decisions about your outcomes and support.

• More choice over the support you can get with the money available to you.

• Help with support planning.

The Right to Control booklet  provides further information. Sheffield Centre for Independent Living will develop further information to support ‘ Right to Control ‘ for disabled people in Sheffield as the partnership develops.

Sheffield City Council has produced an e learning module about Right to Control - please click here if you wish to view it and take part in the Right to Control quiz.

Last year the UK government ratified the United Nation Convention on the Rights of Disabled People. This forces UN member states to take active steps to ensure that the human rights of disabled people are respected.  It is a very important and powerful process that affects all disabled people.  It actively promotes equality and the inclusion of disabled people in society. The Convention, now signed, requires the UK government to change laws and policies, eliminate discrimination and actively consult with disabled people and their organizations.  It covers a range of rights, including; the right to life, freedom from inhumane and degrading treatment, respect for integrity, privacy, family life, access to information, health, education, work and living standards.  The Convention is based on the social model of disability and requires that disabling barriers and attitudes are removed.  However, the Convention is not enforced by going to court rather disabled people can use it as campaigning tool and make reference to it when challenging decisions and policies that affect our lives.  You can find out more about the Convention on the UN website at www.un.org/disabilities.