Public Accounts Committee tells ministers to sort out disability benefits ‘fiasco’
Thousands of vulnerable people have suffered pain, distress and penury because of blunders made by the Government during the launch of a key disability reform, a devastating report warns today (2oth June). MPs denounced the introduction of the personal independence payment (PIP) as a “fiasco” which had resulted in a huge backlog of claims and […]
Children with special educational needs twice as likely to be bullied, study finds
Primary school pupils with special educational needs are twice as likely as other children to suffer from persistent bullying, according to new research published by the Institute of Education (IOE), University of London. The study, the largest of its kind to be carried out in England, analysed information on more than 19,000 children and adolescents […]
Lords consider the health inequalities found in Confidential Inquiry into Premature Deaths of People with Learning Disabilities
Baroness Hollins (Sheila Hollins, former president of the Royal College of Psychiatrists and the British Medical Association, and the mother of an adult son with learning disabilities) took the opportunity on 12th June to prompt in important debate on learning disability and inequalities in health care. Her question was: “To ask Her Majesty’s Government what […]
Radio 4’s Today investigates care home closure proposals
A 10-minute long feature on yesterday’s Today programme (Radio 4, 17th June) investigated Scope’s proposals to close up to 13 residential care homes. It started with a report by BBC reporter Zoe Conway of her visit to a residential home under threat, Hampton House in Northampton, to interview learning-disabled residents, their carers and parents. It […]
Housing LIN Viewpoint 63: Independent Living – Safe as Houses?
The Housing Learning and Improvement Network (LIN), formerly responsible for managing the Department of Health’s (DH) Extra Care Housing capital programme, now defines itself as ‘the leading knowledge hub for a growing network of housing, health and social care professionals in England involved in planning, commissioning, designing, funding, building and managing housing with care for […]
Death of Dr Lorna Wing OBE, autism ‘pioneer’
Many parents, relatives and carers of people who are now described having an ASD (Autistic Spectrum Disorder) will be familiar with the name, if not all the achievements, of Lorna Wing.
Available now… Disability Rights Handbook 2014-15
The pre-ordered copy of the Disability Rights Handbook (April 2014 – April 2015) has now arrived at the Rescare office. Published annually by Disability Rights UK, this is an invaluable guide to benefits and services for all disabled people, their families, carers and advisers. We can recommend it to anyone who needs factual information on […]
Just published: an analysis of dogma, policy formation and failure…
Just received from Rescare’s friend, and a tireless campaigner on learning disability issues, Charles Henley – a copy of his latest book ‘Learning Disabilities. Bold Visions:the short cut to inclusion – or the inevitable route to Winterbourne View’. Charles asks why the seemingly laudable philosophy underpinning the principles of Care in the Community, went so […]
38 Degrees Camphill Petition
Camphill petition… We bring to your attention a petition on the ’38 Degrees’ website which now (at end of May 2014) has over 6300 signatures, and is seeking more… The petition’s title is ‘Camphill Village Communities must not be destroyed’. This seems blunt and dramatic, but in the opinion of many close to the various […]
Stanley Grange – an update
This update now received from a senior member of the Stanley Grange Friends and Family Forum, following their meeting with Hft trustees in early May… ‘The latest developments at Stanley Grange are that Hft trustees have decided that they no longer want to go on running Stanley Grange as an intentional village community themselves, but […]