Matthew Taylor, Chief Executive of the RSA and panel member of Radio 4’s Moral Maze, amongst other things, talks about Shared Lives, Homeshare and NAAPS on his blog: http://bit.ly/hhlMva
As you’d expect, we completely agree with Matthew that rethinking, rather than simply reducing, care and support is the way forwards. We have become too hung up on the paid-by-the-hour, highly boundaried, professional-client interaction in social care. We’ve forgotten that far more care and support is provided by unpaid family carers than by the state. And that people are often looking for relationships and new ways to live, rather than a service. Shared Lives and Homeshare combine paid and unpaid elements of care: the professionalism and accountability of a recruited and trained member of the workforce, the warmth and creativity of family and other close relationships. There are more gains and efficiencies to be had in this model than in finding another 5% reduction in a service already raised above all but the highest needs and circled by assessments, gatekeepers and jargon.
Escaping the invisible asylum 