The purpose of this paper is to offer an account of the role of user‐led organisations in a radically different approach to delivering local authority adult social care management functions.
Drawing on the evaluation of a two‐year project funded by the Office for Disability Issues as part of the Independent Living Strategy, this paper highlights some of the key learning points from this project.
The central finding is that user‐led organisations are capable of delivering this radically different way of working with quality (and possibly cost) gains. However, there are potentially significant barriers to overcome in order to achieve this.
The Government is exploring a greater role for the voluntary and community sector including user‐led organisations. It is widely acknowledged that “peer” support activity should play a key part in delivering the “personalisation agenda”. This paper highlights the fact that delivering this will require leadership, partnership and trust. A strategic vision is needed – but so is an eye for detail on operational delivery issues.
