Meeting documents

Return to Agenda

ITEM EX11

EXECUTIVE – 19 MARCH 2002

LEARNING DISABILITY JOINT INVESTMENT PLAN 2002

Report by Director of Social Services

Introduction

1. Following the publication of the White Paper "Valuing People – A Strategy for Learning Disability for the 21st Century" in March 2001, local authorities were required to prepare by 31 January 2002 an update of their Learning Disability Joint Investment Plan (JIP). The former Social Services Committee received a report on Valuing People at its June 2001 meeting (Agenda item SS16). This JIP includes a local action plan for the implementation of the White Paper and plans for the use of the revenue funding and bids for the capital funding for the Learning Disability Development Fund. A copy of the plan is in the Members’ Resource Centre and is available for public inspection.
2. This report gives a summary of Valuing People, outlines the new Learning Disability Development Fund and the Department of Health priorities for the use of this funding and the recommendations for the use of this funding.

Background

3. The programme for JIP’s for April 2000 and April 2001 was set out in the Department of Health circular HSC 1999/244:LA(99)39. By April 2001 health and local authorities together with their partner agencies, were required to complete a JIP for adults with learning disabilities covering the year’s 2001/02 to 2003/04.
4. JIP’s are jointly owned documents and the Department of Health expects health and local authorities to prepare, update, and implement their local plans. Local authorities are the lead authority in developing the plans for people with learning disability.

The Valuing People Strategy

5. Valuing People sets out proposals for improving opportunities and achieving better outcomes for all children, young people, adults and older people with learning disabilities and their families. Its proposals are based on the key principles of legal and civil rights, independence, choice and inclusion.
6. Valuing People sets new objectives and sub-objectives that cover:

• Transition into adult life
• More choice and control
• Supporting carers
• Good health
• Housing
• Fulfilling lives
• Moving into employment
• Quality (including adult protection)
• Workforce and planning
• Partnership working – including the development of Learning Disability Partnership Boards

7. Key Implications for the development of the JIP are:

• Valuing People is based on a person centred approach to designing and delivering supports that promote social inclusion for everyone with a learning disability. It is not just about health and social services but includes people in the mainstream of society and services.
• Valuing People is about the whole of people’s lives. JIP’s must address the links between services for children and adults, make links with other JIP’s, especially the Welfare to Work JIP and make links with the National Service Frameworks for Mental Health and Older People.
• Valuing People is about choice and control, requiring organisations to work together with people with learning disabilities and their families in new ways.

8. A new Learning Disability Development Fund of £22m revenue and £20m capital funding (nationally) will be introduced in April 2002 to support priorities for service change. This funding will be allocated annually for the next three years. The revenue funding allocated to Oxfordshire is £197,000 for 2002/03.
9. Guidance for Implementing Valuing People was published in August 2001 in Circular HSC 2001/016: LAC(2001)23. This guidance also set the priorities for the use of this funding.

The priorities for the use of the revenue funding are:

• Modernising day services
• The reprovision of the of long stay hospitals
• Developing supported living approaches for people living with older carers
• Development of advocacy services
• Supporting the introduction of person centred planning
• Enhancing leadership in learning disability services

The priorities for the use of the capital funding are:

• Enabling local providers to develop specialist services for people with severe challenging behaviour.
• Developing integrated health and social service facilities for children and young people with severe disabilities and complex needs.
• Developing supported living for people with older carers.

10. The JIP was agreed by the Oxfordshire Learning Disability Partnership Board on 14 January 2002 and the Oxfordshire Disabilities Task Force on 29 January 2002. Both these groups have representation from users and carers, Social Services, Oxfordshire Learning Disability Trust and Primary Care Trusts.
11. The local action plan was sent to the Department of Health on 31 January 2002. It updates the 2001/02 JIP and identifies the actions and outcomes required to achieve the objectives of Valuing People.
12. The local action plan recommends that the revenue funding for Oxfordshire is used in the following ways:

• £35,000 to support the development of citizen and self advocacy services;

• £35,000 to support the development of person centred planning jointly with service users;

• £50,000 to develop supported living options for older people;

• £15,000 to develop alternative day service options via adult family placement ;

• £65,000 to support enhanced leadership in learning disability services, support to the learning disability partnership board in the implementation of Valuing People and improved consultation and communication with people with learning disabilities and their carers.

13. The Department of Health is currently stating that this new funding can only be received into a pooled budget under Section 31 of the Health Act. Work is already underway, as part of the reconfiguration of learning disability services, to look at the feasibility of transferring all learning disability funding into a pooled budget. This work will be reported to the Executive later this year.

RECOMMENDATIONS

14. The Executive is RECOMMENDED to endorse the Local Action Plan as summarised in the report, and in particular the proposals set out for the use of revenue funding, the bid for capital funding and the setting up of a pooled budget for learning disability services.

MARY ROBERTSON
Director of Social Services

Background papers: Oxfordshire Learning Disability Joint Investment Plan 2001-04

Contact Officers: Alan Sinclair Head of Service (Disabilities) Tel: (01865) 815753

February 2002

Return to TOP