Independent Living

What is independent living?

The Disability Rights Commission has defined independent living as referring to:

"all disabled people having the same choice, control and freedom as any other citizen – at home, at work, and as members of the community. This does not necessarily mean disabled people 'doing everything for themselves', but it does mean that any practical assistance people need should be based on their own choices and aspirations."
(Disability Rights Commission (2002) Policy Statement on Social care and Independent Living).

The Independent Living Review

In 2006 Ministers agreed to carry out a review of independent living, and for the Office for Disability Issues to establish a multi-discipline, cross-government Independent Living Review project team, and to set up an Independent Living panel of experts.

The Project Team with support from the Expert Panel will look at how government and organisations can respond to the recommendations made in Chapter 4 of the "Improving the Life Chances of Disabled People" report, which looks at the fundamental changes that need to be made to the way existing services for disabled people are delivered.

Independent Living is about disabled people having choice and control over the support they need to go about their daily lives. The Independent Living Review was launched in July 2006 to identify imaginative and practical solutions to support independent living for disabled people. It is a cross-government project led by the Office for Disability Issues, and will last initially for twelve months.

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 Job Role

The role of these workers is to help people overcome difficulties, cope with many aspects of everyday living, develop socially and personally and live as independently as possible.

 

Their work is predominantly support and enabling, rather than predominantly personal care, and involves providing advice and guidance as part of a range of support activities rather than a specialist  service

 

They work in teams with other professionals, including managers, social workers, other outreach and community support workers, drug action groups, youth offending services, and with the police, education authority and schools, health authorities, housing departments etc.

 

They provide support and guidance in various ways, including individual support and counselling via such activities as shopping with service users taking them to appointments, teaching Braille or how to use a long cane to get about, developing everyday skills such as how to make a cup of tea or prepare and cook a meal safely, or simply being with them in their home environment.

 

Other ways of providing support and guidance include organising activities such as sports, drama and educational activities; Group discussions; compiling and disseminating information.

These workers usually have a number of service users that they get to know very well. Some work in residential homes with long or short-term care residents, others provide support within the local community for service users who are in supported housing or living independently.

 

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