£93k funding will boost support for people with autism
FUNDING worth almost £100,000 will be spent in Halton to provide one-toone support for people with learning disabilities, autism and mental health conditions as part of a trial.
The Department Of Health (DOH) has awarded Halton Borough Council £92,827 for the scheme which will give people in Runcorn and Widnes frequent contact with their dedicated social worker.
For the next six months, people in the borough with these conditions will be given one primary point of contact to provide advice, work with family and carers and encourage patients to live more independently.
A DOH spokeswoman said the ● aim is to cut down unnecessary long spells in hospitals and other NHS inpatient facilities.
Cllr Marie Wright, Halton Borough Council’s executive board member for health and wellbeing, said: “This is good news as providing a dedicated caseworker, who has an ongoing responsibility for someone’s support, means they can be a primary point of contact, challenge decisions and advocate on that person’s behalf.”
The extra investment follows the early success of a named social worker pilot scheme introduced last year across six local authorities which was received positively by those who used the service and their families.
The spokeswoman added the first stage of the pilot has given a clear sense of the difference that a named social worker can make in transforming learning disability services.
Health minister Jackie DoylePrice said: “This is a fantastic scheme in Halton that will give people personalised community care and more support to live independently.
“It is an important step forward as we aim to transform learning disability services for people in Halton and across the country.”
The pilot is part of the DOH’s response to the 2015 No Voice Unheard, No Right Ignored consultation, which sought views on strengthening the rights of people with learning disabilities, autism and mental health conditions to enable them to live more independently.
The DOH has also funded the Innovation Unit – a social enterprise – and the Social Care Institute Of Excellence to support the areas, co-ordinate the pilot and to evaluate the scheme.
A total of 138 individuals were involved in the first phase of the pilot, in Liverpool, Sheffield and Hertfordshire.
The second phase of the pilot will now be rolled out across Bradford, Halton and Shropshire. ●