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Ian Loynes Chief Executive, SCIL

Southampton Centre for Independent Living. Promoting equality across the South. Ian Loynes Chief Executive, SCIL. User Led Organisations : SCIL’s Journey & Learning Points 1984-2009: Celebrating 25 Years of Independent Living. Building sustainable ULO’s.

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Ian Loynes Chief Executive, SCIL

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  1. Southampton Centre for Independent Living Promoting equality across the South Ian LoynesChief Executive, SCIL User Led Organisations : SCIL’s Journey & Learning Points 1984-2009: Celebrating 25 Years of Independent Living

  2. Building sustainable ULO’s • Jan 1995: Prime Minister’s Strategy Unit ‘s “Improving the Life Chances of Disabled People”: • ‘Disabled people are best placed to take the lead in identifying their own needs and in identifying the most appropriate ways of meeting such needs’ • Recommendation 4.3:By 2010, each locality should have a user-led organisation modelled on existing CILs. • At a minimum, these organisations should provide: • • information and advice; • • advocacy and peer support; • • assistance with self-assessment; • • support in using individual budgets to meet needs; • • support to recruit and employ personal assistants; • • disability equality training; • • consumer audits of local services.

  3. Building sustainable ULO’s • However, SCIL’s experiences show that the important aspects to creating and sustaining successful ULO’s are: • WHY users should control their support organisations; and • HOW to ensure these organisations aremodeled on existing CIL’s • (i.e. working to the Social Model of Disability, Peer-support and the principles of Independent Living) • What motivates Disabled People to want to set up a ULO • Common: interests, values, beliefs. • Agents for social change (Campaigning!) • Not Just a provider of services, just another business/charity • Sustainability is as much about the empowerment of individuals as it is about resources

  4. Disabled People Defined: • 12 Basic Rights to Independent Living: • • Full ACCESS to our environment • • A fully accessible TRANSPORT system • • TECHNICAL AIDS/EQUIPMENT • • Accessible / adapted HOUSING • • PERSONAL ASSISTANCE • • Inclusive EDUCATION and TRAINING • • An adequate INCOME • • Equal opportunities for EMPLOYMENT • • Appropriate and accessible INFORMATION • • ADVOCACY (towards self advocacy) • • COUNSELLING • • Appropriate and accessible HEALTH CARE provision • ?13: Right to social life, relationships?

  5. SCIL’s Range of Enabling Services • Supporting the empowerment of • Disabled People through: • • Advice and Information on Self-Directed Support • • Peer Advocacy & Peer Mentoring • • Personal Development & Participation • Promoting Disability Equality through: • • Training & Consultancy • • Consumer & Access Audits • • Practice & Learning Opportunities • Most importantly: SCIL Campaigns for the rights of Disabled People and represents their views.

  6. ULO’s Today: • Finding it hard to survive – lack of Local Authority support and tendering rules • Restrictions about what they are ‘allowed’ to do • Whilst we argue that we should have a right to a place at the table, the reality is that there are many happy to deny that right • BECAUSE IT IS ABOUT POWER

  7. SCIL Challenges, Successes: • Drowning in rhetoric, starving of practical support (crumbs from table!) • Resources: NEVER had core funding • Tendering rules grossly biased against small ULO’s:Highlight NCIL-ADASS Protocol • Everything we have is down to refusal of Disabled People to give up • Total Transformation (etc): Virtually none of these resources have gone to ULO’s • Paradoxically, such adversity helps...

  8. SCIL Challenges, Successes: • Developed best Direct Payments schemes in UK • Most pro-active CIL in UK • Respected by Disabled People and Government • By maintaining clear aims, values, quality • Only Disabled People control our agenda • Clear vision • Pragmatic: We say what is wrong; but will work with those committed to improvements • Financial accountability • Strong focus on income generation • Personal Development and Empowerment work is critical in feeding our sustainability: Obvious funding opportunity • Have little difficulty recruiting Disabled staff • Disabled People drive our constant innovation

  9. Local Authorities cannot implement their Personalisation Agenda or their equality duties without effective ULO’s • Keepers of Independent Living & Social Model Faith • ULO’s at the forefront of every progressive social policy advance in last 25 yrs • ULO’s have a critical role in enabling users to have an empowered voice – no-one else should speak for us • ULO’s Must be Campaigners (not just service providers) • ULO’s Must challenge policies (Local & National) which limit the inclusion of Disabled People

  10. But how can ULO’s sustain themselves? • Successful organisations are successful because they are different – high quality and high principles WILL show through • MUST BE BASED ON CIL’S • Must be more business like – what we have is valuable and unique, sell it (social enterprises) • Must be enabled to provide a range of services that generate income • Must work to empower Disabled People to develop their skills within ULO’s rather than expect them to just appear • Thinking “Outside of the Box”….

  11. Thank You! Ian Loynes Ian@SouthamptonCIL.co.uk

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