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RADAR and Disability Alliance joint statement on Direct Payments

17 August 2010

Recent coverage of Direct Payments has suggested that the Department of Health and councils need to tighten or clarify the use of this care service initiative. Neither Radar nor Disability Alliance agrees with the sentiment of recent coverage.

 Direct Payments make a significant and positive difference to the lives of thousands of disabled people and their families. Direct Payments are used to help families with personalised, essential support. Direct Payments can also represent a more cost effective method for providing the vital support some disabled people need. A wheelchair user can organise support to help them get up in the morning at the right time to get to work, rather than wait for a traditional one size fits all service to arrive too late to get to work. Individual solutions like this can help disabled people participate in society – maintaining tax contributions for example - by removing red tape and enabling people to make the decisions that are right for them. Direct Payments come with requirements on individuals and are part of an agreement with people aimed at achieving outcomes (eg managing good health, avoiding hospital).

Neither of our organisations condone illegal activities or sexual exploitation. But some disabled people experience greater difficulty in having sexual relationships and this is a source of deep frustration and unhappiness. Disabled people, like all citizens, experience sexual feelings and have a right to pursue those feelings in socially appropriate ways. Having the ability to avoid isolation through opportunities to make friendships and relationships is a valuable purpose of the support some disabled people receive. Disability Alliance and Radar agree that how public resources are used should not generate barriers to maintaining or developing relationships and avoiding isolation.

 We believe that the discussion about whether councils can allow Direct Payments to be used in very rare circumstances to pay legally sanctioned sex workers is a complex and sensitive issue. The debate raises societal and ethical questions on attitudes towards disabled people and ‘asexuality’. But the inference that Direct Payments might be used to routinely pay for illegal sex is not supported by evidence.

Recent national media coverage risks damaging the excellent reputation Direct Payments have and overshadows the very real fear surrounding the future of care services with such significant public expenditure cuts expected across the country. Disability Alliance and Radar support investment and reform of care services, with more significant user-control of resources focused on maintaining lives, finding and keeping employment, gaining qualifications and sustaining or developing social networks to help reduce the isolation endured by too many disabled people and their families. 

For media enquiries please contact Ann Stirling on 01273 202980 (mobile: 07939 153513).

1. RADAR is the UK’s largest disability campaigning network with over 1000 organizational and individual members.  We work for a just an equal society whose strength is human difference. We run leadership programmes for disabled people and work with disabled people for progress on independent living, routes out of poverty and leadership opportunities for people living with ill-health, injury or disability.  To find out more please visit our web site www.radar.org.uk  or call 020 7250 3222 / minicom 020 7250 4119 or email radar@radar.org.uk
2. Disability Alliance aims to end disability poverty. Visit www.disabilityalliance.org or call 020 7247 8776 for further information.

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