Social Services and Wellbeing (Wales) Bill
28 January 2013
Commenting on the forthcoming Social Services and Wellbeing (Wales) Bill, Ian Thomas, Welsh Director of charity Scope, said:
"This Bill will have a real impact on the lives of disabled people. However, until we know who will be eligible for services we don’t know whether this Bill will have a positive or negative impact.
“The decision that the Welsh Government take on eligibility will affect thousands of disabled people living in Wales.
“The choice between ‘moderate’ and ‘substantial’ levels of eligibility will determine whether thousands of people will receive the basic care and support they need.
"Times are tough for everyone but being able to eat, wash and leave your home is not a luxury.
"However, the Welsh Government does not have accurate figures on how many people have different levels of need, meaning they cannot understand how many people will be affected nor what the financial consequences will be for local authorities.
“We urge the Welsh Government to give disabled people the support they need by setting the eligibility at a ‘moderate level’. Without this, the independence of thousands will suffer.”
For more information please contact Matt O’Grady on 02920 815457 or 07770 767001
Notes to the Editor:
Scope works with disabled people and their families. From offering day-to-day support and information, to challenging assumptions about disability and influencing decision makers - everything we do is about creating real and lasting change.
In answer to a Written Question, the Deputy Minister for Children and Social Services said: “Statistics are not collected centrally on the numbers of people who had their needs assessed through FACS, nor on the number of services they received.“
You can find a copy of the bill at http://scope.to/Wl3ZWi
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