The Learning Disability Coalition (LDC) is calling on the government to make the same extra investment in funding services for adults as it recently did for children with a learning disability (£340 million).
The Learning Disability Coalition has 10 member organisations: Association for Real Change, British Institute of Learning Disabilities, Down’s Syndrome Association, Foundation for People with Learning Disabilities, Mencap, National Forum for People with Learning Disabilities, People First, SENSE, Turning Point and United Response.
Click here to see the Learning Disability Coalition website.
February 2008
The Learning Disability Coalition has issued a survey questionnaire in order to gauge an accurate picture of cuts and/or reductions in contract prices or fees to providers. See news item to download the survey for completion on this website by clicking here.
October 2007
The Learning Disability Coalition Board met on 3 October 2007 and the agenda and papers presented at the meeting can be downloaded from the links below:
- Agenda
- Minutes of meeting on 13 July 2007
- The Advisory Committee
- The Campaign Manager's report
- Strategy paper
July 2007
The LDC is asking the Treasury to see the upcoming Comprehensive Spending Review (CSR) as an opportunity to invest greater funds into services for adults with a learning disability, to ensure there is a seamless transition of care throughout people's lives. Click here to see text of the LDC's submission to the CSR.
June 2007
See the Learning Disability Coalition's petition to the government:
'We call on the government to make sure there is enough money getting through the system to honour the promises it has made of more choice and control for the 1.5m people affected.'
Click here to sign up to this petition online on the LDC's website.
Launch in May 2007
Dame Jo Williams, chief executive of Mencap and co- Chair of the Learning Disability Coalition, said:
"The additional funding should be regarded as a down payment to meet the growing demand for services. It is estimated that there will beat least an 11 per cent increase in the number of people with a learning disability between 2001 and 2021. And those over 60 are likely to increase by 36 per cent. We must make sure that there are enough resources to support these people, giving them and their families the quality of life they deserve."
The Learning Disability Coalition recommends that, by the next CSR, Government should carry out a thorough evaluation of demographic, economic, health and social trends and their impact on the resource requirements of people with learning disabilities.
Barbara McIntosh, co Director of the Foundation for People with Learning Disabilities commented: “The truth is that the Government just does not have sound data on which to estimate accurate public expenditure for services for adults with a learning disability.
At least 80 per cent of people with a learning disability in the UK do not get services tailored to meet their needs. That figure will get worse as current cuts to services start to bite."
Carol Boys of the Downs Syndrome Association said “We are experiencing a dramatic increase in the cries for help from people with Downs Syndrome, and their families. Lack of day time activities will lead to mental health problems and early dementia. In the long term this will put a far greater burden on the public purse.”
Ivan Lewis, (the then Care Services Minister), announced in May, that the government would be refreshing its 2001 Valuing People report. The LDC welcomes this move and asks that the review addresses the need for more accurate information on which to assess the resource requirements of people with a learning disability. Without this they will never have the same chances and choices as everyone else.
