Local Area Co-ordinators
Local area co-ordination (LAC) was introduced to Scotland in the form of a recommendation in The same as you? report, following a national review of services to people with learning disabilities. With a strong, person centred value base, LAC is an innovative way to support individuals and families to build a 'good life' and to strengthen the capacity of communities to welcome and include disabled people.
Purpose : to co-ordinate services and provide information, family support and funding to individuals and their families.
We believe that a specialised worker dedicated to working with a small number of people and their families will help them through the current maze of systems. Local area co-ordinators will be responsible for making sure that each person who wants to, has the opportunity to develop a personal life plan.
As part of its core funded programme for the Scottish Executive, the Social Work Research Centre at the University of Stirling was asked to conduct an Evaluation of the Implementation of Local Area Co-ordination in Scotland. The report is now available. Evidence to date suggests implementation has been uneven, with some dilution of key elements of the role and ethos. An accessible summary of the report has also been provided.