Disability Working Group
Satellite Group 4 Meeting Note 23 May 2005
Group 4 - Social inclusion; poverty; independent living; direct payments; care services; rehabilitation.
Attendance:
Helen Chambers, Scottish Executive: Social Inclusion - Anti-Poverty
Isobel Denholm, Barnardo's
Pat Bagot, Scottish Executive: Supporting People
Chris Taylor, Scottish Executive: Supporting People
Lisa Wallace, Scottish Executive: Social Inclusion - Anti-Poverty
Wyn Merrells,
SDEF
Stephanie Clark, Sense Scotland
Margaret Aitken, Deafconnections
Apologies from/unable to attend:
Kay Barton, Scottish Executive: Social Inclusion - Anti-Poverty
Ann Brown,
RNID Scotland
Kate Higgins, Capability Scotland
Kate Wallace,
SAMH
Robert Weetman, Scottish Human Services Trust
Jim Elder-Woodward, Inclusion Scotland
Welcome and Introductions
1. Helen Chambers chaired the meeting and welcomed the group members to the first of the satellite group 4 meetings.
Key Themes/Priorities
2. The group considered that the remit, although already broad, should be expanded to include care and support. They then discussed the range of issues covered in the remit.
3. There was some discussion of what was meant by social inclusion. This was potentially a very wide term taking in issues around employment, access to information, education, transport, attitudes and communication. However, many of these issues were being looked at by other satellite groups so Group 4 wished to concentrate on issues around funding and access. Funding would include funding for support services and personal finances. And access would include access to services, to the built environment and the natural environment.
4. Poverty was also discussed and recognised as encompassing many facets. The group was keen to work on key areas around access to benefits and grants, and the additional costs some disabled people face (adaptations, childcare, support services, costs associated with participating in work or accessing services).
5. The group wanted to focus its consideration of independent living on housing and associated needs for adaptations and equipment. Its consideration of direct payments would focus on the provision of advice and support.
6. Care and support services was another broad area and the group considered that it might usefully look at processes around entitlement and delivery, in particular responsibility for delivery.
7. The group was not sure what was meant by rehabilitation and asked for clarification from the core group. It also wasn't clear the extent to which other groups might be looking at rehabilitation issues.
Information and Research needs
8. The group discussed their information and research requirements for moving these issues forward. They concluded that for each meeting they would require a brief overview of existing research relating to the issue being discussed during the meeting (see para 13 below).
Communications methods
9. The group would use e-mail communication. They very much wanted to remain as one to discuss all the issues rather than divide into sub groups.
Activities and roles
10. The group considered that a number of other organisations should be involved - the Scottish Executive's Community Care officials, a local authority representative, Communities Scotland and a carer's group. In addition, the Disability Income Group might want to attend to discuss poverty.
11. The group would like the Equality Unit, or other
SE officials, to act as chair and feed back to the core group.
Timetable
12. As many of those due to be on the group had been unable to attend this meeting the group asked the Scottish Executive to e-mail the group to confirm future meeting dates and locations.
13. The group considered that a possible way forward would be to allocate particular topics to particular meetings as follows:
1 - poverty
2 - independent living
3 - care and support services
4 - social inclusion
Action Points
- Equality Unit to provide brief paper on access to benefits and grants and the additional costs of life in time for the next meeting.
- Equality Unit to explore with other organisations how they might participate on the group (see para 10 above).
- Equality Unit to e-mail all group members and confirm that the proposed timetable was acceptable.