RURALITY

1

• RURALITY PERSONALISATION
• Colin Foster
• Director of Adult Social Services Health
  Housing
• Rutland County Council

2

• Rural Issues/Problems
• Myth of rural idyll
• Poverty/isolation
• Service availability/Access
• Transport public transport poor
• - car essential
• - taxis expensive
• Travellers/Migrant worker issues

3

• Rural Issues/Problems
• Small village communities prone to traumatic
  change (e.g. pub, PO or village shop closure)
• Information distribution difficult
• Exacerbated issues of equality/access
• Lack of youth facilities drift away from
  villages
• Affordable Housing
• High Unit cost of services

4

• Rural Voluntary Sector Responses
• Farm crisis clubs
• Rural stress initiatives
• Toddler Clubs/Sure Start
• Age concern luncheon clubs etc
• (older people contributing)
• National Childrens Bureau rural initiatives
• CAB rural projects rural bureau network
• Rural Community Council e.g. Rutland
• Community Spirit

5

• Personalisation Rurality
• Putting People First
• Potential solution where traditional services do
  not work, e.g. Direct payments, Individual
  Budgets
• Choice and control of provider
• Flexible low level support
• Combating isolation community fixes via use of
  preventive funding or combining IBs /Direct
  Payments
• Gardening, decorating, handyperson services
• Flexible transport solutions
• Flexible respite
• CRC Personalisation of Adult Social Services in
  Rural Areas 2008

6

• Role of Voluntary sector in Personalisation
  Agenda
• Advisors
• Brokers
• Assistance with handling finance
• Personal assistant networks
• Village contact schemes
• Consumer voices/networks/providing rural voice
• Employment schemes/Social enterprise

7

• Issues
• Personalisation opportunities but
• High unit costs
• Workforce issues
• Higher proportion of older people
• Electronic solutions broadband availability
• Need to rural proof the PPF agenda
• RAS needs to reflect rural costs
• Transition from block purchased services
  Individual Budgets v Quality of Life outcomes
• Greater research on rural/urban difference and
  impact on outcomes from Personalisation changes