Ian Loynes Chief Executive, SCIL

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Ian LoynesChief Executive, SCIL
Southampton Centre for Independent Living
Promoting equality across the South

• User Led Organisations
• SCILs Journey Learning Points
• 1984-2009 Celebrating 25 Years of Independent
  Living

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Building sustainable ULOs

• Jan 1995 Prime Ministers Strategy Unit s
  Improving the Life Chances of Disabled People
• Disabled people are best placed to take the lead
  in identifying their own needs and in identifying
  the most appropriate ways of meeting such needs
• Recommendation 4.3 By 2010, each locality should
  have a user-led organisation modelled on existing
  CILs.
• At a minimum, these organisations should provide
• information and advice
• advocacy and peer support
• assistance with self-assessment
• support in using individual budgets to meet
  needs
• support to recruit and employ personal
  assistants
• disability equality training
• consumer audits of local services.

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Building sustainable ULOs

• However, SCILs experiences show that the
  important aspects to creating and sustaining
  successful ULOs are
• WHY users should control their support
  organisations and
• HOW to ensure these organisations are modeled on
  existing CILs
• (i.e. working to the Social Model of Disability,
  Peer-support and the principles of Independent
  Living)
• What motivates Disabled People to want to set up
  a ULO
• Common interests, values, beliefs.
• Agents for social change (Campaigning!)
• Not Just a provider of services, just another
  business/charity
• Sustainability is as much about the empowerment
  of individuals as it is about resources

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Disabled People Defined
12 Basic Rights to Independent Living Full
ACCESS to our environment A fully accessible
TRANSPORT system TECHNICAL AIDS/EQUIPMENT
Accessible / adapted HOUSING PERSONAL
ASSISTANCE Inclusive EDUCATION and TRAINING
An adequate INCOME Equal opportunities for
EMPLOYMENT Appropriate and accessible
INFORMATION ADVOCACY (towards self advocacy)
COUNSELLING Appropriate and accessible HEALTH
CARE provision ?13 Right to social life,
relationships?
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SCILs Range of Enabling Services
Supporting the empowerment of Disabled People
through Advice and Information on
Self-Directed Support Peer Advocacy Peer
Mentoring Personal Development
Participation Promoting Disability Equality
through Training Consultancy Consumer
Access Audits Practice Learning
Opportunities Most importantly SCIL Campaigns
for the rights of Disabled People and represents
their views.
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• ULOs Today
• Finding it hard to survive lack of Local
  Authority support and tendering rules
• Restrictions about what they are allowed to do
• Whilst we argue that we should have a right to a
  place at the table, the reality is that there are
  many happy to deny that right
• BECAUSE IT IS ABOUT POWER

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• SCIL Challenges, Successes
• Drowning in rhetoric, starving of practical
  support (crumbs from table!)
• Resources NEVER had core funding
• Tendering rules grossly biased against small
  ULOs Highlight NCIL-ADASS Protocol
• Everything we have is down to refusal of Disabled
  People to give up
• Total Transformation (etc) Virtually none of
  these resources have gone to ULOs
• Paradoxically, such adversity helps...

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• SCIL Challenges, Successes
• Developed best Direct Payments schemes in UK
• Most pro-active CIL in UK
• Respected by Disabled People and Government
• By maintaining clear aims, values, quality
• Only Disabled People control our agenda
• Clear vision
• Pragmatic We say what is wrong but will work
  with those committed to improvements
• Financial accountability
• Strong focus on income generation
• Personal Development and Empowerment work is
  critical in feeding our sustainability Obvious
  funding opportunity
• Have little difficulty recruiting Disabled staff
• Disabled People drive our constant innovation

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• Local Authorities cannot implement their
  Personalisation Agenda or their equality duties
  without effective ULOs
• Keepers of Independent Living Social Model
  Faith
• ULOs at the forefront of every progressive
  social policy advance in last 25 yrs
• ULOs have a critical role in enabling users to
  have an empowered voice no-one else should
  speak for us
• ULOs Must be Campaigners (not just service
  providers)
• ULOs Must challenge policies (Local National)
  which limit the inclusion of Disabled People

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• But how can ULOs sustain themselves?
• Successful organisations are successful because
  they are different high quality and high
  principles WILL show through
• MUST BE BASED ON CILS
• Must be more business like what we have is
  valuable and unique, sell it (social enterprises)
• Must be enabled to provide a range of services
  that generate income
• Must work to empower Disabled People to develop
  their skills within ULOs rather than expect them
  to just appear
• Thinking Outside of the Box.

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Thank You!

• Ian Loynes
• Ian_at_SouthamptonCIL.co.uk