Devon County Council

Hard work, commitment and a change in the way that social care is delivered means that 25 year old James Little of Buckland Brewer is now able to live life to the full.

James has a learning disability and cerebral palsy and lives at home with his parents, Juliet and Roger.  

James used to attend Devon County Council’s day centre, the Old Rectory in Bideford, where for two years he had been involved with various activities organised by the centre.

James enjoyed some activities, but generally found the day centre boring.  His abilities, rather than his disabilities, meant that potentially James could not achieve more socially and educationally than he was able to at the day centre.

Devon County Council helped secure extra funding for James through the Independent Living Fund, a national scheme that provides financial assistance to people with high support needs, and with that his parents arranged for extra support from a local independent care agency.

Adam Scutchings used to work with young people with behavioural and emotional difficulties at a children’s home, before working with adults with behavioural problems and learning disabilities.  He started working with James two to four days a week, providing a social outlook within the community.

James’s mum explained that Adam worked closely with James and the two got on well, so much so that they realised that James was getting more value from the time with Adam, than from the day centre.

Juliet and Roger discussed the situation with the County Council, and considered Direct Payments as an option that would allow James more time with Adam.

“Direct Payments allow people to take the cash equivalent to the local cost of their care and use the cash to make their own care arrangements,” said Sam Newman, the Council’s Head of services for people with learning disabilities.

“In James’ case, they were able to use money that would otherwise have been used to support James at the Old Rectory, to employ Adam full time, five days a week.”

“Adam attends to James’s personal care, assisting him in getting up, washing and dressing,” explains Juliet.  James and Adam also prepare their morning lunch and encourages James with his interests, which include snooker, swimming, cinema, computer work and nights out in the local pub.

Adam explains:

“People will often not fully accept individuals with any form of physical or learning disability as individuals.  People will often look at the disability rather than the individual’s identity.

“When I began meeting up with James I treated the relationship as a friendship rather than a client/carer relationship.  

“Rather than doing things for James I would allow him to attempt them himself and assist him if he needed help.

“This would boost James’s self confidence and ability to complete tasks unaided, and with minimal support.  Although a lot of individuals do not think twice about making a cup of tea, or ordering a drink at the bar, this is a significant step for James’s development.

“James is always willing to try new activities and learning tasks.  Through experiencing these, James is always eager to help and attempt new tasks.  

“James is a credit to himself and his family and his personal achievements are a stepping stone for his future lifestyle.”

“The care that James is now getting has changed his life, but it has also changed ours,” said Juliet.  “It has made a huge difference to everyone’s lives.  James’s happiness rubs off on us.”

Adam, who has worked with children and adults with learning disabilities for four years, said:

“Many people with any form of disability are often labelled for one reason or another.  When people treat others as less able this is easily displayed to that person, verbally and non-verbally, making that person feel unconfident and insignificant.

“People should understand that although a form of disability is present, the individual still wants to lead as normal a life as possible without any form of prejudice or negative feelings from others, and treated as an individual without a disability.”

Councillor John Rawlinson, the County Council’s Executive Member for adults’ social services, said:

“This is how we are developing support services in Devon, giving people opportunities to lead normal lives as much as possible.

“James’ progress is excellent, and a positive illustration of how the right care is making a world of difference for people.  

“It also illustrates that the ‘one size fits all’ traditional day centres, as good as they are, are not right for everyone, which is why the Council is modernising its social services to provide people with more tailor-made choices about how they receive their care in future."

Direct Payments is an option for people eligible for social care who are able to manage their own care arrangements.  It gives people more flexibility and choice, and the County Council will help people make the necessary arrangements should they choose to use Direct Payments.

For more information about Direct Payments, contact CAREdirect on 0800 444000.