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Carers Strategies (Wales) Regulations 2011
These Regulations were agreed by the National Assembly of Wales on 6 December 2011 as a direct result of the Carers Strategies (Wales) Measure 2010.
Guidance documents issued to assist with the implementation of the Regulations from January 2012.
Published by the Welsh Government in January 2011, this document was developed by the Strategic Planning sub-group of the LDIAG to complement the statutory guidance "The Commissioning Framework Guidance and Good Practice" (May 2010). While the statutory guidance is generic and covers all client groups, this practice guidance provides specific detail on commissioning services for adults with a learning disability.
This Circular provides guidance to authorities in Wales in their roles as care planners, care providers and commissioners of local community living arrangements and housing related support for adults with a learning disability. In this context, authorities include local authority social services and, as appropriate, National Health Service organisations. The Circular also provides guidance to the Care and Social Services Inspectorate Wales and needs to be taken into account when considering new registrations or variations to existing registrations in undertaking their role as the registration authority and regulator for care homes for younger adults in Wales under the care homes regulations and the associated National Minimum Standards for Care Homes for Younger Adults made under the Care Standards Act 2000. This circular replaces Welsh Office Circular 1/91.
Statement of Policy and Practice for People with a Learning Disability (2007)
In March 2007 the Welsh Government launched "The Statement for Policy and Practice for People with a Learning Disability", written by the LDIAG. This document lays out a vision of fulfilled lives for people with a learning disability as integral parts of their communities. Dr Gibbons (the Minister for Health and Social Care at that time) said “I warmly welcome the issue of our contemporary Statement on Policy and Practice for Adults with a Learning Disability. The time was right for us to bring our learning disability policy into the 21st Century and set it within the context of our other strategic approaches to modernize health and social services and improve the lives of our citizens”. The contemporary Statement on Policy and Practice for Adults with a Learning Disability was issued as Section 7 guidance.
In the document's preface All Wales People First wrote:
"The Statement on Policy and Practice will help to make it more possible for people with learning disabilities to become included in community living and have more opportunities to develop our own lifestyles. We want to build bridges between us and the world out there and we see this as a two way process. We want people to understand us better and value us. We can make a valuable contribution to the community and we can help people in the community to recognise us as valued citizens. Making these links would make the community safer for all."
The group later produced a draft Action Plan to work alongside the contemporary statement but this was unfortunately rejected by the Welsh Assembly Government. However, the Minister did choose to implement six points from the Action Plan:
Service Principles and Service Responses (2004)
This new guidance supplements and expands the 1994 Guidance and sets out the service principles and service responses that authorities should adopt across a range of issues affecting adults and older persons with learning disabilities. Section 1 of this guidance outlines some of the considerations and actions for authorities while Section 2 sets out the services principles and service responses for authorities to follow.
This guidance focuses on the person with a learning disability, putting their needs at the centre. It sets out what local authorities should provide for people with a learning disability, so that they themselves, their parents and carers all know exactly what they should be getting. The Welsh Government issued Service Principles and Service Responses as their strongest level of guidance. Local authorities were then allocated money from a £7million fund over three years to implement their planned changes.
Copies of the guidance are available from Alyson Collins, a member of the group's Secretariat, at the Welsh Government. Tel: 02920 825441 or e-mail: alyson.collins@wales.gsi.gov.uk
Fulfilling the Promises (2001)
The LDIAG's vision for services for 2010; the recommended priorities, targets and performance indicators; the proposed Action Plan approach to implementation and the initial assessment of the financial implications.
Welsh Government Cabinet Strategy for People with Learning Disabilities in Wales Response to "Fulfilling the Promises"
Paper by the Minister for Health and Social Services.
The Welsh Mental Handicap Strategy (1994)
This document examines the way that care and support will develop. It looks at the roles of the various groups involved and how the objectives set out in the All Wales Strategy should be met. There are overlaps between the individual areas and therefore to obtain a complete picture the document is intended to be read as a whole.
All Wales Strategy for the Development of Services for Mentally Handicapped People (1983)
This document provides guidance on patterns of services for people with a learning disability and for the preparation of detailed plans for provision at a local level. It should be the touchstone for future developments in services.
It gives three principles to guide the way people with learning disabilties are supported. People with learning disabilities should have the right to:
an ordinary pattern of life within the community
be treated as an individual; and
additional help and support to develop their full potential.
Currently this site is being re-structured. Any queries, please contact Sam Williams via e-mail: samantha.williams@learningdisabilitywales.org.uk