Description
Book SynopsisThe number of disability related support services controlled and run by disabled people themselves has increased significantly in the UK and internationally over the past forty years. As a result, greater user involvement in service provision and delivery is a key priority for many western Governments. This book provides the first comprehensive review and analysis of these developments in the UK. Drawing on evidence from a range of sources, including material from the first national study of user-controlled services, this book provides a critical evaluation of the development and organisation of user-controlled services in the UK and identifies the principal forces - economic, political and cultural - that influence and inhibit their further development. It summarises and discusses the policy implications for the future development of services and includes an up-to-date and comprehensive literature and research review. "Independent futures" is essential reading for academics and students on a range of courses including: health and social care; social work; allied health professions, such as nursing, occupational therapy and speech therapy; social policy; sociology; and psychology. It will also be of interest to practitioners and policy makers who need a reliable overview of current policy and critical analysis of key issues affecting future policy and practice.
Trade Review"This should be essential reading for decision-makers, politicians and, not least, disabled people with an interest in their own futures." Community Care
" ... the book remains a powerful summary of the existing state of user-led services and a challenge to all involved to support user-led services in future." Professional Social Work
Table of ContentsExamining user-led services; Traditional approaches: disability policy and the welfare state; Disability activism and the struggle for independent living; Researching user-led organisations; User-led organisations: building an alternative approach; Service design and delivery: opportunities and constraints; Service users' views and experiences; Politics and campaigning; Policy change or retrenchment?; Future directions.
