The Prime Minister’s Strategy Unit report “Improving the Life Chances of Disabled People”, published in January 2005, recommended that the individual budgets approach should be extended to families with disabled children. Taking this forward, the Council for Disabled Children recommended a review of the current market for services for disabled children and the potential for its development.Many parents of disabled children report that there are often no appropriate providers from which to purchase the services they need. The services required include education and schooling, social care and related services, health care, information and advocacy and support.
This report, commissioned by the Council, identified the need for a high level overview of the funding and commissioning arrangements in place across disabled children’s services. Recommendations include encouraging local authorities to develop more targeted commissioning and to consider commissioning on a regional basis with other local authorities.
The report is available at: http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/research/data/uploadfiles/DCSF-RW003.pdf%20DCSF