We are committed to ensuring people with disabilities are given the best opportunities and choice that best meets their needs.
What's happening to social care in Shropshire?
Here in Shropshire, we are working with people who receive support, their carers and organisations, to transform adult social care and create new ways of supporting people to help them become more independent. This means making social care more personalised and giving people choice and control over the support they receive.
All people who access social care support in Shropshire are now doing so through a new way called Self-Directed Support and are now receiving Personal Budgets for them to choose the support they want.
What is Self Directed Support?
Self Directed Support means putting you at the heart of the decision making process about how you are supported, and enabling you to have more choice and control, so you can get support that is personalised to meet your needs.
What is a Personal Budget?
A personal budget is an amount of money which is available to spend on your support, to help you live an independent and fulfilling life. With a personal budget:
- you have control over how you spend your money on your support
- you have the choice to decide and buy support that best meets your needs
- you can have as much or as little help as you need to set up your Personal Budget or arrange support
More information about Self Directed Support and Personal Budgets can be found by clicking on the relevant links on this page.
This new way of getting support has led to people to do things that they have always wanted to do but not necessarily having the opportunity or confidence to pursue it.
There has been a lot of thought into looking at how we can reshape and modernise our services for people with disabilities so they are better tailored to local people’s changing demands and preferences.
What does this mean to people at The Grange and why are we doing this?
Part of this review has drawn our attention to the fact that demand for centres such as The Grange Day Centre is decreasing as more and more people are now taking up alternative support through their Personal Budgets. As people make their own choices about which services they choose to receive they are now finding alternatives, usually more locally-based, that are more cost-effective than the traditional day service model allows.
As a result of this, a decision was made in December 2010 to look at further modernising the service by developing closer links with local communities and exploring alternative opportunities with a view to close The Grange.
The proposed closure of The Grange has attracted a lot of media coverage, and we appreciate that some people who use The Grange have found the last couple of months very stressful and worrying. But we need to be clear that it is the building that’s closing – the care and support offered to people will remain and get stronger.
This is not about taking services away from people but providing even greater choice and flexibility so people have the opportunity to discover and realise their aspirations. This is about creating new pathways that are not restricted within 4 walls, a single building or demographic location.
We understand people have made friendships and formed important relationships at the Grange, and we will make sure they can continue to meet at a different location.
Involving service users and their carers in reshaping their support
We want to ensure that everyone receives the type of care and support they need and have been carrying out consultation with everyone involved at The Grange Centre, to positively explain the challenges facing the council and encourage and promote the opportunities that these changes can bring.
As part of this a dedicated steering group has been established, driven by the people who use The Grange. The Grange Steering Group comprises of services users, carers, advocacy groups and staff who work at the centre. More information about this steering group is available by clicking on the relevant link on this page.
We understand that any changes to the services people access and to their daily routines can be a worrying time. We are meeting the people who use the centre regularly to make sure that we can provide as much support and reassurance to them as is possible.
Consultation with individuals about the type of care and support they need is still going on and as people are taking up other opportunities, numbers of people choosing the centre are reducing. Other venues in Shrewsbury and Shropshire are available as bases to provide an opportunity to socialise.
Our aim has always been to work at the pace that suits everyone, and we will continue to talk to service users and staff about the timescales involved.