New citizen-directed care co-op for Wales

In Wales, a new co-operative is being developed which will give disabled people greater control over the community care they receive. People in the UK who are assessed by social services as...

In Wales, a new co-operative is being developed which will give disabled people greater control over the community care they receive.

People in the UK who are assessed by social services as eligible for community care (for example in the form of a care worker or personal assistant) either receive support through their local authority (LA) or can choose to receive direct payments, money which enables them to purchase their own assistance or services.

Direct payments give service users increased control over their own care as, for example, they can select, train and manage their own PAs and choose their own time and schedule of care, rather than this being dictated by an LA agency.

Citizen Directed Co-operatives Cymru (CDCC) takes this a step further, and will enable recipients of direct payments to pool their resources in a co-operative to access a wider range of services and support activities.

Supported by a Big Lottery Innovation Grant, CDCC is the first project of its kind in the UK, and is being delivered by Disability Wales in partnership with the Wales Co-operative Centre, with an official launch planned for March.

“People who are assessed by social services as eligible for community care and are interested in receiving this through a Direct Payment will be able to join the co-operative,” says Rhian Davies, chief executive of Disability Wales. “By joining CDCC they will become members and will have a voice as to what services the co-operative will provide.”

The idea for a citizen-led support for people in receipt of direct payments developed from meetings between Mark Drakeford (then chairman of the Assembly Health and Social Care Committee), Disability Wales and Wales Co-operative Centre, and subsequent research by Northumbria University. Prof Alan Roulstone and Dr Se Kwang uncovered only two multi-stakeholder co-operatives in the UK which provide direct payment support and no user-controlled co-operatives.

With CDCC, “service users will be involved in development throughout the entirety of the project,” says Ms Davies, “through events, workshops and meetings for disabled people and disabled people’s organisations.”

The co-operative will be engaging with disability organisations, disabled people and their families and local authorities across Wales in order to promote the project and raise awareness of CDCC.

“The possible opportunities created from pooling direct payments are endless,” adds Ms Davies. “For example the members could decide to hire a drama teacher to run theatre lessons, or to hire a PA to accompany members to a theatre or sports event, or anything else which members think will meet their needs.”

In the example of PAs, members would retain control over selecting their PA and choosing what support they will be given and when. However, unlike traditional direct payment support schemes (where the recipient of the direct payment is the employer of the PA) the co-operative will be the employer responsible for the related administration, including payroll and CRB checks.

Says Ms Davies: “Being a co-operative, members support each other and share information, tips and techniques in managing any PAs and in making choices about how they live their lives.”

She expects that members will experience greater wellbeing and positive social impact through membership of the co-operative due to increased levels of independence, voice, and control.

“A further advantage of the co-operative,” she says, is the ability of members to act collectively and develop a united voice in working co-productively with the local authority and others in improving services and facilities to support all disabled people to live independently in the community.”

For more information, contact the CDCC Project Officer, Rebecca Newsome, at [email protected] or on 02920 887 325.

In this article


Join the Conversation