The Independent Living Fund was started in 1988 as a short term solution to the implementation of community care for people with high support needs. 24 years is it still going as strong as it can be, supporting 21000 users. While it has since 2010, before the last election, not taken on any new users, its demise has been incorrectly reported by the disability movement propaganda machine designed to deliver fear. What is happening is the fund is going to have a consultancy of its future any time now.


As someone with high support needs, the fund has been one of the funders of my personal support package for over 10 years and therefore I am going to want to have a say in its figure. I feel unlike many of its politically active users, I do have an open mind about the future of the fund. I only believe that despite the misinformed fears around, the government is not building a new generation of residential homes to put users in.


I see both the case and the opportunity to reform the fund to meet the needs and desires of a future generation of people with high support needs, especially in terms of supporting people to make meaningful contributions to society. There are many options to consider and I will be producing a report  with all my ideas when the consultation is in full swing. This is however an unique opportunity to bring the fund closer to the wider social care agenda.