I have not got this the wrong way round to describe the governmental organisation dealing with personalisation, “Think Local Act Personal” as I think they are the ones which have it the wrong way around. Personalisation as people claim it is being implied as failed, and it is time service users reclaimed the agenda everyone else has stolen in their name.


But first it is important to note its greatest failure, the Resource Allocation System (RAS). RAS basically scraped assessments and gave someone money to manage with ‘creatively’ based on mysterious computer formula. On the back of direct payments, this ideology was sold as coming from the disability movement when it is really one work of one non-disabled professional. It was based on the decommission of daycare services and sold to a poorly advised government minister as the solution to everything for everyone. But if you join the dots of recent events, you can understand the RAS has been deemed illegal as well people need what they need and not a right to a random figure.


A good social care and support funder system needs 3 components. Firstly, a national framework which ensure fairness and quality avoiding the postcode lottery. Secondly, it needs to be support by good quality local support, which focuses on prevention and improving the local environment so delaying the need for formal support funding. And thirdly and lastly, it must put the person in the driving seat and focus on supporting them in achieving their outcomes within a framework of best value.


What we have right now is a personalisation gravy train, where professionals now believe they are charge users a lot of money to think on their behalf and keep them disempowered second class citizens to ensure their income does not run dry.