Socio political Perspectives Local Area Coordination History Innovative

Socio political Perspectives Local Area Coordination

History � Innovative Model of Care � Developed in Western Australia � Initiative in 1988 by Labour Government � Albany under auspices of Authority for Intellectually Handicapped Persons

Meeting Unmet Need � Concern by both parents and professionals re lack of support agencies in rural locations � Teams from Perth were not able to meet demands/pressing needs � Alternative was to move to Perth � Over 200 families moved son/daughter to residential care in Perth

Philosophy This caused anxiety and distress with the removal of people with learning difficulties from their familiar environment and family/friends. � Consumer control � Empowerment � Self sufficiency

Charter � ‘To build individual, family and community self sufficiency so that individuals with an intellectual disability can choose to live with their families or in their local communities without compromising their way of life’ � Initially run as pilot scheme then rolled out in 1995/6

Key Characteristics of LAC � Built on Family Strength policy � Fixed point of accountability in Local Area Coordinator � Elements of care management, personal advocacy, family support, community development, direct consumer funding � Services should be fluid to respond flexibly to client need

Key Characteristics of LAC � Services should be personal, local and accountable � Funding should be direct where possible � Building and maintaining relationships should be pivotal � LAC should have 45 to 60 cases � LAC should have in depth local knowledge

Review of LAC � Consumer satisfaction � Consumer outcomes � Service coverage � Cost effectiveness Overall the review showed that the programmes have been highly effective in terms of quality of support

Areas of good practice � Getting to know people well over time � Assisting vulnerable people to build connections in their local community � Promoting positive values for all � Emphasising community capacity rather than heavy reliance on service

Areas for development � More clarity of role of LAC � More awareness of LACs in some communities � Too much bureaucracy and increasing case loads for LACs � No mechanism for client feedback � Variability of skills and interpretation of role

Scottish context � Recommendation of SAY Review � Interpreted differently by Local Authorities � Principles set out by Scottish Consortium of Learning Disability � Making Connections Stories of LAC on Website