Why independence is key

摘要

The Beveridge Report of 1942 signalled the end of the poor house, the start of the welfare state, and set out a vision of universal free health care and education.It promised a 'helping hand' from the state to the citizen in times of personal distress, when traditional family systems did not exist or had failed. It certainly did not see the state as being the major provider of care for the elderly and vulnerable.Sixty-eight years later, it is right to acknowledge the achievements of the welfare state, and it is also our responsibility to question whether an unintended 'dependency' culture has been created.This was not the vision of William Beveridge or subsequent governments, and yet we have arrived at 2010 where we find ourselves challenging care models which 'infantalise' vulnerable adults, particularly in learning disabilities services, and a wider culture of a 'risk averse' approach to commissioning care that supports independence.