Learning Disability (Hansard, 25 February 2002)

§ Jacqui Smith

[holding answer 13 February 2002]: The Government's strategy for improving services for people with learning disabilities and their families is set out in the white paper "Valuing People: A New Strategy for Learning Disability for the 21^st Century" (Cm 5086), published in March 2001.

For progress made on implementation and arrangements for monitoring the difference the policies set out in "Valuing People" will make, I refer the hon. Member to the report I gave during the debate on this subject on 1 February 2002, Official Report, columns 535-78, progress includes: Nine regional conferences held in June and July 2001 to publicise "Valuing People". Implementation guidance issued on 31 August 2001. A national conference on the theme of partnership working held on 9 January 2002. A Director of Implementation and members of the Implementation Support Team appointed. The chair, co-chair, and members of the Learning Disability Task Force appointed. The Task Force met for the first time on 19 December. Its second meeting was on 14 February. 1001W Work has started on commissioning a national survey of people with learning disabilities. A funding programme for advocacy schemes is under way. Guidance has been issued on involving service users in decision making and on person centred planning. Guidance is being prepared, and will be issued within the next few months, on health action plans, partnership working, and housing options. Work is well advanced on establishing a National Forum for People with Learning Disabilities. A telephone information and helpline, with matched funding from the Department of Health and MENCAP, was launched on 3 December 2001. It received nearly 700 inquiries in its first five weeks. Decisions have been taken on projects to be funded under a £2 million learning disability research initiative.

Both "Valuing People" and the implementation guidance (Health Service Circular/Local Authority Circular HSC 2001/016: LAC (2001)23) published in August 2001 set out arrangements for monitoring implementation (copies of both documents are available in the Library).

We will continue to monitor progress through a range of performance assessment mechanisms, a survey of learning disabled people, and measurement against specific performance indicators that are currently being developed. We will report progress annually to Parliament.

The implementation guidance issued in August 2001 reminded local authorities that Learning Disability Partnership Boards should be set up in each local authority area by 31 October 2001 to take forward implementation of the "Valuing People" proposals at local level.

Partnership Boards were asked to complete and return updated joint investment plans (JIPs) to the Department's Social Services inspectorate social care regional offices by 31 January 2002. The JIPs should include local action plans for implementing the "Valuing People" programme.

By 8 February all but two JIPs had been returned, most being received on or before 31 January. The outstanding JIPs are being followed up. All Partnership Boards have been constituted as required by the implementation circular, but information is not held centrally on how many have met or met specifically to consider their JIPs. The guidance made it clear, however, that updated JIPs should be agreed by all agencies represented on the Partnership Boards.

The first priority of the learning disability Implementation Team will be to establish links and contacts with learning disability partnership boards. The team will work with any boards whose JIPs are found, following the evaluation now under way, to be below an acceptable standard to help them take remedial action and ensure that improvements in local services are achieved.