Annual conference

Individual budgets and beyond - conference explored future of social care

The 2007 ILA conference held on Wednesday, October 3, at Clair Hall, Haywards Heath, explored developments in self-directed support for independent living.

Care services minister Ivan Lewis was due to open the conference but had to cancel through illness, so ILA trustee Ray Chandler presented a report on the main topics which the minister would have covered, drawing from his recent speeches and briefings.

West Sussex County Council's director of adult social services John Dixon, who also co-chairs the disabilities committee of the national body for adult social service directors, outlined the developments in West Sussex and issues arising.

Prof Martin Knapp of the London School of Economics and Political Science, a leading international expert on the social and economic implications of trends in social care, explored some of the wider issues and social challenges to be faced as Individual Budgets continue to develop.

Increased opportunity for group discussion was provided this year to encourage the sharing of ideas and opinions, with break-out groups discussing issues and formulating questions for a panel comprising the main speakers and other experts.

Reports from the conference are included in the winter issue of the ILA's newsletter Independent Life, downloadable from the newsletters page of this website.

Full transcripts of the presentations by John Dixon and Martin Knapp are also downloadable from the documents page of this website.

For brief summaries of previous conferences, click here.