A Centre for Policy Studies report says more than a quarter of the 540m spent each year by social services on Britain's 49,000 severely disabled children funds "assessment and commissioning tasks" carried out by local authority staff.
Co-author Richard Smith, father of a disabled 16-year-old girl and founder of a charity that promotes care for severely disabled young people, said that although direct payments did work, families had to go through a lengthy assessment process first.
He said the money spent on assessments should be given directly to families.
"Let's stop this endless commissioning and assessment and reallocate it as a universal payment in the same way with assessments comparable to those used for disability living allowances," he added.
Register Now to Continue Reading
Thank you for visiting Children & Young People Now and making use of our archive of more than 60,000 expert features, topics hubs, case studies and policy updates. Why not register today and enjoy the following great benefits:
What's Included
-
Free access to 4 subscriber-only articles per month
-
Email newsletter providing advice and guidance across the sector
Already have an account? Sign in here
