20 May 2004 - Publication of DWP research report no. 204: ‘Making the transition: addressing barriers in services for disabled people’
A new report published today by the Department for Work and Pensions presents findings from research examining how and why disabled people experience discontinuity in service provision when making structural transitions in their lives, and how barriers to making smooth transitions might be addressed. The report is based on qualitative research with service users making different types of transition, and with local service providers and central government policymakers responsible for providing services to disabled people in a range of sectors, including health, social services, education, employment, transport and housing.
The main findings are:
Difficulties faced by disabled people in making a transition
- Disabled people experienced a range of difficulties when making transitions in their lives, with the main negative impacts being delays to the service they needed, or not receiving the service at all. The transition process could also prove stressful due to a lack of awareness about available support, uncertainty about eligibility criteria for services, and anxiety about the impact of making the transition on current and future service provision.
- Service users identified a range of factors which contributed to a smooth transition, including the approach of the service provider (their capacity to refer, level of transition planning, and co-ordination of the process), the resourcefulness of the service user themselves, availability and flexibility of services, and availability of information about appropriate services.
Barriers that impede the delivery of services during transitions
- Service providers identified a range of barriers which may disrupt or prevent a smooth transition for a disabled person. These can be grouped into organisational / structural, budgetary and procedural barriers.
- Organisational barriers included the way in which services were structured within organisations. The division of a service between sectors (for example housing adaptations provided by both housing and social services) could lead to lack of understanding between organisations about their role, and confusion for the user. Flexibility of staff roles and responsibilities were also felt to impact on service continuity for the users.
- Budgetary boundaries and regulations governing the delivery of services also acted as barriers to transition. Having to fund related services from separate organisational budgets could lead to delays in service provision, as could the consequences of financial year planning. Inconsistencies in scope or application of budget criteria both between local authorities and between different staff administering the same budget could also lead to variability of experience for service users. Resource shortages (for example of qualified staff or suitable housing stock) were also felt to hinder the ability to facilitate smooth transitions.
- Procedural barriers included difficulties for users and providers in finding out about services, the effects of multiple assessments or duplication of assessments, insufficient liaison between organisations to manage and co-ordinate changes in user needs, and lack of planning for predictable transitions.
Addressing the barriers
- The research identified a range of policies and initiatives that are designed to assist disabled people in making transitions and to improve joint working, including Connexions, Integrating Community Equipment Services and Access to Work. The research also found numerous examples of work being done locally to address some of the barriers to smooth transitions.
- However, the report also identifies a range of areas where further policy development could be considered. Whilst some of these relate to specific sectors or types of transition, others are common to all areas. These include: raising awareness of services amongst both service users and providers; increasing joint working between sectors; consideration of a ‘key worker’ role for service users to manage and co-ordinate the transition process; widening of some existing initiatives and policies; and ensuring new initiatives are evidence-based.
Notes for editors
- The report is published on 20 May by Corporate Document Services. The authors are Ini Grewal, Sally McManus, Sue Arthur, with Lorna Reith. The research was conducted by the National Centre for Social Research, with Disability Alliance. The report is DWP Research Report No. 204, priced £44.00. A free summary is available from Paul Noakes at the DWP Social Research Branch (Room 4-26a, Adelphi, 1-11 John Adam Street, London WC2N 6HT, 020 7962 8557). The report and summary are available free on the DWP website www.dwp.gov.uk/asd/
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