Independent Living Fund Re-Opens in Scotland
Joint Event ILF Scotland Advisory Group and Northern Ireland Stakeholder Group
Co-Production Videos
Join the NI Stakeholder Group
The Wider Impact of ILF Scotland Funding
Appointment of New Minister of Health for Northern Ireland
New ILF Scotland Board Director Appointed
ILF Scotland wins Best Small Employer at the 2024 Working Families Best Practice Awards
Mainstreaming and Equality Outcomes Report 2024 to 2026
Corporate Parenting
Complaints
Transition Fund
Enabling social security information sharing with local authorities
Carer Support Payments
Personal Assistants can become members of the social supermarket - Company Shop
PANS - PA Network Scotland
Review of Adult Disability Payment
National Care Service update
Young Carer Grant
UN Convention on the Rights of the Child
Pension Age Disability Payment Pilots
Independent Review of Inspection, Scrutiny, and Regulation of Social Care in Scotland (IRISR)
Scotland Cares Research into Unpaid Carers Launched
Scottish Adult Disability Living Allowance Planned
State of Caring 2023 - Juggling Paid Employment and Unpaid Care | Carers UK
Disability Action Plan
Missing out 2024: £23 billion of support is unclaimed each year
Tell Us Your Story / Have Your Say
The Independent Living Fund has now re-opened! After many years of campaigning by disabled people and their organisations, everyone at ILF Scotland was delighted to receive the first application.
The Independent Living Fund re-opened in April 2024 to new applicants in Scotland for the first time since 2010, delivering on a key commitment made in the Scottish Government’s 2023 to 2024 Programme for Government.
Up to 1,000 additional disabled people with the most complex needs will now be able to access the Fund. The Fund supports people to have greater choice over their social care and support with many recipients choosing to pay for Personal Assistants to assist them in leading more active, independent lives.
ILF Scotland Chief Executive Officer Peter Scott OBE said:
“We are delighted that the Independent Living Fund is once again open to new applications in Scotland.“ We understand the significance of the decision to re-open the Fund, which in the first year alone will enable up to 1,000 disabled people to access the support they need, helping them to overcome the barriers to independent living they face every day.
“In preparation for re-opening, we have spent a lot of time listening to disabled people, their organisations and other key stakeholders, through a co-production process. Our objective was to re open the Fund in a way that provides the best opportunity to maximise its impact for those who need it most.
“Today marks a significant step for ILF Scotland as we continue our work to positively impact the lives of many disabled people across Scotland in the years ahead.”
Dr Jim Elder-Woodward OBE, Chair of the ILF Scotland Advisory Group, said:
“As a recipient of ILF Scotland funds, I am delighted that the Scottish Government has decided to reopen the Fund to new people, for I know the benefits this will accrue to the many it will now be able to support.
“I was also a member of the Advisory Group which helped Derek Feeley draft his report of The Independent Review of Adult Social Care; one of its recommendations was to reopen the ILF. This was because ILF Scotland’s governance, operation, and the inclusion of its service users, reflected the Review’s description of the purpose of social care support.
“Within this purpose, taken from the point of view of the service recipient, one finds such terms as ‘a life of choice and control’, ‘active citizenship’, ‘human rights’, ‘independent living’, ‘wellbeing’ and ‘equity’. ILF Scotland recognises such terms in its work with disabled people. Therefore, it, itself, can be recognised as a purpose-led organisation. In so being and doing, it empowers its recipients to increase their agency, to have real choice and control over their richer and more purpose-led lives.
“I am therefore delighted the Scottish Government has recognised the true value of independent living and the life-transforming potential of ILF Scotland. I truly hope that the seeds of this purpose-led organisation can germinate within the development of the wider proposed National Care Service.”
Currently the route to application is via Local Authority social work practitioners with a range of Access Principles:
All submitted applications will be assessed by ILF Scotland. The maximum award that ILF Scotland is able to pay is £330 per week. Any funding awarded by ILF Scotland will be additional and complementary to the statutory funding provided by a person’s Local Authority.
“The Purpose of Life is a life of Purpose”
For the first time in five years, members of ILF Scotland’s Advisory Group and Northern Ireland’s Stakeholders Group met in person in Edinburgh on Thursday 28 March 2024. A productive day of meetings, discussing topics such as the re-opening of the Fund and recruitment and retention of PAs, was followed by an evening reception held in the Garden Lobby at the Scottish Parliament.
The reception, hosted and sponsored by Dame Jackie Baillie MSP, heard from a number of current and potential recipients from both Scotland and Northern Ireland, their moving testimony illustrating the benefits of the Fund in helping disabled people live a “Life of Purpose”.
As well as our recipients, those present heard from Maree Todd, MSP, Minister for Social Care, Mental Wellbeing and Sport, Robin Swann MLA, Northern Ireland’s Minister of Health, Anne-Marie Monaghan, Chairperson ILF Scotland Board, and Peter Scott, ILF Scotland CEO.
You can watch a replay of the Live Stream on our YouTube channel at: https://www.youtube.com/@ilfscotland
Back at the end of 2023 and into 2024, we held a series of Co-Production Events to gather views for the re-opening of the Independent Living Fund in Scotland.
Videos were created for some of the events and these are now available on our YouTube channel at: https://www.youtube.com/@ilfscotland
We have two groups consisting of Independent Living Fund recipients and their representatives; One in Northern Ireland and one in Scotland. The Northern Ireland Stakeholder group is currently looking for new members.
Group members provide:
If you receive funding from ILF Scotland, we are keen to hear from you if you think you might want to join one of these groups and help shape our future work. Please contact Linda Scott (ILF Scotland’s Director for Policy, Improvement and Engagement) by emailing Linda.Scott@ILF.scot and she will arrange to get in touch and discuss further with you.
The ILF Scotland Stakeholder Group in Northern Ireland commissioned a Social Return on Investment (SROI) study in 2019. The study looked at the impact of ILF Scotland funding on specific social outcomes: emotional wellbeing, health maintenance, sustaining natural support and relationships, and feeling independent.
The study found that for each £1 of ILF Scotland Funding, £10.89 was generated in social value. The key beneficiaries identified were Recipients, Personal Assistants (PAs) Health & Social Care Trusts, Families and informal carers and the Independent Living Movement.
In 2023 the group further commissioned an update to the SROI to consider any changes since 2019. This analysis determined the social value accrued from ILF Scotland funding has increased and for each £1 of funding, £13 is generated in social value. This means that the fund’s overall impact for stakeholders has increased by 20% with recipients being the main benefactors of this.
A subsequent comparison analysis was carried out early in 2024 for Scotland, and the findings pretty much mirrored that of Northern Ireland. This confirms that irrespective of geography, ILF Scotland funding helped to build resilience to manage and overcome challenges recipients encounter in daily life as well as unprecedented situations including the Covid-19 pandemic.
Mike Nesbitt, MLA (Member of the Legislative Assembly), representing the Ulster Unionist Party, became Minister of Health on 29 May 2024.
Mr Nesbitt replaces Robin Swann, who was the Minister of Health throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, and who is now standing for election in the UK General Election.
Speaking to the media in Belfast, Mr Nesbitt said it was “the political honour of my life to have the opportunity to follow Robin Swann into the role and it’s certainly the ultimate political challenge of my life to take up as Health Minister at this time.”
Outlining his plans, Mr Nesbitt said health inequalities represented the “overarching issue for so many of the critical challenges facing health and social care” adding that as the new Health Minister, he is not prepared to implement “catastrophic cuts” to services.
ILF Scotland are pleased to welcome Kirsty Aird to our Board of Directors from January 2024. Kirsty is a fellow of the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries and has worked in the financial sector for 12 years across both large corporations and smaller consultancy environments. She has had regular involvement in internal and external audit requirements, regulatory requirements, and in facilitating key financial and risk management decisions.
Throughout her career, she has taken a keen interest in diversity and inclusion initiatives, including leading working parties for recruitment equity and mental health issues.
Outstanding employers and family-friendly champions have been celebrated this past week as Working Families, the UK’s national charity for working parents and carers, announced the winners of the 2024 Best Practice Awards. The annual awards, held at London’s Apothecaries' Hall, celebrate forward thinking employers whose inclusive cultures and flexible working practices are setting new standards for employee-friendly workplaces.
ILF Scotland won the Best Small Employer award. The judges said that ILF Scotland are continually striving to enhance their ways of working, and with a genuinely supportive culture and leadership, they epitomise walking the talk.
Aileen McNiven, Head of Business Services at ILF Scotland, said: “We’re delighted to have been honoured with the Best Small Employer Award at this year’s Best Practice Awards. It’s wonderful to have been recognised as being a truly flexible and life-friendly employer.
“We’re particularly proud that the judges saw our dedication to giving our staff choice and control to enable them to bring their best selves to work. In doing this, we can deliver better outcomes for disabled people in Scotland and Northern Ireland.”
See https://workingfamilies.org.uk/news-events/news/2024-best-practice-award-winners/ for more information.
We are pleased to introduce our third Mainstreaming and Equality Outcomes Report. This document highlights the progress we have made in delivering our 2022 to 2024 equality outcomes. It also sets out our equality outcomes for 2024 to 2026 and the actions we will take to achieve them.
Read the document at: https://ilf.scot/publication/mainstreaming-and-equality-outcomes-report-2024-2026/
We have recently published our Corporate Parenting Plan which outlines how ILF Scotland will meet its commitment to supporting the Scottish Government as corporate parents. The number of care experienced young people accessing the Transition Fund continues to grow and young people age 16 and over can now make an application to the Independent Living Fund for the first time.
More on our updated plan can be found at: https://ilf.scot/publication/corporate-parenting-plan-2024-to-2027
ILF Scotland staff are committed to providing a high-quality service at all times.
However, we recognise that things can go wrong sometimes. If you are unhappy with the level of service you have received from us, please let us know.
We welcome all complaints and use this important and valuable feedback as an opportunity to improve our services further through, for example, revising our procedures, delivering staff training, etc.
In 2023 to 2024, ILF Scotland received 26 complaints. 6 related to the Independent Living Fund and 20 to the Transition Fund, broken down as follows:
Independent Living Fund
Transition Fund
It is easier for us to resolve complaints if you make them quickly and directly to ILF Scotland. We now have a new email address for this purpose - complaints@ilf.scot.
The ILF Scotland Transition Fund is a discretionary fund that can provide a one-off grant to young disabled people aged 16 to 25 years to help them to become more active in their communities. There is a significant demand on the Fund at the moment and waiting time for us to consider applications is around 19 weeks. You can find out more about our Transition Fund and how to apply https://ilf.scot/transition-fund.
New regulations have been issued in Scotland in relation to social security information-sharing powers.
Into force from 16 January 2024, the Social Security Information-sharing (Scotland) Amendment Regulations 2024 (SSI.No.8/2024) amend existing provisions that are contained in the Social Security Information-sharing (Scotland) Regulations 2021 (SSI.No.178/2021) regarding the sharing of information obtained by the Scottish Ministers in connection with their social security functions.
You can read the The Social Security Information-Sharing (Scotland) Amendment Regulations 2024 on the Government's Legislation website at https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ssi/2024/8/contents/made.
The launch of Carer Support Payment, which is replacing Carer’s Allowance in Scotland, is expanding to the areas of Angus, North Lanarkshire and South Lanarkshire on the 24 June.
ILF Scotland would like to advise our Scottish recipients that your Personal Assistants (PAs) are eligible to become members of social supermarket ‘Company Shop’.
Company Shop is the UK’s first social supermarket and has been operating for 10 years. They work with manufacturers and stockists to secure surplus stock, enabling customers to save around 50% on their weekly shopping while reducing food waste.
Company Shop has two branches in Scotland:
Log on to www.companyshopgroup.co.uk for more information or visit our news pages at https://ilf.scot/blog-post/social-supermarket-company-shop/
We are pleased to advise Scottish recipients of an organisation that their PAs may wish to join that offers a range of networking, training and employment opportunities.
The PA Network Scotland (PANS) is a professional membership organisation, funded by the Scottish Government and facilitated by WEA (Workers Educational Association). It offers members an ID Badge and access to a range of information and training, including:
PANS is free to join and more details can be found at https://panetworkscotland.org.uk/.
Blue Sky Social Care Card
The Blue Sky Social Care Card is included in PANS membership and it can also be accessed directly on their website https://blueskycard.uk/.
The Blue Sky Social Care Card is available to social care staff and acts as an ID badge but also offers a range of discounts at high street stores and online retailers. It costs £5 a year for membership but ILF Scotland have agreed to meet the cost of this via payment to Fund recipients.
Blue Light Card
There is also the Blue Light Card which is for those working across various emergency services, Armed forces and NHS. ILF Scotland are working to be able to offer this card to PAs and carers and will update via our social media channels – watch this space!
Edel Harris OBE, former Chief Executive of the charity Mencap, has been appointed to chair the Independent Review of Adult Disability Payment.
The independent review – a Programme for Government commitment – will consider people’s experiences of the Scottish benefit to ensure it continues to meet the needs of disabled people.
The Chair of the independent review will complete an interim report for Scottish Ministers by September 2024, highlighting initial priorities before submitting a final report by June next year.
You can read more on the Scottish Government website https://www.gov.scot/news/ensuring-adult-disability-payments-meet-peoples-needs/
NCS Forum Reports Published
National Care Service (NCS) National Forum 2023 took place at the Glasgow Science Centre on 30 October 2023. A report has now been published which provides a brief overview of the NCS and the purpose of the annual National Forum and also summarises the programme for the day, including information on where to view the speeches. The report concludes by outlining the next steps for co-design of the National Care Service. All reports can be found on gov.scot/ncs.
NCS Bill Passes Stage 1
The National Care Service (Scotland) Bill passed Stage 1 in the Scottish parliament on 29 February meaning it's one step closer to the National Care Service becoming enshrined in law.
The Bill now moves into Stage 2 where amendments will be considered by the Health, Social Care and Sport Committee before Stage 3, when the full Parliament makes a final vote on whether to pass the Bill.
As it moves into Stage 2, they will continue to engage with those with lived experience of community health and social care.
You can see the progress of the bill at https://www.parliament.scot/bills-and-laws/bills/national-care-service-scotland-bill
Are you a young carer aged 16-18 and living in Scotland?
You could be eligible for the yearly Young Carer Grant.
You can spend it on anything you like and don’t have to pay it back.
As well as the grant, you could be eligible for extra non-cash benefits on you Young Scot card (https://www.facebook.com/youngscot)
Visit https://www.mygov.scot/young-carer-grant for more information and to apply.
The bill incorporating the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child into Scottish Law has received Royal Assent. You can read more about the bill at https://www.gov.scot/policies/human-rights/childrens-rights/.
Regulations have been laid for a new Scottish Government benefit for people of pension age who have a disability or long-term health condition. Pension Age Disability Payment will replace the DWP's Attendance Allowance for people in Scotland.
Read more: https://bit.ly/PADP
The IRISR Recommendation Report was published in 2023 and made 38 high level strategic recommendations. The Scottish Government response to the IRISR Recommendation Report was published on 6 March 2024.
Read the report at: https://ilf.scot/go/irisr.
See the Scottish Government Response at: https://ilf.scot/go/irisr-reponse
A new pan-Scotland research project hopes to raise awareness of the real-life challenges and uncertainties faced by unpaid carers. Scotland Cares, a collaborative project across research institutions and the third sector, aims to promote the visibility of the vital role unpaid carers play. Researchers hope the project will give unpaid carers a voice, with the potential that their experiences could shape government policy at a time where Scotland continues to develop and consult on the ‘National Care Service’.
Read more about Scotland Cares on the Alliance website at https://ilf.scot/go/scotland-cares.
Plans for a Scottish Adult Disability Living Allowance, a new benefit to provide continued support to around 66,000 adults with a disability or long-term health condition, have been unveiled.
Subject to legislative approval it Scottish Adult Disability Living Allowance is expected to launch in early 2025.
Nearly half of working age carers lose £12,000 of income per year because they provide care.
A new report by Carers Scotland sets out the struggles that unpaid carers face in juggling paid work and unpaid care and the support that can help them stay in or return to work.
https://www.carersuk.org/reports/state-of-caring-2023-juggling-paid-employment-and-unpaid-care
The UK Government has launched its new Disability Action Plan – 32 steps it is taking to make the UK the most accessible place in the world for disabled people to live, work and thrive.
It sets out the immediate actions the UK government will take in 2024 to improve disabled people’s everyday lives.
Read the press release: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-disability-action-plan-to-make-uk-most-accessible-place-in-the-world Read the Disability Action Plan at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/disability-action-plan
Over 8 million people could be missing out on an average of £2,700 per year in rights-based benefits. This is an increase of £4 billion on last year's report.
https://policyinpractice.co.uk/missing-out-2024
Case Study - Joan
We think the best way to tell other disabled people about the positive difference our funding makes to you is through telling your stories.
We would love to hear from our recipients about how ILF Scotland support has helped you achieve your independent living outcomes just like Joan did.
Email: communications@ilf.scot or call our main number on 0300 200 2022.
