Reflections on in Control – 2:
Lessons for national implementation
John O’Brien & David Towell
Nov 2007
Our appreciation of the lessons for policy and in imple- mentation from in Control’s work may differ from those who are more directly involved. Our knowledge of in Con- trol’s work is limited, and the mirror we have constructed here reflects our own experience and vocabulary. We hope any differences of perspective will be interesting for the core team to think about and any misunderstandings will be corrected.
This document includes our description of what seem to us to be important lessons from in Control’s experience in this column, with our commentary and some supporting material we have selected in the next two columns.
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A new context
Putting People First makes clear that in Control, among other influences, has succeeded in shaping policy in the direction of self-directed support. The protocol endorses the value of independent living; aims to provide people with control over the support services they receive; identi- fies personal budgets as the typical means to offer people that control; calls for leadership to mobilize local main- stream services and community associations; acknowl- edges the key role and expertise of people who receive social care and their carers not only in assessing, plan- ning, and organizing to meet their own needs but also in planning, governing, and evaluating system transforma- tion efforts; promises financial support for system change; and recognizes, in its signatories, that transformation will require a new balance of central-local power, cross-minis- terial collaboration, and significant shifts within localities.
