We all know life is uncertain – but are we really ready for what life throws at us?

And then – wham bang – out of a clear blue sky – one of you gets a serious illness or injury. You aren’t high earners, but you have both worked all your lives and paid all those National Insurance Contributions. You have lost one income overnight. You are now learning you are a carer. This is your time to get support from the state. Right?

Life is uncertain. But we used to be able to trust the government to help us at these times of crisis. Not any more. So remember if the time ever comes when you step up and say you are prepared to be a carer – you may be on your own. Iain Duncan Smith has taken away your parachute and your life jacket.

The safety net you thought would be there has been stripped away.

.

Much has been written and discussed about the welfare cuts coming out of Westminster and very little is spoken in favour of any of them.

I was apprehensive that this conference was going to be one of – well this is it – nothing we can do – so we all roll over in acceptance.

How wrong I was. Far from accepting it there was a definite air of anger in that room. This was a conference about how welfare reforms were going to affect the people of Scotland and what we intended to do.

The format for the day was 4 sessions with speakers from across Scotland, all experts in their own field, talking for around 10 minutes with questions from the 50 attending.

With my escort Sue firmly attached to me , we all settled down for a long day.

We opened with words from Margaret Burgess MSP, Minister for Housing and Welfare. She was joined by David O’Neill, the President of Cosla (Convention of Scottish Local Authorities) and Michael McMahon  MSP ( Chair  Welfare Reform Committee).  They spoke powerfully about the cuts in general which probably explains why i didn’t get a sensible answer to my question on ESA and disabled people.

Must remember to tell my friend Mo Stewart that Unum was mentioned as being behind the Westminster plans.

The speakers on disabled people and those with long term ill health followed after lunch..

Much was spoken about child poverty which is a serious problem in parts of Glasgow. In fact much of Glasgow is deprived with jobs long gone since the shipyards closed. Myths were disproved. Hate crime was discussed. The feeling we were all singing from the same hymn sheet were so strong.

There was probably little I didn’t already know although some of the figures and statistics were more than alarming.

Bedroom tax affects the same number of people in London as in Scotland and yet London receives £56 million in help and we get £10 million. Surprised London has even heard of Scotland. Bedroom tax is going to cost Scotland far far more to implement than it could ever save. If we gain independence this will be abolished. End of.

I managed to get my question in this session. The Work Capability Assessment, with its 2 groups,  was the start of all these reforms. It is so wrong and must be changed. It had been pushed aside with an air of acceptance. How are we going to make it a safe place for disabled people? General agreement from the speakers without any answer.

One speaker pointed out how the many reassessment had made disabled people’s condition far worse. Many who were managing with their disability pre 4th assessment were no longer coping.

The highlight for me was the fourth and final session. There were just 2 speakers – Mark McAteer, Director of Government and Performance Management… and Paul Spicker, Aberdeen University Professor of Public Policy. The subjects were on The future of Welfare in Scotland 2013 and beyond. So here were going to be some answers.

Paul was brilliant in his delivery. He talked about Beveridges plans for welfare. It was never meant for poor people. That was a modern invention. Welfare was designed to be a safety net for those who had no jobs or fallen on hard times through illness or disability… He said the answers were simple and – sat down as he’d run out of time!

The Chair said just time for one question and that was my cue. What is the answer? I asked.

The Chair summed up and we left. Mark grabbed me outside so I asked him the same question.  He said – “Keep fighting and keep campaigning. There is a chink in their armour and you will find it.”

Thank you Mark.

And a final word from Paul as we galloped our way out  through the entrance hall – “Never give up.”

Have no fear Paul, those of us at PP will never give up. Nor will many other individuals and groups. We support as many as possible in their actions.

One of them is the WoW Petition. Please sign it and then share as wide as possible.

Pat x

I shall be off to this conference, in Edinburgh tomorrow, with my many hats tucked into my handbag.

They will make an appearance in no particular order – just depending on who is speaking on which topic.

I am concerned however that the words by Margaret Burgess MSP could be an indication of how the day will run. The acceptance by the Scottish Government that these Welfare cuts, sorry reforms, are done and dusted, and we have to make the best of a bad job. For example Employment Support Allowance was designed on the back of an envelope by an ignorant man who knew nothing about welfare.

Why do we have to accept this when a few simple changes could make it safe and supportive.

There is a word in common use which has no place in my life. ‘Can’t.’

You can’t do this or that because …and there follows a whole stream of excuses.

I’ll count them and let you know.

Pat x

http://welfarereform.holyrood.com/#.UawN4oSXwHY.email

In the meantime some of the actions you can take…..

Sign WOW petition here

Join discussion forum to cover the issues with Welfare Reform

Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) isn’t working. The design isn’t fit for purpose. Pat’s Petition think it is high time that we all got together and challenged the basic structure of ESA.

In particular the division of disabled people in to two arbitrary groups – Support Group and WRAG -  which do not describe disabled people or provide a safe and supportive environment for them.

Imagine devising a test to decide between oranges and apples and then a whole lot of pears come a lot. Push the rounder ones in to oranges and greener ones in to apples? Ridiculous.

We have set up a discussion space for this. Please come and discuss this with us at – http://patspetition.myfineforum.org/     (join with a click)

Please tell other people about this discussion.

Let’s all look carefully at ESA together and we may be able to come up with a better structure and get ESA changed so that it is actually fit for purpose.

Pat x

Up here in Scotland we have some beautiful natural stone. Most of it huge and attached to a mountain but my garden has its own fair share.

Granite is plentiful in many areas. As such it is used a lot in buildings as it is one of the hardest stones known to man. And woman who digs it out of her garden!

A cairn is often used to mark the tops of mountains – people who reach the summit can add a stone. They are also used to mark paths keeping travellers safely away from the dangers of the edges. The lasting durability of the stone cairn is a symbol to those that follow behind.

So the idea of building a cairn in the garden was born.and it will represent those 62,709 people who signed Pat’s Petition before it closed.

I laid the first stone and it will be added to as and when weather, time and availability of gathered stones allow.

I don’t think I can count 62,709 but will use one stone per 100 signatures. The strength and hardness of these stones represent us all – disabled people, carers and their families.

PP closed 4 months ago but we are still inundated with requests from people wanting to add their support. To this end a space has been created here. New stones will continue to be added to the cairn as these numbers increase.

There are still some important petitions open on the government website.

WowPetition  sign here   – further details of the campaign group here

Stop the Abolition of Disability Living Allowance for Personal Independence Payments  – sign here

.

The government is bringing in so many cuts that a Cumulative Impact Assessment is far too difficult

April Fool – it’s actually really very simple 

At last more and more people are waking up to the realisation of the horrors lying in wait for disabled people, their carers and families. At last there are debates in Parliament with dozens of MPs relating true stories from their constituents. They all tell the same story. How disabled people, those with serious illness, and carers are being hit the hardest.

And this is just the end of the beginning.

Six more drastic cuts come on line today.

It is the perfect storm

That’s why I’m so proud of Pat’s Petition and what we achieved together.Pat’s Petition asked the government to “stop and look at the way all these changes would add up and impact on the lives of disabled people and their carers.” 62,709 people signed in the year that was open to us.

But the government refused. They say it is too difficult. You can read their response on Pat’s Petition here . They are conducting one enormous social experiment and leaving it for history to tell them what they did to us.

How can they get away with this?

Well – they can’t get away with it. We won’t let them. And neither will you.

The government are pretending that it is amazingly complicated when we are asking for something that is really simple. We are asking for an assessment of the impact on individual disabled people. There is no reason why they can’t run example cases through all the benefit changes one by one and show us, and the voters, exactly what they are doing to individual disabled people.

Scope/Demos  have released research on these changes. And it isn’t as impossibly difficult as the government maintain.

We aren’t going anywhere until the government face up to their responsibilities and produce a projection of what their policies are, and will be doing, to disabled people and their carers.

Pat’s team is working with many other campaign groups and we are meeting with government statisticians to discuss how they can carry out a Cumulative Impact Assessment.

The WOW petition is still active and you can sign that here. Their number of supporters is growing daily. Please share this petition as wide as possible asking others to sign and share too.  You will note they have had a preliminary response in which again the government states -

“Cumulative impact analysis is not being withheld – it is very difficult to do accurately and external organisations have not produced this either.”

This is NOT acceptable.

We still receive many emails and requests from people wanting to support this campaign. To this end a space has been created here to add your support, comments can be added too.

This Cumulative Impact Assessment

is going to happen

.

When Labour brought in Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) they promised disabled people a safe and secure place from which to try and get work how ever difficult this might be to achieve. Sanctions and compulsion have destroyed this promise and left disabled people in a stressful and threatening environment. Stress usually makes disability harder to handle. These threats should be removed from the Work Related Activity Group (WRAG).

The introduction of the concept of workfare in to the work program is a massive change in the philosophy of the welfare state. The concept is being fought hard through the courts and despite the recent court decision on the Poundland Case the government are determined to press ahead. Now it seems that Labour may be supporting them in this.

The concept of sanctions and workfare are particularly terrifying for disabled people who may always be uncertain about what they can do. These forced and sanctioned activities have made the WRAG a feared and threatening place. Sanctions and compulsion are completely inappropriate when people have disability. Anything disabled people fail to do may always be due to their disability. The license to remove benefits given to an advisor who has never walked in their shoes is cruel.

In fact the statistics now show that not many disabled people are actually getting in to work. But what is certain is that after twelve months in the WRAG they will be means tested and 40% will lose ESA altogether.

Surely even in these dark times extending workfare to people with disability is several steps too far.

Labour promised disabled people a safe and secure environment to look for work. It is time for second thoughts and time to lift this coercion on disabled people in the WRAG.

Thank you to all of you who sent messages of support which we handed on to Liam.

The meeting was very successful. Liam is determined that he will give us an Opposition Day Debate as soon as he can calling for a Cumulative Impact Assessment – if possible before the budget.

We are all aware how thick and fast the cuts are raining down and that so many more cuts are due to be implemented in April.

So this is a matter of urgency and we have to be prepared to move on this as soon as we get the week’s notice.

This will take us all standing together.

More details soon.

VALUES INTO ACTION SCOTLAND

Values Into Action Scotland believes that people with learning difficulties and individuals on the autistic spectrum should have the opportunity to have paid employment.

We understand that, for many, good quality support is needed to help them achieve this. People with learning difficulties and individuals on the autistic spectrum who have enjoyed a successful working life have told us that the support that works for them is:-

* Good quality benefits advice

* Help to think about and plan out what an ideal job might look like

* Job finding support

* Help to talk to employers

* Support on/ off the job

* A career for life (with planning and support to achieve this)

This process is often referred to as Supported Employment.

Currently there is no UK wide programme that offers this type and level of support. Instead, there is growing concern that many people with legitimate significant support needs who undergo the Work Capability Assessment are being told that:-

* They are ineligible for Employment Support Allowance and are transferred onto time limited Job Seekers Allowance.

* They are ineligible to be placed in the Employment Support Allowance Support Group. Instead they find themselves in the Employment Support Allowance Work Related Activity Group.

From either of these two scenarios, people are often then placed onto the Work Programme. Following investigation, Panorama recently aired a programme exposing the following:-

* Work Programme providers are only helping a very small fraction of disabled people into work.

* They are failing to refer people to sub-contractor charities who could potentially offer better supports.

* The level of service some disabled people are receiving is less than for other people on the Work Programme. Face to face contact is, in many cases, being replaced with telephone contact. The programme referred to this process as ‘parking’.

* A Work Programme provider can legitimately claim £14,000 if a disabled person finds and sustains a job beyond three months.

In summary

* The Work Programme is failing deliver for disabled people.

* A more comprehensive person centred approach is required to help people to overcome the multiple barriers they face.

* Only 1/5 of disabled people have found jobs via the Work Programme.

* The current Work Programme is clearly not fit for purpose and requires urgent review.

* There is research evidence available to demonstrate that the supported employment approach costs on average £7,500 per year and can demonstrate paid employment outcomes for the majority of people supported. Adopting this approach across the UK, would therefore save money, deliver better outcomes and provide the holistic, person centred supports that many people need to achieve success.

Change in Assessment Criteria:

In December 2012 the UK Government announced an unexpected change in the PIP Assessment criteria. This change reduces the distance someone can walk (safely) before qualifying for the Enhanced Mobility element of PIP from 50 metres to 20 metres (the Enhanced Mobility element of PIP is equivalent to the Higher Rate Mobility Component of DLA).

The change has contributed to a substantial increase in the numbers expected not to qualify for the Enhanced Mobility element of PIP – up from 250,000 to 428,000 (a 70% increase).

Using the DWP’s own UK-wide projections of expected “winners” and “losers” arising from the replacement of DLA by PIP Inclusion Scotland have now calculated the equivalent figures for Scotland. These are set out below.

One piece of good news is that the majority of disabled people on life-time or long term awards of DLA will not now be re-assessed for PIP until after October 2015. However the following groups will be assessed before then -

* disabled people making new claims

* people currently in receipt of DLA whose awards end before Oct. 2015

* people whose condition/level of impairment changes before then to a level where it amounts to a change of circumstances requiring reassessment.

Mobility Component:

Using DWP projections, by 2018, Inclusion Scotland estimates that over 80,000 working age disabled people in Scotland will lose either some or all of the mobility allowance that they would otherwise have been entitled to:

* 47,000 will lose higher/enhanced rate mobility allowance. The subsequent loss in income to disabled people in Scotland will be at least £135 million a year by 2018.

* 34,100 will lose standard rate mobility allowance. The subsequent loss in income to disabled people in Scotland will be at least £37 million a year by 2018.

As one in three current Higher Rate DLA Mobility component recipients currently use their benefit to lease Motability vehicles as many as 16,000 disabled people in Scotland may also lose their Motability cars and scooters.

Care component: In addition because of the introduction of PIP -

* 30,250 fewer disabled people in Scotland will receive Standard Daily Living (PIP)/Middle Rate Care(DLA). The subsequent loss in income to disabled people in Scotland will be at least £83.4 million p.a. by 2018

* 74,000 disabled people in Scotland who would otherwise have been entitled to Lower Rate Care (DLA) will no longer receive it because it will no longer exist. The subsequent loss in income to disabled people in Scotland will be at least £80.8 million a year by 2018

* Conversely an additional 15,500 more disabled people will qualify for the Enhanced Daily Living Element of PIP than would have qualified for the old Higher Rate Care of DLA. The subsequent increase in income available to disabled people will be approx. £64million a year by 2018.

However overall nearly 90,000 fewer disabled people in Scotland will qualify for assistance with their care needs/daily living costs than would otherwise have been entitled to under current DLA entitlement rules.

Total Losses: Ignoring attendant losses of Income Support premiums, Housing Benefit disregards, carers allowance, etc. the total loss in the income of Scots disabled people which will arise from the change from DLA to PIP will therefore be approx. £272 million per annum by 2018 i.e. the overall total in lost income (£336.2 million) minus the increase in income (£64 million)

Sources:

1. Personal Independence Payment: Reassessment and Impacts, DWP, Dec. 2012 http://www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/pip-reassessments-and-impacts.pdf  and

2. Emergency Stop: The hidden economic and social cost of welfare reform, We are Spartacus, January 2013 http://wearespartacus.org.uk/wpcontent/uploads/2013/01/Emergency-Stop-final.pdf

3. DWP Tabulation Tool (http://83.244.183.180/100pc/dla/tabtool_dla.html  ) used to estimate the numbers of disabled people in Scotland likely to be affected by the introduction of PIP as a proportion of estimated losers at a UK level. Feb 2012 DLA Caseload used as a baseline.

For more information contact:

info@inclusionscotland.org