Key staff and Trustees of national charity Walsingham Support, were in attendance of last week’s House of Lords question time, on 16th May, to see long term patron, Baroness Richardson of Calow, ask the government a crucial question about an issue that not only affects Walsingham Support but the whole adult learning disability social care sector.

Walsingham Support provides care for adults, as well as working to increase levels of independence and community engagement, of people with learning disabilities, complex needs and autism nationwide.

As patron, Baroness Richardson was keen to offer her support as a Peer. She posed the following question to the government, concerning the ‘sleep ins’ issue:

“To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have made to assist financially with the historic back pay liability of providers of local authority commissioned care for people with learning disabilities.”

The response of the Government was that “To support providers now, HMRC has created the social care compliance scheme to allow participating social care providers until March 2019 to make payments to workers.”

Aside from an extended compliance window, the government stated that the issue was a priority and that they were aware of the deficit faced by the sector.

CEO of Walsingham Support Paul Snell said:

“The support of Baroness Richardson is greatly appreciated. Her question to the government highlights a pressing issue faced by the wider social care sector that we hope will be given adequate attention. Also, her facilitation of the future visits of the people we support is a great opportunity for those interested in the political process.”

Attendance by staff on the 16th was a precursor to further visits this year to the Palace of Westminster by groups of people with learning disabilities supported by the charity. Those interested in the political process will be able to witness debates in the Lords and the Commons, and be given a tour of the Palace of Westminster by Baroness Richardson.

As part of Walsingham Support’s drive to enable engagement and independence for people with learning disabilities, Personalisation Officer, Dominique Richards feels that this will be a great opportunity for the people the charity supports:

“Planned future visits to the Palace of Westminster, made possible by Baroness Richardson, will be a great chance for the people we support to see first-hand the decision-making process in our country, and how it ultimately affects the support that they receive.”

                                                        -- ENDS –

For further information about Walsingham Support, contact Pete Bakewell, Marketing and Communications Officer on 020 3405 6261 or at [javascript protected email address].

Notes to Editors

As a national charity, Walsingham Support has been challenging and changing the support provided to individuals with learning disabilities, autism, brain injuries and complex needs for over 30 years.

We do this by understanding people’s unique needs, abilities and aspirations. Through this we create and deliver the person-centred, bespoke support needed for each individual to develop skills, achieve independence and enjoy life to the full.

Flexibility is key to achieving this, but while our work and the support we provide constantly evolves to meet the demands of a changing social care landscape, our central goal has remained the same: deliver the quality of life people with disabilities deserve.

For us it’s not just support, it’s happiness. More details about Walsingham Support are available at www.walsingham.com