Independence, Well-being, and Choice

This Green Paper sets out the Government's proposals for adult social care services in England over the next 10-15 years, based on the principle that everyone in society has a positive contribution to make and should have a right to control their own lives. Issues discussed include: the need for service reform in response to changes in community structure, population ageing and geographical mobility; setting social care outcomes; funding aspects and fair access to care, including wider use of direct payments; the strategic and leadership role of local government, working in partnership with other agencies such as the NHS; greater focus on preventative services to enable early, targeted interventions; strategic commissioning of services; service improvement and delivery; regulation and performance assessment; building capacity with the voluntary and community sector. Responses to the consultation document should be received by 28 July 2005