Personal Budgets: Taking Stock, Moving Forward provides an overview of the latest evidence in how the sector is progressing with the delivery of personal budgets. There has been some important progress made, with encouraging evidence showing improved outcomes for people. However, research also suggests action is needed in a number of key areas, including:
- access to direct payments
- ensuring authenticity in council
- managed personal budgets
- better information and advice
- improving equality of access
- reducing unnecessary process
- and increasing flexibility.
Action in these areas will allow the sector to deliver on the promise of personal budgets and the Think Local, Act Personal Partnership will support the sector to work on this.
As an immediate first step, this paper points to where to go for further information to help address some of the challenges that have been identified and lists a number of useful documents for further reading.
