We met a group of people with learning disabilities in Swansea in Wales who were really good friends.
There were possible changes to how support was going to be provided locally, and they were worried that they’d get broken up as a group.
They therefore chose to receive ‘direct payments’ (a cash payment with which to control their own support), pooled these together and formed a ‘co-operative’ (an organisation that they all part-owned together) to organise and control their own support.
It’s worked brilliantly for them, and they’ve made a video to grow their group and tell other people about (see ‘Friends United Together’ video via https://impact.bham.ac.uk/2023/12/13/friends-united-together/).
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