Abolishing home care charges to promote independence and dignity
We all want to have as much control as possible over our own lives, the power to make decisions and to be able to do the things that matter to us. That’s a basic human right which most of us take for granted. Support to live independently at home gives Disabled people that human right, too. But councils across England are charging Disabled people for this vital support. This means Disabled people are having to make the terrible choice between things like heating and eating and whether we’re able to get out of bed, wash, dress, get out and about and see friends. It doesn’t have to be a choice. By not charging Disabled people for home care, councils are not only doing the right thing, but they’re also using their limited resources sensibly as it prevents more intensive support being needed further down the line.
On the 24th July 2024, Disability Law Service published a report to make the case for the abolition of home care charges and to make home care free at the point of use for Disabled adults in England. This will enable Disabled people to live more independently, and have more control over their own lives.
Our report reveals that 92% of councils* across England are acting unlawfully by not fully assessing the impact of home care charges on Disabled residents. These unlawful actions are severely affecting Disabled people’s physical and mental well-being.
In our report, we made reference to the fact that the new UK government had committed to implement the reform of capping lifetime care costs at £86,000 from October 2025. Whilst we did not believe that these reforms went anywhere near far enough, they would have been an improvement on the current home care charging policy. We are therefore very disappointed by the UK government’s decision to go back on its commitment. For all future decisions, we urge the government to fully involve Disabled people at each and every step of the decision-making process.
You can read more about our findings here:
- Executive summary
- Easy-read executive summary
- Full report
- Research methodology
- The London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham model
Please take a look at our video which gives a summary of the report.
What can you do?
- Campaign your local authority to abolish home care charges and promote a human rights-based approach to social justice.
- Work with your local authority to set up a co-production implementation group to ensure that Disabled people are shaping all policies relating to their own lives.
- Share the findings with your network, and with local decision-makers to help Disability Law Service maximise its reach and impact.
- Inform your clients/friends/colleagues that work continues in the fight to make home care free at the point of use for Disabled adults in England.
- Build momentum in your own organisation/network and provide a platform for people to share their own experience of home care charging.
- Support other disability campaigns focused towards abolishing home care charges, and amplifying the voices of Disabled people.
If you work for a local authority, you can:
- Share our findings with your team.
- Escalate the findings up to decision/policy-makers.
- Evaluate and reflect on your own home care charging policies.
- Review your co–production policies and set up a co–production implementation group.
- Develop a plan, together with your co–production groups for how your council can move towards abolishing non-residential care charges, promoting a human-rights based approach to social justice.
- Use your influence.
If you would like more information about the report, or to suggest ways in which we can collaborate, please get in touch at endcharging@dls.org.uk.
All press enquiries should be directed towards Alexander Sherman at alex@dls.org.uk
We believe that in any just society, Disabled adults should not be charged to live a full and independent life. Let’s end this tax on disability.
*92% refers to 37 out of 40 local authorities in England that DLS contacted as part of this research project.