Care for working age adults and disabled people could cost town halls £17billion a year by the end of the decade, a report warns today.
The County Councils Network predicts that spending on the ‘forgotten’ cohort will rise by 50 per cent by 2030 from the £11bn recorded last year.
It says the price of looking after those with learning disabilities now ‘dwarfs’ support for the elderly, as a result of higher needs among younger generations and a shortage of appropriate housing.
Packages for individuals with the most complex learning disabilities now cost an average £3,316 every single week, a huge rise in the past year alone.
And the CCN expects spending on young adults aged 18 to 24 will surge by at least 40 per cent by 2030 ‘as a consequence of increases in Send (special educational needs and disabilities) and population growth’.
At the umbrella group’s annual conference today, leaders will demand Labour’s plan for a National Care Service – intended to ensure consistent standards for care users across England – be backed up with more money for local authorities.
The price of looking after those with learning disabilities now ‘dwarfs’ support for the elderly, according to research (stock image)
Cllr Martin Tett, CCN’s spokesman on adult social care, said last night: ‘Caring for working age and lifelong disabled adults is one of the most important and rewarding responsibilities councils carry out. But too often in the debate on adult social care their needs and challenges are forgotten.
‘Our research reveals that far too many working age and lifelong disabled adults are placed in expensive and sometimes inappropriate residential placements. This is bad for councils and even worse for care users who see their independence drastically reduced.
‘For individuals and councils, the National Care Service risks being an empty slogan unless it is backed with a renewed focus on working age adults, and significant increase in funding for councils to meet rising costs and ensure the quality and safety of support is maintained.’
Jackie O’Sullivan, Executive Director of Strategy and Influence at learning disability charity Mencap, said: ‘This worrying financial forecast reinforces our concern about the growing demand for adult social care and the lack of funding and suitable provision available to people who need it most.
The research reveals that ‘far too many working age and lifelong disabled adults are placed in expensive and sometimes inappropriate residential placements’ (Stock Image)
‘We are now seeing an alarmingly large number of young people transitioning to adulthood without the support they need to live independently and play a full part in their communities and society at large. We simply cannot allow that to happen.’
A Government spokesperson insisted: ‘We have inherited a broken social care system and will work closely with the sector to build a National Care Service that will improve the quality of care for working-age disabled adults across the country.
‘The Chancellor has announced at least £600 million of new social care funding, as well as an £86 million increase for the Disabled Facilities Grant, which are part of a wider package to bolster support for councils.
‘We are also committed to reforming Jobcentres to provide better employment support and make health-related benefits more flexible, making it easier for people to move into paid work.’
