PRESS ANNOUNCEMENT United Response is one of the eight members of Disability Works UK, a not-for-profit consortium of national disability charities that have come together to provide tailored employment support to disabled people. Neither Disability Works UK nor United Response are involved in the delivery of the government’s Workfare scheme. Disability Works UK has secured [...]

We all know that times are tough. We know that the economy is in trouble. We know that many people are finding it harder to make ends meet. And if you’re reading this blog, then you probably also know that if you are disabled then times are even tougher, and the future even more worrying, [...]

Tomorrow will see a unique, one day only exhibition of stunning photography from local Bognor people which is free and open to all. Students attending a mental health outreach centre are staging an exhibition of photography – having only just learned the craft. It is hoped it will inspire others to take a fresh look [...]

PRESS RELEASE A green-fingered poet has scooped first prize in a national gardening competition. Avid gardener Jenni Clifton, aged 68, of Horn Street, Cheriton, wowed judges at disability charity United Response with her poem Round My Garden and was pronounced the winner earlier this week. The competition was launched by the charity last summer as [...]

This year, Kate Knight, a 52 year old mother of four, will be running her ninth London Marathon for United Response. She was only confirmed for last year’s race three months before the event, proving that preparation doesn’t take as long as you might think! There are still places available on our Virgin London Marathon [...]

Charity consortium, Disability Works UK (DWUK) is looking to recruit an Executive Director, for an initial fixed term appointment of 12 months. Working across the UK the Executive Director will be a vital new member of the management board, and will take a lead role in the overall direction of the organisation at a crucial [...]

We all make New Year’s resolutions with the best intentions, often to detox, get fit or to take up a new hobby. By the time February arrives however, they have all too often fallen by the wayside. But why let a month stand in your way? Getting fit in February could be easier and more [...]

Last month we released an online version of “Life Support”, our exploration of the importance of support in the lives of people with learning disabilities. It was created to shine a spotlight on the real lives behind the debate on social care funding by introducing the reader to people with learning disabilities talking about their [...]

One of the first things the newly-elected coalition government declared on taking office was its ambition to “create the largest and most vibrant social enterprise sector in the world” as part of its NHS reforms. As encouraging as this was, many questioned whether the government was clear about the difference between NHS foundation trusts and [...]

Charity consortium, Disability Works UK (DWUK) is looking to recruit a part time administrator, on a 12 month secondment. The South London-based role will oversee administrative functions including: • Acting as first point of entry for all DWUK business enquiries • Supporting the strategic board and operations group • Making sure all data is kept securely [...]

The need to reform the social care system in England was back in the news today as the Telegraph published a letter signed by a number of local authorities urging the Government to accept the recommendations of the Commission on Funding of Care and Support, led by Andrew Dilnot.   It is really important that we [...]

It’s official: tomorrow cross-party talks will begin on the future funding of adult social care, the first such talks since economist Andrew Dilnot was commissioned to analyse the failing existing system and recommend a way forward. It’s worth remembering what is at stake here. The reason our existing social care system is disintegrating is because [...]

Whether your goal is to get fit in the New Year by training for the London Marathon, take a trip of a lifetime to climb Mount Kilimanjaro or participate in United Response’s first ever sponsored swimming event, following these simple tips should ensure that you maximise every opportunity to raise much needed funds for United [...]

This week, United Response put out a report called Life Support, which was all about how people with disabilities need a bit of support to live their lives. I was asked to write the introduction. I was proud to get involved because I think it is important to make your voice heard, especially when there [...]

PRESS RELEASE With 2012 set to be a pivotal year for social care, a national disability charity is launching a groundbreaking report looking at the views of disabled people and their families on why access to good support is so vital. Through firsthand accounts, Life Support, a report produced by United Response’s Campaigns Panel, brings [...]

“Social care is an essential human need,” the Government stated in its Vision For Adult Social Care in 2010. Unfortunately, with a social care system that is buckling under growing demand, fewer and fewer people are seeing that human need met.  We wanted to know what real people with learning disabilities thought about their support [...]

Many readers will already be aware of the Responsible Reform Report – also known as the Spartacus Report – a detailed investigation into the Government’s consultation on Disability Living Allowance (DLA) reform. The report has seen a huge wave of support on Twitter from activists and celebrities like Stephen Fry, which has led to the [...]

Timed to coincide with the return of the Welfare Reform Bill to the House of Lords, today sees the formal launch of a new report, “Responsible Reform”. Written, researched, funded and produced by sick and disabled people and their friends and family, Responsible Reform is a detailed investigation into the Government’s consultation on Disability Living Allowance (DLA) [...]

At United Response we are firmly in favour of personal budgets and self directed support as a way of giving people genuine choice and control. We have always focused on support that is tailored to each individual as absolutely key to the way we work and we see self direction and personal budgets as a [...]

So a new year is upon us, one which shows every sign of being an even more momentous for Government disability policy than 2011. Last year we saw the Government launch a huge wave of legislation and consultation that affected people with disabilities or mental health needs. The healthcare reforms were the most high profile [...]