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Independent Lives is delighted to let you know that from 1 October 2025, we will be providing support for people managing their Direct Payments in Wiltshire. If you live in Wiltshire and receive a Direct Payment, you can now access our friendly, knowledgeable team for advice, guidance, and practical help to make the most of

Independent Lives is proud to have supported University Hospital Sussex NHS Foundation Trust (UHSussex) in achieving Disability Confident Leader (Level 3) status. As a Disability Confident Leader ourselves, we validated UHSussex’s self-assessment, providing expert guidance, constructive feedback, and clear communication throughout the process. This achievement underlines our commitment to fostering inclusive workplaces and supporting organisations

West Sussex County Council is reviewing its Adult Social Care Strategy (2022–2025) and wants to hear from local residents. This is your chance to provide feedback on key priorities, including: Building relationships and connections Supporting empowerment Staying at home Addressing gaps in services Promoting inclusion and tackling inequalities The survey is open to anyone living

Seven Independent Lives superheroes completed the epic Superhero Series all-inclusive tri event at the idyllic Dorney Lake in Windsor on Saturday 16 August. Wetsuits, bikes, capes and superpowers were in full action from Jack, Tyler, Emma, Steph, Cherry, Mike and Poppy who between them completed over 63km of activities before lunchtime. Pushing themselves out of

Great news for Individual Employers and their Personal Assistants (PAs) across England! Independent Lives has been awarded funding from Skills for Care to provide fully-funded training courses and workbooks for those who employ their own PAs. This will run from 11th July 2025 until 31st March 2026, subject to availability. If funding runs out before 31st

Today, staff from Independent Lives joined fellow voluntary, community, and social enterprise (VCSE) learning disability providers, care workers, and people who use social care services outside Chichester County Hall to demand an appropriate fee uplift in the face of rising costs and financial pressures on the sector. The demonstration, organised by the Sussex Learning Disability

In our latest story of Independent Lives, we spoke to Neeraj. Neeraj lives in Southampton with his family and has been a PA since 2019. While working in America as a dentist, Neeraj met his wife, and had planned to live with her in America once they had married, but when he met her family,

In her latest post, our comms volunteer Sarah explores the history of the Paralympics, the impact the games have had on societal issues towards disability and disabled people, and the challenges they still face. There is good news on the horizon for sports fans as the Paralympics begin on 28 August bringing another chance to

In our latest blog article, our comms volunteer Sarah looks at the plan proposed by ADASS (Association of Directors of Adult Social Services) to address the current issues facing the UK’s health and social care system Now there is a new Government in power, many of us will be wondering what their plans are to

Jilesh Kunnumpurath, a PHD student from the University of Birmingham, is carrying out research on how effective Direct Payments are for individuals in Black and Minority Ethnic communities. Direct Payments have been in place for over twenty years, and in that time, they have become a cornerstone of personalised care. Giving thousands of disabled people