As many of you will know, today is the International Day of Persons with Disabilities. If you have done anything to mark this, please do let us know as we’d love to share in our Weekly Brief on Monday.
In this edition of the Policy and Public Affairs Update we invite members to contribute to our consultation responses on the Fair Pay Agreement, STOMP STAMP Professional Standards and CQC regulation. If there are messages or case studies you would like us to amplify, questions you have around the long list of consultations currently underway, or if you would like to view and/or comment on our draft responses, please do get in touch.
We also share below details of the Government’s new conversation with parents on SEND launched this week; a factsheet VODG and Trowers & Hamlins have produced for members on the Employment Rights Bill; and details from our session at the National Children and Adult Services Conference on Reframing Commissioning.
At VODG we’re actively engaging with decision makers to share insight, evidence and best practice from VCSE organisations working alongside and supporting disabled people of all ages, families and carers. We encourage you to share your experiences as we navigate the challenges facing the sector together.
Last week we responded to the Budget by welcoming developments around neighbourhood health, sharing member concerns around further unfunded costs facing charities, and called on the Government to work with the VCSE sector to ensure funding goes where it should - to frontline care and support, not into the pockets of private sector shareholders or hedge funds. We also published a summary of key announcements from the Chancellor's speech and a range of resources VODG members may find useful for local fee discussions, including new research by the Care Provider Alliance on the lasting impact of last year's Budget.
VODG session at the National Children and Adult Services Conference (NCAS)
Reframing Commissioning
This year VODG, Hft and Cornwall Council ran a session on Reframing Commissioning | Getting Transitions Right for Disabled Young People. The session explored different ways of working in partnership with the voluntary sector and people with lived experience to improve service provision. The slides from the session are available on our Commissioning, Fees and Funding hub, and build on the shifts set out in our Reframing Commissioning report with Collaborate.
Aimed at Directors, Heads of and Managers working specifically in policy and public affairs roles, our new Professional Network provides a space where colleagues can discuss challenges, hear from expert speakers on hot topics and share best practice and good ideas. The first meeting will include a VODG policy update, a discussion on useful tools used by colleagues in their day to day activity, and breakout discussions on the FPA, SEND and Welfare Reform.
Government launches national conversation with parents on SEND
Putting parents’ experiences at the heart of SEND reform
The government has acted on its commitment to put parents’ experiences at the heart of SEND reform through a new public engagement campaign. Minister for School Standards, Georgia Gould is hosting nine face-to-face events, run in partnership with the Council for Disabled Children, and five online events covering the department’s five principles of reform: Early Intervention, Local Provision, Fairness, Effective Practice and Shared Working.
Developed in partnership with the Local Government Association, #SocialCareFuture, Think Local Act Personal (TLAP), ADASS and FrameWorks UK, a new guide has been published on how to talk about adult social care. The Carers Trust has also undertaken research and published a report on existing public perceptions of carers and how we can change, or frame, the way society talks about carers and caring as a universal experience.
Local Government Finance Policy Statement 2026 - 2029
Find out more about the multi-year Local Government Finance Settlement
The local government finance policy statement sets out the Government’s proposals for the 2026-27 to 2028-29 multi-year Local Government Finance Settlement, including details on the government’s response to the Fair Funding Review 2.0 and other measures which will be delivered through the 2026-27 provisional Local Government Finance Settlement. Alongside this, the Government has published its response to the Fair Funding Review 2.0 consultation and a policy statement on resetting the business rates retention system from 2026 to 2027.
Show Your Support
Petition calls for Independent Review of NHS Wheelchair Services
A member of the Jewish Blind and Disabled community has launched a petition to call on the Government for an independent review of NHS wheelchair services, having been waiting over three years for a suitable wheelchair and knowing many others are in the same position. Add your support if you can.
A factsheet for VODG members sets out the proposals in the Employment Rights Bill, key dates and actions to consider taking in preparation for changes coming in.
The LG Explorer tool lets you discover what data is available across a number of key themes, including social care metrics. There’s also understanding ageing in your area.
If there are any messages members would like us to include in our response to the CQC, please get in touch by Friday 5 December.
We will shortly be sharing a document for members to contribute to which will help inform our response to the FPA consultation and that of the Care Provider Alliance (CPA), of which VODG is a founding member. The potential role of the CPA as the representative for employers on the negotiating body, employees and services in and out of scope and how any FPA will be enforced are all critical parts of the consultation to ensure we put a view forward on. A summary for VODG members of the consultation questions can be found here. If you have any questions or would like to discuss any aspects of this in more detail please do let us know.
STOMP STAMP Professional Standards
Draft standards on STOMP STAMP are currently out for consultation
Recently VODG, along with a small number of NHS organisations, Royal Colleges, VCSE providers and people with lived experience formed an expert reference group run by NHS England on new STOMP STAMP standards. These standards are now out for consultation and VODG has been tasked with gathering feedback from across our membership and networks for NHSE. We would very much welcome your feedback and steer on the proposed standards - either via email or a quick Teams call. The standards aim to enable organisations to develop consistent and collaborative service delivery, with a focus on quality medication reviews, holistic and person-centred decision making and the use of non-medication strategies where appropriate. The deadline for feedback is 31 December.
Along with the Fair Pay Agreement for Adult Social Care, there are a number of other elements of the Employment Rights Bill (ERB) currently out for consultation. Recently VODG contributed to a Care Provider Alliance webinar on the ERB, a link to the recording, presentation and consultations can be found here. If you have any questions about the consultations do get in touch.
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