WHEN Tom Cowen’s parents decided they wanted more for their son than life in a residential home, they became members of a small but growing band of pioneers in York changing the way we think about social services.

Tom, 35, is autistic and has learning difficulties, but life in a residential home meant he wasn’t living the independent, active life he, or his parents, knew he was missing out on.

Now, however, through the Government’s personal budgets system, Tom is living independently, getting out and about while having the round-the-clock assistance he needs at home.

His mother Alison, 55, explained how she and other parents in York are navigating the complex world of funding to set up a system of full-time carers at Tom’s home, even hand-picking personal assistants who have interests which matched Tom’s own.

The best thing about the personal budgets system is that it’s open to anyone.

“The Government aims to give people more control over the care they receive,” said Alison. “You can have an assessment where someone from social services comes to look at your needs and decides what your budget will be.

“The difference is from having something provided for you, to choosing it yourself. It’s about being an active citizen and not a passive service user.”

Alison stresses that Tom doesn’t need care but rather a team of assistants, and while Tom’s assistants are with him 24/7 she says that the personal budget system can be used to fund a few hours of help every week if that is all that is required.

Tom’s parents have now become active members of Lives Unlimited, a small group of York parents who want to make sure disabled and elderly people have more control over their lives, are treated as equal citizens and enjoy the same choices and opportunities as anyone else in their community.

Alison said: “We came together as group of about five or six, all supporting sons or daughters with a personal budget. This way of supporting somebody enables people to give to the community rather than taking from it.

“Tom now has his own house but with support from a team of personal assistants. We buy them in on his behalf with his personal budget. We can choose assistants because of the skills and interests they have.

“Tom is really into music and organises gigs at City Screen twice a year and raises money for a school over in Africa. We wanted a personal assistant with the same interests. This has tapped into Tom’s passions and interests.

“During the day he’s a volunteer at Bar Lane Studios in York and that was all through his personal assistant.”

She said: “This is about treating people as individuals and listening to people and actually getting to know the person so their interests are tapped into.”

Alison’s experience of the benefits of Care Budgets has seen her become an ambassador for a new service called Find Me Good Care – a free online site that helps people looking for care to navigate the complex system, get the information they need and create a plan that works for them and their families.

If you would like more advice on personal budgets and how to apply for them, go to findmegoodcare.co.uk For more information on the York-based Lives Unlimited group, go to livesunlimited.org.uk