Research on the potential for establishing a National Centre for Independent Living in Wales

In 2023, Chairs of the Disability Rights Taskforce Working Groups agreed to collaborate with Welsh Government to prototype co-production of Government Social Research.

An online workshop was held with a range of stakeholders to explore ideas for establishing a National Centre for Independent Living (NCFIL). This included disabled people, representatives from impairment groups and Disabled People’s Organisations, local government and other public sector organisations, the social care sector, trade unions, Welsh Government officials and individual stakeholders in disability rights activism.

Participants highlighted that:

• an important first step would be to agree to a definition of ‘Independent Living’ for an NCFIL and to share this with stakeholders
• this should include the empowerment of disabled people to live a fulfilling life ‘on the same basis as their non-disabled peers’
• many perceived a gap between what should be available to support Independent Living and what happens in practice
• leadership and representation for disabled people would be important to make an NCFIL effective in supporting Independent Living
• an NCFIL could produce evidence and data to support better decision-making, which takes into account lived experience
• it was very important to support organisations that provide services to disabled people and advocate for them
• accessibility for stakeholders would be essential for an NCFIL to function well and to demonstrate a gold standard for accessible employment
• an NCFIL would need sufficient funding to deliver core activities, and to have control over its strategic direction in order to be able to challenge effectively