Question from Community Care issue dated 30 November – 6 December

Why the Disability Equality Duty matters

By Denise Platt

* What impact, if any, will the disability equality duty have on social services departments changing eligibility criteria for people needing social care services?

* Does the disability equality duty mean that social care providers will have to change their manual handling policies?

* Do equality duties, such as the disability equality duty and its counterpart duties for sex and race, make a difference to the way services are delivered – or is it just more red tape for hard-pressed local authorities?

GUIDE TIME FOR DISCUSSION: 20 minutes per question