Voice Over (Donna): We all know that money can make a big difference to our lives. Most of us take it for granted that we control our money. More and more people with a learning disability are given money instead of services. This is so they can choose the way that they are supported. Here Sally and her Mum and her personal assistant talk about how being in control of their money has made a real difference to them.

Sally’s Mum (Jackie): I think one of the most important things for Sally having her own money is being able to choose what she wants to do and who she wants to do it with. Sally really enjoys being active, being busy and being out and about, and she likes being with people.

Sally’s Personal Assistant (Denise): It’s opened up her world and given her a better life. She is able to be with the people that she wants to be with.

Sally’s Mum (Jackie): So she’s going out with Denise. She’s going out with Laura whom she goes to primary school with. She’s also going to the club on a Thursday night and is able to be around people of her own age that she’s been to school with or gone riding with. She’s busy and she’s happy.

Sally’s Personal Assistant (Denise): We go swimming and to museums. We go shopping, out for meals, round animal farms and we walk a lot, an awful lot.

Sally’s Mum (Jackie): I’m the one that actually helps Sally manage her money. It’s Sally’s money, her own budget. I think the other challenge is making sure that I recruit people to work with Sally who she wants to be with and where I can feel confident that when I go to work, she is with someone who is not just employed to look after her and support her but is actually going to enjoy spending time with her so Sally is happy being with her. One of the people that works as a personal assistant is her brother Joe. Joe lives away from home now but he will come for holidays and spend time with us and he will come away on holiday with us which means as a family we can have holidays. I pay him to give Sally some support whilst we are away rather than him working somewhere else doing a job and not being able to find someone to come with us.

Sally’s Personal Assistant (Denise): I can’t begin to say really because at the start of it all I asked myself if it could all work and now it’s gone past my wildest dreams, it’s been 100%!

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