Everyday life · England
Having more say in your life
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This guide is for people in England.
Independence can include getting the support you choose.
Choose what you want more say about.
It could be your home, money or going out.
You can need lots of help and still make choices.
You do not have to do everything alone.
Choose one small change you want to try.
Agree who will help and what they will do.
Use the way you communicate best.
Ask for clear choices and time to think.
Ask the council to assess or review your support.
Explain what you want your life to be like.
The assessment is free.
Some support may cost money.
Ask what you would pay.
Different equipment or a quieter place may help.
Ask about an occupational therapy assessment.
You can practise just one part of a task.
Choosing and enjoying something matter too.
Talk about risks and how to get help.
Agree how you can stop or change the plan.
Doing something well once does not remove your support needs.
Keep the help you still need.
Ask an advocate for help if people ignore your choices.
Review whether the changes work for you.
What you can do next
Ask for a needs assessment or support review.
Say which parts of your life you want to change.
Find your council Web pageFuller informationThis link opens another website.
It may use harder words.
More useful links
- United Response: active support guide Web page
A free resource about helping people participate and choose.
- NHS: asking for occupational therapy Web pageVideo
Routes through a GP or council.
- BILD: Active Support Web page
A free introduction to supporting participation, choices and everyday skills. Professional training programmes are offered separately; check their costs.
These links open other websites.
They may use harder words.
More independence and control over your life
Choose what independence means to you, with the help, equipment and opportunities you need.
People with learning disabilities and their supporters · England
Start with your meaning of independence
You might want more privacy, to choose your clothes, organise a trip, handle part of your money or tell supporters how to help. Someone who needs support throughout the day and night can still have more control. Living with family does not mean you cannot be independent. Living alone does not automatically mean you have choice. Begin with what a better day would look like for you.
Choose one change that matters
Try finishing this sentence: I want more say about… . It could be who enters your room, when you go out, what happens at a meeting or which part of a task you do. Describe what would change and why you want it. Agree one small first step, a person who will help and a time to talk again. This is a planning suggestion, not a test everyone must pass.
Make communication and decision support available
Use speech, signs, objects, pictures, writing or a communication device. Give time to understand options and respond. A learning disability does not itself remove a person’s ability to decide. Capacity relates to a particular decision at the time it is needed. Help the person decide before considering a decision on their behalf. If a best-interests decision is necessary, involve them and consider less restrictive ways to meet the need.
Ask for the right support assessment
Contact adult social care for a needs assessment, or request a review of an existing plan. Explain the life you want, the help that makes it possible and what happens when support is missing. Include relationships, community activities, personal care and night-time needs. Assessment is free; funded services depend on eligibility and financial rules. Ask what has been agreed, who will arrange it and when.
Learn in manageable parts
For a chosen activity, work out what you already do, what you want to try and which parts you want someone else to do. Practise little and often, with useful help and time to respond. For example, you could choose ingredients while someone else handles a hot pan. The everyday-skills guide has a practice worksheet. Success can mean taking part, communicating a preference or enjoying an activity.
Change the environment as well as the task
A clearer layout, accessible controls, suitable utensils, reminders or a quieter place may make participation easier. Ask a GP or council about occupational therapy when daily activities are difficult. Check any device suits your movement, communication and sensory needs. Technology needs an agreed response if it fails. An alarm, camera or tracker should not be introduced without considering consent, privacy and the actual problem it is meant to solve.
Plan for difficulties without removing ordinary choices
Discuss what could go wrong, how likely it is and what support could reduce that risk. Include the benefits of trying and the harm caused by never having the opportunity. Agree how to ask for help, stop or change the plan. Avoid a general rule such as nobody here can go out alone. The risk-and-choice guide explains individual planning and when restrictions need challenge.
Keep the help that is still needed
Record the help used during a successful activity: preparation, transport, prompts, equipment or a familiar supporter. A good result with support is not evidence that all support can be removed. Practice may work differently with another person, in another place or when tired or unwell. Review changes with the person, and record a backup plan if the new arrangement does not work.
Challenge barriers and check what has improved
Ask for an accessible explanation if a service refuses a reasonable adjustment or ignores an agreed goal. A chosen supporter or advocate can help you explain the difference between your wishes and what currently happens. Measure progress through the person’s experience: more say, enjoyable participation, privacy or confidence. You can change your mind, keep a helpful arrangement or choose a different goal.
Learn about Active Support
BILD’s free introduction explains how Active Support can help people join in everyday activities, make choices and develop skills. Support should fit the person’s interests, pace and routines. The goal is meaningful involvement with the help the person needs. BILD also offers separate professional training programmes; check costs before booking.
Words you could use
“I want more control over this part of my life: … . Please help me choose a first step and record the support that must stay in place.”
More useful links
- United Response: active support guide Web page
A free resource about helping people participate and choose.
- NHS: asking for occupational therapy Web pageVideo
Routes through a GP or council.
- BILD: Active Support Web page
A free introduction to supporting participation, choices and everyday skills. Professional training programmes are offered separately; check their costs.
These links open other websites.
They may use harder words.
Where the information comes from
Links checked 1 November 2026.
These links open other websites.
They may use harder words.
- NHS: care needs assessments Web page
How to ask for assessment, describe needs and question decisions.
- NHS: the Mental Capacity Act Web pageFuller information
Support to decide, individual capacity and best interests.
- United Response: active support Web page
Meaningful participation, manageable steps and suitable assistance.
- NHS: occupational therapy Web pageVideo
Assessment and adaptations for everyday activities.
- Care and support statutory guidance Web pageFuller information
Individual wellbeing, involvement and care planning.
- BILD: Active Support Web page
A free introduction to supporting participation, choices and everyday skills. Professional training programmes are offered separately; check their costs.
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