Personal Assistance Reform: Laying the foundations for a personal budgets system for persons with disabilities
As part of its 2021-2030 National Strategy on the Rights of Disabled Persons, Malta is taking steps to developing a Personal Assistance Reform that will establish the groundwork for personal budgets and will align services for persons with disabilities with the principles of independent living and self-directed support.
This reform represents a significant step towards empowering persons with disabilities to exercise their rights to independent living in the community, with the rightful and respectful choice, control, and flexibility surrounding how they use, and manage, the support of personal assistance and the access to other services, tools and equipment that contribute towards their independent living throughout their lives.
This is done by allowing them to utilise their allocated subsidies to engage personalised assistance services that best suit their needs. Their choices will be guided by their Individualised Support Plan, taking into account their unique lifestyle, preferences, and requirements.
The personal assistance reform is being rolled out in stages, having finalised a series of consultative meetings, planning of the reform and drafting of pertinent policies, launching and concluding a public consultation, meeting stakeholders for the design and dissemination of a personal assistance user’s charter and job description, serving as a guide for users, personal assistants and supporting networks. Other stages are being designed and developed with the intention that Malta will gradually begins introducing personal budgets in 2030.
