sou · GSB354 · 2005-01-01 00:00:00 — There is a need for greater coordination between different government actors in the disability policy area with the aim of helping to increase the participation and equal treatment of people with disabilities more effectively than currently is the case. It is my assessment that the strategic, coordinating and evaluating role should in principle be kept apart from the executive role. The proposed organisational structure has thus two offshoots: a new authority with an overarching, strategic, coordinating and evaluating role, and an executive organisation, whose tasks will include developing and supplying sought-after services. This executive organisation will be made up of a remodelled (). The promoting role may need to be pursued both within the new authority and the remodelled HI. The proposed hub of the new organisational structure is the new authority, which will have the strategic, coordinating, evaluating and normative role. The promoting role will primarily be pursued in cooperation with the executive/quality organisation. As a result of the proposed organisational structure to promote greater participation among people with disabilities, the tasks now done by the at the Office of the Disability Ombudsman (HO) will be offloaded to a new structure. This will eliminate the risk in the current structure, namely that HOs role of auditing authorities and the role of supporting them is seen as contradictory and unclear. It is proposed that the work done by the for Special Educational Support (Sisus) regarding the treatment of people with disabilities in society (so-called treatment issues) be transferred to the new organisational structure. The commission feels that future work regarding treatment issues is not dependent on a continued organisational link to Sisus task of distributing central government subsidies. Treatment issues should be transferred to the new organisational structure which will create the conditions for better clarity compared to the current organisation. The proposed organisational structure with the new authority as a hub will strengthen the potential for greater interaction between the Swedish Government Offices – central government agencies and other actors and help drive forward the national action plan. Furthermore, I feel that the organisational structure should also provide the government with increased scope for actively steering the development of disability policy. It is crucial that the new organisational structure should stimulate and utilise the knowledge and measures which disabled peoples organisations already have and which they themselves can implement. Such organisations therefore have a responsibility to communicate their views and experiences and the government is responsible for establishing forms of consultation to make this possible. The new organisational structure I propose in this report should promote this work in different ways both through the new authority and the remodelled institute. Division of roles within the new organisational structure Executive tasks, such as training, development work, investigations, etc., should not be implemented within the framework of the new authority. In accordance with the principle of responsibility and financing, authorities or other actors who have a need for new knowledge or support in the course of their own disability policy work should also be responsible for the cost of the measures they take. It is my assessment that the demand for executive measures will increase over the next few years. The other offshoot in the proposed organisational structure is an actor offering a quality- assured range of executive products – the new (new HI). The new organisational structure will be financed partly from the administrative appropriations received by Sisus and HO and partly from central government subsidies currently given to the present HI. I propose that the financing of the new structure be calculated by looking at the proportion of the Sisus and HO appropriations currently used for treatment issues, including THUT (information on the physical accessibility of disabled students to higher education) at Sisus and for the at HO. The financing of the structure also includes the central government subsidies currently given to the present HI. It is proposed that the tasks of the new authority be as follows: 1.to have an overview and keep track of the national action plan on the national level 2.to submit documentation to support the government in its steering role 3.to promote and act as a driving force to achieve the objectives laid down in the action plan 4.to monitor and evaluate development as regards the participation and equal treatment of people with disabilities 5.to coordinate and stimulate the work of sector authorities 6.to initiate, stimulate and commission /projects regarding: –information and campaigns –investigations/surveys 7.to keep track of international developments. The commission has considered other organisational forms as an alternative to the new authority, e.g. assigning the tasks to an existing authority or a committee within the Swedish Government Offices. But, after careful deliberation, the commission has elected to propose an autonomous authority primarily to attain organisational stability and a high level of continuous legitimacy. It is proposed that the new authority be an autonomous unit under the ministry that is responsible for coordinating disability policy work. This is currently the responsibility of the Affairs, which is also responsible for . The commission proposes that the new authority be established as a direct-reporting agency with no board (i.e. where the director- general is directly answerable to the government), the reason being that there is a substantial need for direct control of the authority and for political decisions to be implemented without delay. I propose that a user council with representatives from the disabled peoples movement be coupled to the new authority. This council will be composed of representatives who also sit as delegates on . Furthermore, it is my assessment that the new authority should have a disability policy support group, if possible consisting of the state secretaries on . The new authority should possess major strategic capabilities as regards development focus and greater evaluation skills. It should also be well versed in current research. Considerable emphasis needs to be put on expertise in central government and municipal administration and on having a well developed network of contacts at leadership levels. The authority also needs to have broad and deep knowledge of the circumstances facing people with disabilities in society and expertise in the field of human rights and discrimination. The new authority is to be financed from the appropriations currently allocated to Sisus to tackle treatment issues and to HO for the . Some of the central government subsidies given to the present HI may also go to financing the new authority. My assessment is that the resource requirement of the new authority will be somewhere in the region of –20 million (approx –2.1 million). The new authority should be located in mainly because of its governmental staff function, but also to facilitate recruitment of staff with the necessary skills and to allow for smoother cooperation with national user organisations. The task and role of the new (new HI) should be reorganised and take on the partly modified role of a knowledge centre for the participation of people with disabilities. To highlight this somewhat modified role, the new HI should also change its name. This modified role for HI proposed by the commission within the framework of the new organisational structure implies a shift of emphasis away from technical aids and towards design for all, environmental aids, accessibility and fair treatment. This implies more activities in the fields of investigation/development work, training, information and guidance/consultation. The role and responsibility of the institute as regards older people should also be highlighted and brought to the fore by amending the statutes of the institute in connection with its re-establishment. I would like to stress that the cooperation between the new authority and the remodelled institute relates to executive measures within the framework of the authoritys tasks in connection with the action plan. It does not directly affect current HI activities that have a direct bearing on technical aids. I propose that the government takes the initiative to reorganise along the lines mentioned above, while maintaining the Institutes current legal standing as a public non-profit association. The commission proposes that the government, by way of its membership in this public non-profit association, takes the initiative for the new HI to change its statutes to imply the implementation of the quality assurance-related tasks which the new authority may initiate as a priority measure in accordance with the above. Furthermore, the commission also proposes that the government appoint, as it does today for the present HI, the chairman of the new HI and at the same time appoint the director-general for the new authority to the new HI board as a government representative. The commission also proposes that the should be affiliated to the New HI as it is now. The new institute is to be financed partly through the current system with a subsidy from the government budget to the non- profit association, partly through special project subsidies as is the case today, and partly through the even more levying of fees for e.g. consultant services such as skills development and investigations. The consequences for HO at HO will cease to exist as soon as the new structure comes into operation. HOs role will change as a result of the being transferred to the new organisation. Coordination of the sector authorities will also be transferred from HO as will the overall monitoring of development vis-à-vis the national action plan and the UN standard regulations. HOs role will then be even more focused on supervising compliance with discrimination legislation and on its tasks in accordance with the Disability Ombudsman . tasks – alternative solutions It is proposed that the work done by the for Special Educational Support (Sisus) regarding the treatment of people with disabilities in society be transferred to the new organisational structure. Neither will THUT (information on physical accessibility for disabled students to higher education) be pursued by Sisus any longer. Sisus remaining tasks will then include the allocation of central government subsidies for special educational support, supplementary subsidies, short-time study grants and the distribution of supplementary subsidies to Swedish folk high schools on behalf of . The commission points out that most of Sisus remaining activities will then be education-related. Three alternative organisational solutions for Sisus remaining activities have been considered: the activities together in an autonomous authority, which means going back to how it was prior to Sisus being given responsibility for treatment issues. activities together but within another authority with similar activities (education, distribution of central government funds, etc.). Affiliating activities to various existing authorities/organisations, which through their educational form have some connection with the activity/activities in question. The commission establishes that dividing Sisus activities up in accordance with the various educational forms would provide the clearest connection, but would lead to deskilling and downsizing. In the overall assessment of the appropriate future organisational affinity of Sisus remaining activities, we should also consider the fact that Sisuss tasks include not only the distribution of central government subsidies but also the monitoring and evaluation of each activity respectively. All in all, the commission believes that this suggests the remaining activities at Sisus should be kept together and it proposes that they be transferred to the remit. If this change is effected, the government can decide which authority under the would be suitable to take over the responsibility for Sisus remaining activities. Implementation of the national disability policy action plan may lead to financial consequences both for the state as well as for municipalities, county councils and others. These consequences are, however, independent of the commissions proposals. The proposals for change to central government organisation are accommodated within the framework of the administrative appropriations of Sisus and HO and the central government subsidy given to the present HI. There will hence be no financial consequences for the government. There are no obvious consequences of my proposals, neither for the government, municipalities and county councils nor for other actors. The current organisational structure The commission has reviewed the relevant organisations of Sisus, HO and HI. In addition to these reviews, the commission has also chosen to present opinions from the current sector authorities and ()/() on how current government control and coordination are effected. These bodies have also expressed their opinion on the need for future change. for Special Educational Support (Sisus) Sisus promotes equal opportunity for young people and adults with disabilities to obtain a good education and works to improve the way they are treated in society. The agencys tasks are divided into six different work areas: Grants to folk high schools Special educational support for universities and university colleges Support for personal care activities at the national upper secondary schools for severely disabled young people and for the secretariat of Treatment, which means promoting skills development in public sector activities regarding issues related to the treatment of people with disabilities Information to students about the physical accessibility at universities and university colleges across the country (THUT) HI is a public non-profit association and its membership is made up of the government, the and the Authorities. HIs activities cover seven different areas: Testing and procurement, including testing, assessment and central procurement of technical aids Research and development including standardisation Training and skills development The Office of the Disability Ombudsman (HO) HOs task is to monitor issues relating to the rights and interests of people with disabilities. The office is divided into two areas of activity: Inspection, legal support and guidance is a national centre for the promotion of an accessible society for people with disabilities. The public sector is a primary target group. A total of 14 sector authorities and the have submitted comments on how they view coordination at present and how they feel support and coordination should be organised and run in the future. In summary, the sector authorities have conveyed their expectations of the new organisation. In their view, it shall: support and promote the work done by the sector authorities provide underlying documentation to the Government Offices have a broad network of contacts and an overview of the various actors provide selective support customised to the needs of the respective authorities. Disabled peoples organisations have been given the opportunity to submit their comments on how government disability policy should be organised. This has been done in cooperation with HSO and SRF. Their expectations are that the new organisation will: provide support to the government coordinate, provide guidance and support to the sector authorities function as an information bank and knowledge disseminator have teeth or the means to stimulate be newly established, autonomous and pioneering. The starting points in brief The national action plan lays the ideological disability policy work should be pursued. The action plan covers all areas of society and highlights the responsibility of the entire society to implement its overarching objectives. This responsibility includes financing the measures implemented to fulfil the objective within the framework of mainstream activities targeting citizens in general. In its efforts to combat deficiencies and obstacles to participation, the government shall set a good example in its own activities. The sector authorities appointed by the government have a special responsibility for realising the disability policy objectives within their respective sectors. The task of promoting better skills when it comes to the treatment of people with disabilities will continue to be an important undertaking with regard to the national action plan. Sisus is currently responsible for this task. Efforts to drive forward development to make the society accessible and the task of coordinating the work of the sector authorities will continue to be important in order to achieve the objectives laid down in the action plan. at HO is currently responsible for these tasks. As a result of its standing as a non-profit association with its three main members – the government, the and the Authorities – and as a national knowledge centre, HI forms a link between these three important actors for the implementation of disability policy. As a result of its network of contacts and its experience, the disabled peoples movement constitutes a resource on different societal levels for cooperation with public sector bodies. The governments consultative body with the disabled peoples movement is . In comparison with other cross-sectoral policy areas, no uniform model for how intersectoral government coordination should be organised can be distinguished. One focus of government administration policy is continuous change in the structure of public authorities to constantly adapt to changing needs. Restructuring may be needed to achieve uniform control in a policy area. The financial starting point for the proposal for a modified organisational structure for the coordination of disability policy is the appropriations used to fund Sisus treatment issues in 2003, the and the central government subsidies given to the present HI. There is a need for greater coordination between different government actors in the disability policy area with the aim of helping to increase the participation and equal treatment of people with disabilities more effectively than currently is the case. 1Utredningens uppdrag och arbete Uppdraget innebär i sammanfattning att föreslå en samlad statlig organisation som på ett effektivt och slagkraftigt sätt kan bistå regeringen och övriga aktörer i arbetet med att genomföra den nationella handlingsplanen för handikappolitiken (prop.1999/2000:79, bet. 1999/2000: SoU14, rskr. 1999/ 2000:240). Av direktiven (2003:94) framgår att utredaren skall –analysera och föreslå hur regeringens och övriga aktörers behov av en samlad statlig organisation inom det handikap- politiska området kan tillgodoses inom ramen för en för- ändrad organisationsstruktur –analysera vilka av de uppgifter som åligger Tillgäng- lighetscentret hos (), utbildningsstöd (Sisus) och () som lämpligen bör organiseras i en ny struktur –om det behövs föreslå nya myndighetsuppgifter utifrån de nuvarande ekonomiska ramarna –föreslå olika alternativ för hur de verksamheter som åligger Sisus och HI, och som inte ligger inom ramen för utredarens förslag om en samlad statlig organisation, skall organiseras –lämna förslag till den författningsreglering som bedöms nöd- vändig samt –analysera och kommentera de ekonomiska konsekvenserna av de olika tänkbara alternativen. Fullständiga kommittédirektiv återfinns som bilaga. Utredningens uppdrag och arbete Arbetet har bedrivits i nära samverkan med experter och sak- kunniga. Utredningen har haft sex möten med experter och sakkunniga och därutöver två möten med experterna. Arbetet har bedrivits processorienterat med bred delaktighet. Två seminarier har genomförts med en vidgad målgrupp från berörda myndigheter, handikapprörelsen, /, andra utredningar och stabsmyndigheter. Vid det första seminariet var temat utgångspunkter för ny organisations- struktur och vid det andra behandlades förslag till ny struktur. Sekretariatet har sammanträffat med för en orientering om bland annat Utredningen om bemötande av personer med funktionshinder. Utredningen har genomfört kartläggningar av de berörda organisationerna Sisus, HO och HI. Ett möte med Folkbildnings- rådet genomfördes i anslutning till kartläggningen av Sisus. Sektorsmyndigheterna har involverats genom en enkätunder- sökning om deras behov av stöd och samordning. Detta har kom- pletterats med ett möte som samtliga sektorsmyndigheter bjöds in till. Handikapporganisationernas förväntningar och synpunkter har inventerats genom en enkätundersökning som kompletterades med ett urval intervjuer. Utredningen har haft samråd med och . Vid ett möte med behandlades gemensamma beröringspunkter. Därutöver har utred- ningen sammanträffat med Rikstrafiken angående samordning av sektorsmyndigheter samt med () om stabsmyndighetsrollen. En genomgång med LSS- och hjälpmedelsutredningen och med sekretariat har ägt rum. Utredningen har haft samråd med Ekonomistyrnings- verket (ESV). Kontakter har tagits med (Fammi) angående deras organisationsform som i likhet med HI är allmän- nyttig ideell förening. Kontakter med och har ägt rum angående tvärsektoriellt arbetssätt. Med FAS har frågor om forskning stämts av. Ett sammanträffande har också ägt rum med () om HI:s upphandling, vilket också kompletterats med två intervjuer med regionalt ansvariga för hjälpmedelsupphandling. Utredningens uppdrag och arbete Anställda på Sisus, HO och HI har informerats om utredningsarbetet och i utredningens slutskede om utredningens förslag. har genomgångar med cheferna för de tre organisationerna ägt rum enskilt eller tillsammans. Förfrågan om hur man ställer sig till att ta över hela eller delar av Sisus kvarvarande verksamhet har ställts till , , Verket för högskoleservice (VHS), och (). antog regeringens proposition Från patient till medborgare – en nationell handlingsplan för handikappolitiken 1999/2000:79, bet. 1999/2000:SoU14). En viktig ideologisk grund är . Handlingsplanen förutsätter att nytt ansvar och nya arbetssätt måste till för att förverkliga dessa. De 22 standardreglerna går ut på att tillförsäkra människor med funktionshinder delaktighet och jämlikhet. Regeringen slår i handlingsplanen fast att handikapperspektivet måste finnas med på alla nivåer i samhället och i alla verksamheter för att FN:s standard- regler skall kunna förverkligas. Handlingsplanen spänner över alla samhällsområden och markerar att det är hela samhällets ansvar att genomföra dess övergripande mål. En av de grundläggande principerna inom svensk handikap- politik är den så kallade ansvars- och finansieringsprincipen. Den innebär att varje sektor i samhället skall utforma och bedriva sin verksamhet så att den blir tillgänglig för alla medborgare, inklusive personer med funktionshinder. Kostnaderna för de nödvändiga anpassningsåtgärderna skall finansieras inom ramen för den ordinarie verksamheten. Personer med funktionshinder skall inte diskrimineras i några sammanhang utan ha samma rätt som alla andra att delta i samhälls- livet. Regeringen presenterade en uppföljning av den nationella handlingsplanen i skrivelsen till (2002/03:25) . I det följande görs en kort redovisning av handlingsplanen och det arbete inom de prioriterade arbetsområdena som har gjorts sedan planen antogs. I handlingsplanen fastlades en struktur med övergripande mål, inriktning av arbetet och prioriterade arbetsområden. Dessa arbets- områden och den generella inriktningen av arbetet kan ses som steg på vägen mot att uppnå de nationella målen, men också som mål i sig för arbetet .