direct payments in lieu of services provided by local authority social services

KentishLady

Hi

I'm not sure if this is the right place to post this question or whether it should have gone in the health board.

My husband is physically disabled and also has mental health problems. He is currently in hospital in a mental health unit. Tomorrow we have the care plan meeting which is where they discuss what plans will be put in place for when he is discharged.

I have already (I believe) identified my and his needs but am concerned that the care plan is going to be led by what services they currently have available instead of what our needs actually are. Having researched further tonight I am aware we are both entitled to proper health and social needs assessments and I will be insisting that these are carried out properly. I have also discovered that in some circumstances direct payments can be awarded in lieu of social services so that the person can arrange and pay for their own support.

For example, I feel that my husband needs to have someone to take him to football matches, to play snooker and pool, and to play golf. This is for two reasons - a) he needs an able bodied person with him in this circumstances in case there was an emergency and he needed to exit the building swiftly ( eg in a football crowd there would be a real risk of him falling if there was an emergency evacuation) and b) his social skills are not great and I believe he is at risk of saying the wrong thing to the wrong person and that this may lead to violent confrontations.

However, the mental health team have already made it clear that this (or befriending) is not a service they can provide.

Does anyone here have any experience of direct payments for social care, what sort of things they can be used to pay for, and of the income levels that would bar us from receiving direct payments?

Please PM me if you prefer to.

Thanks

KL.

wolfehouse

direct payments sound an ideal solution for someone in your situation.
i totally agree with not confusing the needs with available services.

in my area (glasgow) there is a charity which has been given government mandate to help people claim direct payments- some info here
http://www.gcil.org.uk/FileAccess.aspx?id=45

or more here http://www.gcil.org.uk/resources.aspx

i would expect there is some similar organisation in your area.

justthisonce_2

Does he get DLA? I thought this was the sort of things that DLA payments would be used for.

elsien

I'm not completely sure of my facts, so could be completely wrong, but my understanding is that direct payments aren't means tested. They're quite new in our area, so we had a quick talk about them but I can't remember a lot of the details.
From what I can remember, they're more suited to people who don't need huge amounts of help, eg if you need 24 hour care, the amount you are given will not be sufficient to employ enough staff for 24 hours a day plus holiday and sickness cover etc.
I got the impression that although anyone who is assessed as needing help is eligible, it works better in practice if you only need a few hours a day. You can manage it yourself, but then will be responsible for sorting out the employees tax, NI etc, or you can get an agency to do it for you.
If I find anything else, I'll get back to you.

Edit - here you go. http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/SocialCare/Socialcarereform/Personalisation/Directpayments/index.htm

Have a look at this section - can't copy and paste this bit, but it's accessible through the above link. "A guide to receiving direct payments from your local council - a route to independent living (March 2008)" It has an appendix with some organisations who may be able to help.

You can contact the department of health (who are pushing the direct payment policy on somewhat reluctant councils) on 0207 210 3000 or email
[EMAIL="opdenquiries@dh.gsi.gov.uk"]opdenquiries@dh.gsi.gov.uk[/EMAIL].
Good luck with your meeting, hope you find out everything you need to know.

SuziQ

Someone on here had an au pair that was paid for through direct payments-she was with the claimant (ostensibly to look after the child during the daytime) but was also 'on duty' for 3 hours in te evening in case the claimant passed out due to a heart condition-to ensure safety of her and her child. I won't link to the thread as due to various issues it became very contentious,however this does demonstrate how versatile direct payments can be.

Penny-Pincher!!

Morning!

I have Direct Payments and they are means tested. I have had them for over 2 years.

You will have an assessment of needs done through your local social or council services. They will discuss with you your needs and then a care plan will be drawn up. You will have to fill in a financial form stating savings, income (DLA is counted as income for this), property value etc etc.

Depending on level of income you will either get no financial help, part or full.

They will then offer you the hrs you have discussed in your assessment and they will offer the help directly through the council or side company or you can ask about Direct Payments.

Direct Payments can take about 4 weeks to sort out.

You will need a bank account used for nothing else only the DP's. You will need to find your own care and pay the person. You will need to sort out tax and NI unless the person is self-employed.

HTH

PP
xx

novelli

As i understand it (having received direct payments). You have an assessment of the needs, which should result in social care services suggesting you need x amount of hours help per week, you then have the option of having direct payments instead of the actual care, which i would always go for, as they are often short of carers and so are not able to provide what they have said you need. With direct payments you can arrange your own carer and it is much more flexible.

Iguana

This should help.

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/DisabledPeople/FinancialSupport/DG_10016128

And as you live in Kent; look at self directed support because part of the self assessment and resulting support plan could possibly cover someone to take him to football matches if this is identified as a need.

http://www.kent.gov.uk/SocialCare/about-social-care/self-directed-support/

Services from SS are finacially assessed except equipment, minor adaptations and meals on wheels. If you look here http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/index.htm it explains; also look for Kents fairer charging policy.

I know of people who have 24 hour care under Direct payments.

nm8553

Glad to see that you are aware of the need to insist on the assessment of needs being completed BEFORE the care plan is put in place. They will almost certainly try to railroad you so well done for being up for the fight.
Do go for direct payments if you can. In most areas (certainly in mine) it is far from easy to access but well worth it in terms of flexibility.

blueopal5577

Direct Payments are useful. I dont know if theres a difference in how theyre operated but having worked for many families in reciept of direct payments (physical disabilities and seperately learning disabilities) for the past 5 years and the one thing you need to consider... whilst direct payments are brilliant and probably are a good thing for you... the flip side is the responsibility you have to take on as an employer. I dont know how much of money you'll choose to turn into "hours" but the families I work for have to deal with the hassle of tax, NI, finding and employing appropriate staff, training and so on. On the other hand, if you have family / friends, they can legally be employed to support your partner.

The direct payment systems ive worked under have been fairly flexible. The family is given guidance on hourly rates for staff, etc. I know 1 family had far more restrictions and supervision placed but i think that was because they were not great with their son's money. Apart from that experience the other 5 or so families, have been pretty much able to spend it where they felt it best.

I am coming from the approach of a carer employed by Direct Payments, and as i say, this was under the physical disability and then learning disability area so there may be differences under mental health. But if you are semi-happy with what youve got, or dont feel you can cope with extra stresses and responsibilities, dont jump too soon as once you're on direct payments some people in my area find it difficult to go back onto the services system. Mental health (as someone who suffers from poor mental health) is obviously difficult and finding appropriately trained staff under a banding you can afford can be difficult.

Just my 10pence but ask around... sorry if people disagree but just my own experiences.

novelli

Most areas have an agency that deals with all of the employment, tax ect payments for you, including working out wages, so it neednt be a hassle for you to have to do.