Direct Payments (from local councils)

Tran

Hiya

Has anyone had much experience with direct payments made to (disabled) individuals from their local council to pay for the help they need?

I was receiving help from the council and then asked if i would like to go onto direct payments. I agreed but i don't feel i am getting enough help/financial support to pay for the help. Whenever i have told the dept dealing with direct payments that i need more help,i keep being told that i am getting enough and that i should feel lucky that i am getting what i am getting (!!). My problem is that i have no idea whether i really am getting the maximum help i can. I do not know if there are set amounts payable under the direct payments scheme or whether it is down to the individual's circumstances.

Both myself and my partner are disabled and we have two (mildly) disabled children. When the social work department was trying to persuade me to go onto direct payments I was originally told that i would get at least £40p.w. direct payment per disabled child as £40p.w. is the minimum they pay for a disabled child. And i can use this for the help i need for my children e.g. childcare, or someone to watch them at night etc etc. In the end when the direct payments were set up, i received £25 p.w. per child. When i queried this i was firstly told that was the maximum i would get and i was told that i was not getting direct payments because my children had a disability(i.e. disabled child = £40p.w., per child) - i was getting it because I was disabled and therfore whether or not my children had special needs was irrelevant to the amount of direct payments that were made and this is why the amount given was £25p.w. per child. >:(

I have hunted round trying to find out information about direct payments but have been unable to find out anything other than the basic information about what direct payments are. I managed to find an organisation in a nearby city that helps people arrange and if necessary, appeal against the amount of direct payment that they get, but unfortunately, since i live outside of their area, their funding does not allow them to take on my case but did offer basic telephone advice to me.

I guess what i am primarily asking is - is there a set amount given to an individual under the direct payments scheme, in much the same way DSS benefits have set amounts payable. If there are set amounts, could someone post a link or let me know what those set amounts are please.

Also, if anyone knows of an organisation that can help with direct payments, please post it.

Is there a set review/appeals process through which you can appeal against the amount of direct payments that are awarded?

Do you have to have a set reason to ask to appeal against the direct payments amounts?

The social work department shroud in mysetery the person/people who make the decision on direct payments so i do not know who i can ask about the levels of direct payments. Also, from past experience, the social work department tends to tell you what they want you to knwo and it is not always the truth, consequently i don't trust their advice and would prefer to get advice elswhere.

Thanks.

Ted_Hutchinson

For others who don't know what this thread is about there is A guide to receiving direct payments here

I don't have any personal experience in dealing with Direct Payments but it is my understanding that the money provided is solely and exclusively for your personal care needs and that being so the number and needs of your children are irrelevant to the calculation of how large your personal care package should be. It might come into consideration when working out if you have to make a contribution out of your own funds towards the Care Package as these are means tested and clearly the more children you have the less money would be available for you to put towards the Care Package.

You will find a forum specifically for Direct Payments here NCIL uk discussion forum and I think they would be best placed to explain the situation and put you in touch with a local support group if there is one. This forum has some contributors who are actually using Direct Payments and others who working in Social Services and managing the funds so they will be best able to answer your questions.

A couple of further thoughts.
Firstly if you meet the criteria (High DLA care and a current care package of over £200 a week, then it may be possible to get extra funding from THE INDEPENDENT LIVING FUNDS website.

Secondly as each local authority may deal with these funds in a slightly different way it would be best if you could find a local Independent Living support group. So try googling your local authority together with search words such as disabled, independent, living, direct payments, support group, to see if there is a group already of folk in a similar situation.

Tran

Thanks for the advice Ted. I will look at the links you've provided now.

Tran

I don't have any personal experience in dealing with Direct Payments but it is my understanding that the money provided is solely and exclusively for your personal care needs and that being so the number and needs of your children are irrelevant to the calculation of how large your personal care package should be.    

I do get highest rate care of DLA but i would not be entitled to the ILF as my 'care package' totals £50p.w which is £25 of childcare per week per child. This is where i am a little confused. I am told that the £50 i get is because of MY disabilities but yet the care package specifies it is for childcare for my 2 disabled children (they are named as getting £25 p.w. each) on the paperwork that i get.

This is why i am confused because the only 'help' i am getting is the childcare. I am not getting any personal care help whatsoever so i view it as the direct payments are actually for the children NOT ME. Also the 'help' that i am getting (i.e. childcare) is so that my children get to do activities, go out & socialise to help their development - so it is THEM that are benefitting from the DP, - not me. This is why i am confused as to why i am told that the DP is becuase of my disbailites and not due to the childrens disabilites.

I can only assume from this the reason the council are saying this is because it is a cheaper option (i.e. paying me £50p.w. instead of a minimum of £80p.w. if they said it was for the kids).

Ted_Hutchinson

DIAL UK may have a local office who would be able to sort this out if you find you don't get an answer from the folk posting at NCIL UK
But as the NCIL forum is managed by folk who also adminster Direct Payments that site should be able to produce an informed answer.

Another forum I post at Youreable has a regular poster Margaretb who gets Direct Payments herself and knows what they can be used for and all the in and outs of DP's. If you put a post there and hoped she replied (she suffers badly from FMS and is sometimes unable to post) she will certainly know more than me.

Tran

Thanks for the links Ted.