paying for a carers room at university

lemonjelly

Hi all,

is anyone aware of who is/should be responsible for meeting the cost of accommodation for a severely disabled student?
Someone I work with has a person who has a degenerative illness, & social services have accepted responsibility for providing a carer for 24 hours for the student. However there is a refusal by both the social services team & the university in question to accept responsibility for meeting the cost of the accommodation for the carer. The student will be in halls, & the university has agreed to provide a room for the carer, but not meet the cost.

Anyone aware whther the responsibility falls within the remit of either social services or the university?

Many thanks in advance

MrsManda

I don't think anyone is responsible for paying for carer accommodation as usually the carer would live in the home of the person who is being cared for.
As the student is so severely disabled, does he receive DLA? As he will get DSA to pay for equipment, and the same loans/grants as every other student, can't he use his DLA to pay for the accommodation as this won't disadvantage him compared other students in terms of finance?

lemonjelly

MrsManda wrote: »

I don't think anyone is responsible for paying for carer accommodation as usually the carer would live in the home of the person who is being cared for.
As the student is so severely disabled, does he receive DLA? As he will get DSA to pay for equipment, and the same loans/grants as every other student, can't he use his DLA to pay for the accommodation as this won't disadvantage him compared other students in terms of finance?

DLA is used to pay for care & mobility needs. In this case, the student has a vehicle for mobility, rather than the cash payment. The care award id spent on other needs to meet care needs, eg chiropodist etc.

MrsManda

lemonjelly wrote: »

DLA is used to pay for care & mobility needs. In this case, the student has a vehicle for mobility, rather than the cash payment. The care award id spent on other needs to meet care needs, eg chiropodist etc.

But surely the care component is supposed to be used for:
'help with personal care or someone to supervise or watch over you throughout the day and also during the night.' (Highest rate which I'm presuming the student is getting because of the carer being 24hrs)
I'd have thought that paying for the accommodation of the carer is precisely what this is for, as the social services are paying for the carer itself.

tehone

Why would the university pay? Their part stops in the fact they have made the the offer of letting the carer have a room - in my experience it has always been the person with the disability that has had to pay for the extra rooms they need (whether privately or via social services). (though naturally you might be able to get some money from your university's ALF)

I'd have thought the money would come from the DLA allowance, but this page might be of use:

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/DisabledPeople/EducationAndTraining/HigherEducation/DG_10035904

Oldernotwiser

MrsManda wrote: »

But surely the care component is supposed to be used for:
'help with personal care or someone to supervise or watch over you throughout the day and also during the night.' (Highest rate which I'm presuming the student is getting because of the carer being 24hrs)
I'd have thought that paying for the accommodation of the carer is precisely what this is for, as the social services are paying for the carer itself.

I agree; a care award should be used for care . Does the person really need a car as he'll be living in halls?

carolan78

I don't know anything about the benefits side, but surely if the carer is been paid a wage for this care, then the carer would pay for their own living costs? Only way I can see that not been visable is if the carer is only recieving something similar to the carers allowance.

lemonjelly

Oldernotwiser wrote: »

I agree; a care award should be used for care . Does the person really need a car as he'll be living in halls?

Yes, student is a wheelchair user & requires an adapted vehicle due to the type of mechanised wheelchair used.

carolan78 wrote: »

I don't know anything about the benefits side, but surely if the carer is been paid a wage for this care, then the carer would pay for their own living costs? Only way I can see that not been visable is if the carer is only recieving something similar to the carers allowance.

The carer is employed by a local authority, and provided by them to meet the persons needs under their statutory obligations. They wouldn't get carers allowance as they are employed to provide the care.

Oldernotwiser

lemonjelly wrote: »

Yes, student is a wheelchair user & requires an adapted vehicle due to the type of mechanised wheelchair used.



.

That's not really the point though, is it? Does any student living in halls need to run a car?

tehone

Oldernotwiser wrote: »

That's not really the point though, is it? Does any student living in halls need to run a car?

Not all Halls of Residence are on campus (or on a reliable/accessible public transport route) - and that's without mentioning other uses someone with a mobility impairment might need their private transport for - shopping, hospital appointments, visiting friends, etc

carolan78

lemonjelly wrote: »

The carer is employed by a local authority, and provided by them to meet the persons needs under their statutory obligations. They wouldn't get carers allowance as they are employed to provide the care.

So if the carer is employed by the local authority I presume they also get a normal wage. With the amount of care needed wouldn't it be a role for at least 2 carers, doing 12 hour shifts each. If that was the case then accomodation would not be needed. If not then surely the carer would e expected to pay for his/her own accomodation as would any other working adult

Sorry I am not been pedantic just threw it in really as another angle.