Putting YOU First Self Directed Support

1 Adults and Community Directorate FAQ 05/10 Putting YOU First self Directed Support Frequently Asked Questions 2 CONTENTS GENERAL What is self - Directed Support ?..5 What is a Direct Payment?..5 How is a Personal budget different from a Direct Payment?..5 Is self - Directed Support just the latest trend?..6 Is there any more money available for self Directed Support ?..6 Who can have self Directed Support ?..6 How do you decide who should receive social care services?..7 Will the eligibility criteria change under self Directed Support ?..7 When will self - Directed Support be available for all people with assessed eligible Support needs?..7 Under self - Directed Support will there still be means testing?..7 How do I get a Personal budget?..9 What is a Supported Assessment?..9 What money is included in a personal budget?..9 How will my personal budget be calculated?..9 What are people spending their budgets on?..10 What happens if I work? Will I still be able to get a personal budget?

2 10 Will it affect my benefits?..11 Will attendance allowance affect my personal budget?..11 How is the budget I have received monitored?..11 What happens if I do not spend all the money?..11 What happens if my needs change?..11 What happens if I move to another area in the country?..12 Will self - Directed Support impact on carers?..13 Will there be help with paperwork and other administration?..13 Will self Directed Support create another burden for families and carers?..13 What will happen if the Support of existing carers or family members is no longer available?..13 SOCIAL WORKERS AND CARE If someone says they are happy with their current traditional social care service do we need to offer them self Directed Support ?..14 Is there any more money available for self Directed Support ?..14 When will a Supported Assessment Questionnaire need to be completed?..14 3 Will the self Directed Support system apply to someone in crisis?..14 Will Social Workers continue to undertake assessments?

3 If not, where does this leave us legally?..14 Do I have to fill in a Supported Assessment Questionnaire if all someone needs is minor equipment?..15 What is the resource allocation system (RAS)?..15 What do I do if someone says they want an immediate idea of how much their personal budget will be?..15 Are there any constraints on what an individual can purchase with their personal budget?..15 How will contributions be calculated for Personal Budgets?..16 If someone says that they are happy with their current Social Care arrangements do we need to advise them of the Personal Budget that they have been allocated?..16 What if the Personal budget is not enough?..16 What if a person does not spend all of their money?..16 How much money will people get in one go? How their spending is monitored?..17 Will we have to spend a lot of time checking that people getting Direct Payments have spent their money in the right way?..17 Will the weekly resource panel continue to approve Direct Payments and Personal Budgets?

4 17 What happens if someone is not able to make their own decisions?17 What if a person wants to do things that could put them at risk? How can this be managed?..18 Will people be more vulnerable to being taken advantage of?..18 How do I reassure colleagues about safeguarding risks for individuals?..19 How do I convince a Risk Enablement Panel that personal assistants need specialist training to work with some people Brain injured people who require funding?..19 What if there is a significant change to a Service User s needs?..20 How often will there be a review?..20 Is there any guidance about relatives providing self Directed Support ?..20 Are legal rewards really legal?..20 How will the Support Plan be used a living document?..20 The Support Planning process takes a long time to do will there be any additional resources in teams to enable targets to be met?..21 How do I inspire creativity to look outside of the box ?..21 self Directed Support is still a work in progress.

5 How will staff be kept informed of future developments?..21 4 How will the role of Care Managers and Social Workers change under self Directed Support ?..22 Are we linking in with other Local Authorities who were in the pilot to share ideas and move forward with self Directed Support ?..22 self Directed Support will mean that there won t be a role for professional s in the future?..22 What is brokerage?..23 Will there be a published list of brokers, so that service providers can make sure they market themselves to them?..23 What will happen if a person wants traditional services like day care?..23 Could individual services be socially isolating compared to traditional day care services?..23 Does self Directed Support mean we will have to close all the day centres?..23 self Directed Support is another way of getting rid of Residential For more information:..24 5 GENERAL QUESTIONS What is self - Directed Support ? self - Directed Support (SDS) is a new way of providing adult social care.

6 People will know upfront how much funding is available to them in their personal budget to meet their assessed eligible social care needs. They will be able to use their budgets in ways that they choose to meet their assessed needs and get the outcomes they want. People may take all or part of their personal budget as a direct payment. What is a Direct Payment? A direct payment is money given directly to the individual to arrange their own care or to employ Personal Assistants. Direct Payments offer the choice and flexibility to manage their own care arrangements. The services bought are services that would otherwise be provided by the Adult Social Care Service. They are services that they have been assessed as needing when you have had an assessment. The money can only be spent on care to meet your assessed needs. You can only spend your Direct Payment on Support from someone who lives in the same home as you if you have special reasons for doing so.

7 We have separate information sheets for Direct Payments that can be found on our website. How is a Personal budget different from a Direct Payment? Personal budgets build upon the success of direct payments and, like direct payments, they are about giving individuals more choice and control over their Support . You can choose how to receive your care Support package. It can be a cash direct payment, services commissioned by Adult Care Services or a mixed package combining both options. The new system should work for everyone and provide personalised care that fits your choices and your life. Personal budgets will also introduce a fairer and more transparent system to allocate resources to meet your needs. 6 You: will be told how much money you can have to meet your eligible social care needs and you can choose how you spend it; can be creative about what you spend the money on, as long as the Support you choose will meet your Support needs and doesn't put you at great risk; and don't have to use the council when you create your plan or buy your Support .

8 Is self - Directed Support just the latest trend? self - Directed Support is not a whim of the moment but the outcome of several years of disabled people trying to take control of their lives and overcome a system that fails to give them the choice, control and independence that they want. It is a system that improves peoples lives at no extra cost which makes it a very attractive option. It is central to government policy and funding has been allocated to each local authority to ensure that everyone who is eligible for social care Support is offered it by March 2011. Each political party has given it s commitment to the Putting People First agenda. Is there any more money available for self Directed Support ? No. The costs of self Directed Support have to be met from existing funds. However, the government has provided additional money to Support the transformation of social care. This includes the change to self Directed Support but not more money for people receiving self Directed Support .

9 Who can have self Directed Support ? Anyone who is eligible for social care Support can have self Directed Support if they are at least 18 years old. The person will be supported by a care manager, care co-ordinator or social worker to complete an assessment questionnaire, which will identify how much Support they require. The person will then be given an idea of how much money they'll have to meet their social care needs this is called an indicative budget. 7 How do you decide who should receive social care services? Councils have to follow Fair Access to Care Services guidance from the Department of Health. Decisions about who should receive social care services are based on risks to independence in both the immediate and longer term were help not to be provided. Risks are classified in four categories - critical, substantial, moderate or low. In Halton, if the risks to your independence are critical, substantial or moderate you will be eligible to receive services.

10 If you are not eligible to receive services because the risks you face are low we will give you information about other organisations and services that may be able to help you meet your needs. Will the eligibility criteria change under self Directed Support ? No. People will only receive a personal budget if they are eligible for Support under the Fair Access to Care Services guidelines. When will self - Directed Support be available for all people with assessed eligible Support needs? The Department of Health wants all authorities to make significant progress by March 2011. In Halton we aim to be able to provide self - Directed Support as the main system for providing adult social care from that time. However there is a phased introduction so that not everyone will move at the same time. If you are an existing service user with mental health needs your transfer will be via your Care Programme Approach (CPA).