A guide to Self Directed Support and Personal Budgets
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My Life - It’s About me
A guide to Self Directed
Support and Personal Budgets
Urdu
''''یئامنہر کیا یک(رایتخا ںیم ددم ینپا ) ٹروپس ڈٹکیرئاڈ فلیس
Polish
„Przewodnik po programie samodzielnego wyboru form pomocy
społecznej”
Bengali
"স্ব-অভিমুখী সহাযতাপ একটি নির্দেশিকা"
Cantonese
“自我管理支持的指南”
This information may be provided in other languages and formats upon
request including large print, Braille and in audio.
Please contact:
Darlington Borough Council
Adult Social Care and Housing
Public Information Team
Central House
Gladstone Street
Darlington
DL3 6JX
or Tel: 01325 346200
01325 346200
01325 346200
01325 346200
01325 346200
Contents Introducing Self Directed Support and Personal Budgets 1 Step 1: Supported Self Assessment Questionnaire (SSAQ) 2 Step 2: Support Planning 5 Step 3: Having the Plan Agreed 10 Step 4: Managing the Budget 12 Step 5: Setting up the Support 16 Step 6: Being Accountable 18 Step 7: Enjoying life - Review 21 Glossary 23 Useful contacts 27
My life - It’s about me
Introducing
Self Directed Support and Personal
Budgets
You are the best person to say what’s right for you. A
Personal Budget gives you choice and control of what
social care support and services you have. This is
what the Government call ‘Self Directed Support’.
A Personal Budget is money from Darlington Borough
Council (DBC) that you spend on support and
With a Personal Budget, your services. This can give people more options if they
money can be spent more don’t wish to have a traditional adult social care
creatively if it meets your package.
goals, allowing you live your
life to the full! For the first time people who receive services or
support can see clearly how much money they have
to spend and choose how it is spent.
A Personal Budget can be used very flexibly and creatively to meet your goals and give
you much more choice over what services or support you choose and what you do to
remain as independent as possible.
This guide will take you through the 7 steps to having a Personal Budget and provide
useful contacts for services and support.
There are some words that are not in everyday use, which are underlined in red. An
explanation of these words can be found in the Glossary at the end of this guide (page
23)
1
Step one
Supported Self Assessment Questionnaire
Step 1
Supported Self Assessment Questionnaire (SSAQ)
The first step to getting a Personal Budget is completing a Supported Self Assessment
Questionnaire (SSAQ). Over time everyone who needs Adult Social Care will be offered a
Personal Budget, except in the following situations:
• People in crisis situations
• Safeguarding Adults
• People being referred to an Approved Mental Health Professional
• People receiving Intermediate Care
• People being assessed for, and receiving Continuing Health Care funding
• People with Mental Health problems (currently under Care Programme Approach
117)
• Referrals for Occupational Therapy and Sensory Support assessments
• People who are living in extra care housing unless they have an additional care
package
• People living in resdential/nursing homes
The SSAQ includes 10 questions about your life, what support you already have from
family/friends, what kind of support you need and most importantly what your goals are.
You can fill out the SSAQ on your own, with your circle of support (see page 4) or with
your Supporting Officer from Adult Social Care. Each question has a number of answers
which will get you points.
You tell us what your situation is and complete the “What I think” column. Your
Supporting Officer will discuss your assessment with you and complete the “what my
Supporting Officer thinks” column.
Once you have both reached an agreement on each question your Supporting Officer will
work out your likely Indicative Personal Budget by adding up the points from the answers
to each question.
2
Step one Supported Self Assessment Questionnaire There is a box after each question for you to tell us anything else about your answer that you think is important. So, if I just pick the answer with the highest score I will get the most money? Your Supporting Officer will discuss your assessment with you and come to an agreement with you, if there are differences of opinion. They will also make sure it is an accurate view of your situation. The answers that you choose should be an accurate reflection of your situation. What happens after my points are added up? Your Supporting Officer will be able to tell you your likely Indicative Personal Budget at this stage. When you know this amount of money you will be able to write your support plan. To find out how much money you are entitled to we use a Personal Budget Calculator. What is a Personal Budget Calculator (PBC)? This is how we calculate your Personal Budget. Each point equals an amount of money that you may receive to spend on your social care support. Will I have to pay anything? We work out what people over the age of 18 have to pay for the support they receive to make sure that everyone is treated fairly. To do this a financial assessment will need to be completed to work out how much you can afford to contribute towards the cost of your support. One of our Visiting Financial Assessment Officers will arrange to visit you to work out what this amount will be. To work out the amount we will look at your income, expenditure and savings. If you have savings over £23,250* you may be expected to meet the full cost of your social care support. Please see the ‘Charges for Services’ leaflet for further information. If you have to make a contribution to the cost of your support you will be sent a bill every 4 weeks from the Council and you will need to pay this amount. 3 * Figure correct at time of going to print (April 2010 - March 2011)
Step one
Supported Self Assessment Questionnaire
It is a condition of your Direct Payment Agreement, which is the contract between you
and the Council, that you will make this contribution to the cost of your support.
You can download a Supported Self Assessment Questionnaire from the Self Directed
Support section of the Adult Social Care website:
www.darlington.gov.uk/adultservices
Alternatively you can get one from your Supporting Officer or by calling 01325 346200,
or from Adult Social Care, Central House, Gladstone Street, Darlington, DL3 6JX.
What is my Circle of Support?
This is a group of people who know you well, who you like and trust, and who respect
you.
• It can be your family, parents, sisters or brothers or partner.
• It could be your friends, people you know from work or who live near you.
• It could be an advocate – (An advocate is someone who supports you to make sure
your views are heard).
• It could be staff or other people paid to help you.
Your circle of support should include people who are involved because they care enough
about you to give their time and energy to helping you overcome obstacles and explore
options which are open to you.
4
Step two
Support Planning
Step Two: support planning
Once you know how much your Indicative Personal
Budget will be, you will need to write a support plan
to show how you will spend your money to meet your
social care support needs as shown in your
Supported Self Assessment Questionnaire.
Why do I need a support plan?
A support plan describes how you will use your
Personal Budget to achieve your goals. You will need
You can choose to do your to show Darlington Borough Council this, before the
own Support Plan or get plan can be agreed.
help from others
It should include what you want to change and what
you need to do to make those changes happen, to
have the life you want.
What should my support plan look like?
A support plan does not have to be in any particular format. Your support plan can
include photos or just text or you can present it in any way that is suitable for you. You
can even do your support plan on a DVD!
Your Supporting Officer can give you an example of a support plan which you can use if
you wish.
How can I get help to write my support plan?
If you are unable to write the plan yourself then you can choose someone to help you
with it.
• You can have help from your Circle of Support (see page 4).
• Service provider - You can ask someone from a day centre or other service to assist
you to write your plan if you feel they would be helpful to you. Some services have a
number of people who have been trained to help you with your plan. You will need to
ask if your service has someone who is able to do this.
• You can ask an advocacy organisation to help you.*
5
Step twoSupport Planning
• You can ask someone from Adult Social Care to
help you.
* See useful contacts section on page 27
What do I put in my support plan?
There are 7 things that must be in your support plan
so that Adult Social Care are able to agree it:
1. Who you are – What is important to you, and for
you including people, places and routines as well
as your support needs.
2. What your plans are for the future – What do you Think about your plans for
want to change and what needs to stay the the future and how you can
same. stay in control of your life.
3. What support you will need to do what you want
– say exactly what support you want to achieve
your outcomes, when you need it, how you want
it provided and by whom.
4. How you will stay healthy, safe and well – How will you manage any risks that may
place you or others at risk of harm.
5. How you will stay in control of your life – say how you will self direct your support. If
other people make decisions for you, the support plan should say how you have
been involved and that you have agreed to the plan.
6. How your support will be managed – explain how your support is going to be
organised on a day to day basis and who is going to look after and be responsible
for the money. If you are planning to employ staff you should say how this will be
organised.
7. What the cost of your social care support is.
The Supported Self Assessment Questionnaire that you completed with your Supporting
Officer has 9 ‘essential outcomes’- the things you need support with. Your Supporting
Officer will explain to you the essential outcomes that you must think about.
Your support plan must say what support you will get for each of the 9 essential
outcomes.
6
Step two
Support Planning
You can include things in your support plan that don’t cost money and other things that
you are planning to pay for yourself. You must say what will happen if your
circumstances change.
There may be times when you might need to change some of your support and services
without checking with your Supporting Officer.
What if I need to change my support plan?
You can change your support plan without checking it with your Supporting Officer if;
• It is a small change. For example swapping times of support, or if you need extra
support around the house if you are ill
• It doesn’t put you at increased risk of harm
• It can be afforded from your Personal Budget.
Some changes may need to be agreed with your Supporting Officer. These include if;
• You want to change a lot of your support
• The changes might be more risky for you
• You can’t afford to pay for the changes from your Personal Budget.
If you think that your needs have changed then you should ask your Supporting Officer to
reassess your needs. If they agree, your Personal Budget may need to be recalculated.
What can I do with my money?
We have listed a few examples of what people have spent their Personal Budget on. As
you will see they are very different.
A Personal Budget means you can spend the money how you want to meet the social
care needs and goals identified in your support plan.
For example you can spend your money on;
A personal assistant or support worker
Buying support from an agency or organisation
Paying expenses for unpaid helpers; for example bus fares, petrol money
Holidays. Instead of a short break stay you might want to pay for a supported
holiday
7Step two
Support Planning
Enrol on an adult learning class
Buy gym membership/join a sports club
Transport
Equipment to help keep you safe such as a
personal call system, smoke detectors, fall
detectors or a mobile phone. You can get more
information on this from Darlington Borough
Council, Lifeline Service,
Town Hall, Darlington Telephone: 01325 388508.
You can also give ‘legal rewards’ to people who
may help you out. This could mean doing You can make small changes
something for them in return, buying a meal or to your Support Plan without
treat them etc. This should not be more than 1% checking it with your
of your Personal Budget. Supporting Officer.
The things that you cannot spend your money on are;
Things that do not help you achieve the goals
outlined in your support plan
Things that do not improve your life
Healthcare needs that should be met by the National Health Service (NHS)
Support agencies that are not registered as domiciliary care agencies with the Care
Quality Commission (CQC) if you need personal care
Illegal activities – Any activity that is against the law, including not paying the
minimum wage, not registering someone you employ with Revenue and Customs,
giving people ‘cash in hand’
Gambling
Employing someone who you know could place you at risk of harm
Cigarettes or alcohol for yourself
Second hand equipment that has been purchased from an auction (including on-line
sales such as eBay)
Equipment that does not meet the required standards or using equipment where the
people using it are not trained.
8Step two
Support Planning
Risk
When you are writing your support plan, you will
need to think about anything in your support plan
that may put you or the people around you at risk.
This does not mean that your support plan will not be
agreed, but you need to show that you understand
the risks and what the consequences might be.
How will you keep safe and well?
This will help you think about what you need to put in
your support plan to show how you will be kept safe
Your Personal Budget can and well.
be spent as creatively as • Be specific about anything that could cause you
you want as long as it is harm
legal, keeps you healthy,
• Pay attention to problems that have happened
safe and well, and must
before. For example you should think about:
help you achieve your goals
as agreed in your support - Are there people that you don’t feel safe
plan. around?
- Are you at risk of falls or accidents?
- Are you safe in your home when you are cooking or bathing etc.?
- Could you contact someone if there was an emergency?
• Identify anything you can do to reduce or remove the risk of harm. Think of a range
of things. Be imaginative. For example;
- Equipment such as a personal alarm or mobile phone
- Making physical changes to your home to make it safer
- Get training for you or the people supporting you
- Make sure you know who to contact in an emergency.
• Talk to your family, friends and circle of support or anyone helping you with the
support plan for their point of view.
• Write in your support plan the actions you will take and how you are going to use
your Personal Budget to achieve this.
9Step three
Having the plan agreed
Step 3
Having the plan agreed
Once you have written your support plan it has to be agreed by Darlington Borough
Council before you will receive your money. The support plan forms a contract between
you and Darlington Borough Council. If the support plan has everything in it that the
Council needs to see, it is likely to be agreed by your Supporting Officer.
For your support plan to be agreed it must contain the following:
• What you want to change in your life and what needs to stay the same. These are
known as ‘outcomes’.
• What support you need to achieve these outcomes, when you need it and how you
will manage any risks.
• What your support will cost for the year.
• How you want to receive your Personal Budget such as a Direct Payment or the
Council arranging support for you.
• How your support will be organised and who will manage the money.
• How you will stay in control of your life.
If you have needs that could mean you are at risk of getting hurt, your support plan will
need to show how you will spend your money to keep safe and well.
What if my Plan is not agreed?
If you, your circle of support and your Supporting Officer cannot agree about an item in
the support plan or the risks, there is a Solutions Panel that you can refer to. The
Solutions Panel will be made up of senior managers from Adult Social Care and you will
be able to attend with a member of your family or someone that you choose. You can
also have your advocate present if you wish.
If there are concerns that your support plan will not help to keep you safe, the
Safeguarding Adults Team Manager may also be present.
The Solutions Panel will meet quickly to give you a decision. If they are able to find a
suitable solution to the risk(s), the plan will be amended and agreed.
10Step three
Having the plan agreed
The Solutions Panel
The types of things the Solutions Panel might be
needed for are
• complex health needs
• health and safety issues
• conflicting opinions of family members.
If you do not agree with the decision of the Solutions
Panel, you will be able to use the Adult Social Care
Taking risks can give you complaints procedure to ask for your case to be
the chances to be more looked at again. More information on the Complaints
independent, confident and Procedures can be found in the Complaints,
in control of your own life. Compliments and Comments leaflet or in the
Compliments and Complaints section of the
Council’s website by using the following link
http://www.darlington.gov.uk/adultservices
11Step four
Managing the Budget
Step 4
Managing the budget
How do I pay for support using my Personal Budget?
There are different ways to pay for support using your Personal Budget. You can choose
one of the ways below.
a) A Direct Payment
b) Directly Managed Support (see note overleaf)
c) A mixture of the above
a) Direct Payment
A Direct Payment can be made:
• Straight to you - you will need to open a separate bank account for the money to be
paid into and be responsible for the money and pay for your support. You will need
to keep records of how you spend the money. You can nominate someone to do
this for you.
• To an Agent - the money is paid to someone who agrees to act for you. Your Agent
spends the money on support to meet your needs. An Agent could be a family
member or friend or anyone else that you choose.
This might be a good option if you do not want to receive the money yourself. See
page 14 for more information on managing your money if you are not able to make
your own decisions.
• To a Trust which is set up to act for you - you can choose to set up a Trust to receive
your Personal Budget as a Direct Payment. You cannot be a Trustee, but you
should always be consulted on how the money is spent. A Trust can be made up of
people who have your best interests at heart. This might be a good option if you are
not able to manage the Direct Payment yourself.
Your Direct Payment will be paid to you every 4 weeks.
12Step four
Managing the Budget
b) Directly Managed Support
If you decide not to receive a Direct Payment and instead decide to have support
arranged by the Council this is know as ‘Directly Managed Support’.
There are 2 ways that your support can be directly managed.
• Adult Social Care will arrange or provide your support on your behalf. You will still be
able to choose how you want to be supported.
They will look after the money for you but will not charge a fee for this. However, if
you choose this option you will be limited to choosing support from support
providers who the Council contracts with and if required are registered with the Care
Quality Commission (CQC). If you choose this the cost of your support may be
cheaper as the Council may have agreed a lower price with the provider.
• Individual Service Fund (ISF) – This means that a service provider will manage your
money to provide a service just for you. The service provider you choose will keep
your money and set up an account for you. Some providers may charge a
management fee for this which you will need to pay from your Personal Budget, but
the rest of the money is only spent on support for you. Your support will be specially
designed with you and set up to meet your needs. This option is currently being
developed with service providers and not all providers will be able to offer you this
service.
c) A mixture of a) and b)
You can also decide to have your Personal Budget using a mixture of the options set out
in a) and b). You might want to do this if you have not had a Direct Payment before but
want to try it out for a small part of your support, whilst the Council continues to directly
manage the rest of your Personal Budget for you.
Whichever of the above options that you choose, you will be asked to sign an agreement
form. This form sets out clearly both you and the Council’s roles and responsibilities. Your
Supporting Officer will assist you to complete the form and make sure that you
understand it.
13Step four
Managing the Budget
Who manages my money if I cannot make my own decisions?
Some people, such as those with severe learning disabilities or a brain injury may lack
‘capacity’ to agree to receiving a Direct Payment. If you lack capacity to make this
decision:
• Your Supporting Officer will talk to the people in your support network to decide if a
Direct Payment is your best option.
• If a Direct Payment is your best option, your Supporting Officer will ask your formal
representative, if you have one, if they are willing to receive and manage your
budget.
• If they do not agree, another suitable person, agreed by your Supporting Officer, can
take on this role. The Supporting Officer needs to be sure that they will act in your
best interests, are able to manage a Direct Payment and can get support if they
need it.
• Adult Social Care will need a Police Check often known as a CRB (Criminal Records
Bureau) check for the suitable person before they can manage your Direct Payment.
A Police check is preferred but not compulsory if this person is a friend or family
member already providing support to you.
• The suitable person must obtain Police checks from anyone they buy services from,
if they are not a family member or friend already providing support. The Direct
Payments Support Service can assist with these checks.
• The suitable person must inform your Supporting Officer if they think you have
gained or regained capacity to make your own decisions. You should be allowed to
receive a Direct Payment and manage your money when you have the capacity to
do so.
Will I have to contribute towards the cost of my support?
Before you get your Personal Budget, an assessment will be carried out to see if you can
afford to make a contribution towards the cost of your support.
If you can afford to do this, you will be asked to pay a weekly contribution. Adult Social
Care will work out how much this will be, and you will be sent a bill every 4 weeks to pay
this money to the Council. This is a condition of the Direct Payment Agreement
Form/Directly Managed Support Agreement Form that you will need to sign before you
receive any money.
14Step four
Managing the Budget
You can use your own money to top up your Direct Payment if you wish to buy extra
hours or additional support to those agreed in your support plan.
If you have to pay the full cost of your support, you will not receive a Direct Payment.
However, you can still get support from your Supporting Officer or the Direct Payments
Support Service if you arrange your own support independently.
Will Adult Social Care want to know what I’m doing with my money?
Whichever way you receive your Direct Payment you will have to provide some
information to Adult Social Care about how you spend your money. Your Supporting
Officer will tell you exactly what you need to show to us when your plan is agreed.
You will need;
• A separate bank account for your Personal Budget received as a Direct Payment
• To keep information on how you have spent your money, including bank statements
and receipts for items over £50
• To keep copies of wage slips if you employ your own staff
• To complete a form to show how you have spent your money if your Supporting
Officer thinks this may be useful.
Adult Social Care will ask what you are spending your Personal Budget on at least once a
year, but more frequently when you first start.
The Direct Payment Support Service will be able to assist you with completing these
returns. Their contact details are on page 30 of this guide.
15Step five
Setting up the Support
Step 5
Setting up the Support
1. You can recruit your own staff
You can use an agency such as the Direct Payments
Support Service to help you with this. Their contact
details are on page 30 of this guide.
They can give you information and support on
employing your own staff including;
• Job descriptions Local organisations may be
• Contracts of employment able to help find resources
and support that meet your
• Insurance
needs.
• Recruitment
• Health and safety
• Police checks
• Timesheets
• Training for Personal Assistants
• Advice and support if things go wrong
2. Choose from existing service providers
• You can get a list of personal care and support providers who are registered with the
Care Quality Commission (CQC) from their website (see Useful Contacts on page 28).
• Other providers of support who do not need to be registered (because they do not
provide personal ‘hands-on’ care) can be found in the phone book or on the internet,
and may also advertise in the local press.
16Step five
Setting up the Support
3. Pay a broker to organise support for
you
A broker is a person who can assist you to plan and
organise support using your Direct Payment. There
are a number of ways you can get help with
brokerage:
• Peer Support - Other families who have
experience of Direct Payments can help you get
the support you need.
You may have friends and • A User-Led-Organisation (ULO) - Organisations
family who can help you find such as Darlington Association on Disability
what you need. (DAD) led by disabled people and who already
provide advice and support, will also be able to
provide brokerage.
• Local voluntary and community organisations - Local organisations such as
advocacy organisations may be able to help find resources and support that meet
your needs. (See useful contacts at the end of this guide)
• Independent broker - Independent brokers can find and arrange community
resources and support that meets your needs. However, they may charge for this
service. There are no independent brokers working in Darlington at present but this
may change in the near future.
• Support Services - You can ask someone who works for a support service to help
you organise your support if you wish. However, they may not be as independent as
some options.
• Family and friends - You may have family and friends who can help you find what you
need.
• Darlington Borough Council staff - Adult Social Care Staff are able to help you find
out about and arrange support.
17Step six
Being Accountable
Step 6
Being Accountable
As Personal Budgets are public funds Darlington Adult Social Care has to account for
how they are spent. If you have chosen to have your Personal Budget as a Direct
Payment you must show how you are using your money to achieve your agreed
outcomes, as set out in your support plan. This is explained in more detail in your Direct
Payment Agreement Form. If you have chosen to have a Direct Payment or if someone
receives the Direct Payment on your behalf, records must be kept showing how the
money is spent. You will need to send these records to Adult Social Care when asked to
do so. The Direct Payment Support Service can assist you to set up systems to manage
your paperwork. To provide the records we need you will be required to:
1. Open a separate bank account
2. Pay your bills
3. Send your records to Adult Social Care
4. Manage your money
1. Open a separate bank account
• To receive your Personal Budget, you will need a separate bank account. You can
also use this account for payments from related funders such as the Independent
Living Fund, Supporting People, Access to Work, Disabled Facilities Grant, or
funding for community equipment (such as a wheelchair or walking frame).
• If you have problems opening a separate bank account, let the Direct Payments
Support Service know. They can advise you on the type of bank account you need
to open and options that local banks can offer.
• You can choose a family member or close friend to open a separate bank account
for your Direct Payment and to manage the account under your direction.
• You can pay another organisation to provide this service.
If you have more than one bank account, please write ‘Direct Payment’ on all cheque
books or records relating to your Direct Payment account, to ensure you do not confuse
this account with other accounts.
18Step six Being Accountable 2. Pay your bills You should pay all Direct Payment-related bills by cheque, bank transfer or internet banking to record how you spend your money. Only in exceptional circumstances are cash payments permitted for employment costs, for example wages, tax, National Insurance payments. If you or your decision-maker becomes an employer, you must pay tax and National Insurance. Payroll companies can do this on your behalf. The Direct Payments Support Service can give you more information on becoming an employer. If you need to make a financial contribution towards your Personal Budget, you will need to pay this to Adult Social Care, when they send you a bill every 4 weeks. You can only use your Direct Payment for services and support to meet the agreed personal goals/outcomes as detailed in your support plan. If you are not sure what you can spend your money on please check with your Supporting Officer or the Direct Payment Support Service, before you spend it on something you are not sure about. 3. Send your records to Darlington Adult Social Care The records that the Direct Payments Finance Officer asks you for and how often you send them will be based on: • the amount of your Direct Payment • how complex your budget is to manage • the amount of family /other support you have to manage the money • your ability and confidence in managing the money. Your Supporting Officer will let you know how often you will need to send in your documents. The Direct Payments Support Service can help you think about any additional support you may need to manage your records. 19
Step six
Being Accountable
4. Managing your money
If you don’t spend all the money in your Direct Payment bank account, you may be asked
to pay some of it back. You must let Adult Social Care know in advance if you are saving
some of your Direct Payment to buy additional services or support. A decision on what
you have to repay will be made with you, usually at a review meeting. We will make sure
that you have enough money in your account for bills, expenses and emergency costs.
This is usually the equivalent of eight weeks of your Direct Payment.
If you wish to spend your Direct Payment on something different to anything agreed in
your support plan, you will need to check this with your Supporting Officer to make sure it
meets your personal goals/outcomes. Please let your Supporting Officer know if your
needs are going to change or have changed. Then we can review your support plan and
change the amount of your Personal Budget and what you spend it on.
If you spend your Direct Payment on something that has not been agreed in your support
plan and will not meet your personal goals/outcomes, or is illegal, you may be asked to
pay this money back to Adult Social Care.
We will always work with you and your chosen decision maker to sort out any problems
you may have with managing your Direct Payment. These discussions will usually take
place at review meetings.
Adult Social Care may stop your Direct Payment if they think the payments are being
mismanaged, but they will always discuss this with you and your decision maker first. We
will look at the support you need to make sure that your payments are only spent on
support and services to meet your agreed personal goals/outcomes. If we cannot come
to an agreement, your payments will be stopped and your Supporting Officer may be
asked to arrange your support and services for you.
20Step seven
Enjoying Life - Review
Step 7
Enjoying Life - Review
We want to know if your Personal Budget is working
for you.
The Review
After 6 weeks and at the end of the year, you will have
a review with your Supporting Officer to find out how
your plan has worked for you, if any problems
occurred and if so, how were they sorted out? During
We would like to share this review you will need to tell us how you have spent
stories of success with your money. Your Supporting Officer will arrange this
other people. meeting. Sometimes, reviews might happen more
often, depending on your circumstances.
The review will focus on 4 areas that are designed to explore what has worked well in the
support plan and also to identify any lessons that may have been learnt.
1. Outcomes - how have they been achieved?
2. How has your paid and unpaid support helped you?
3. How are you managing your money?
4. Do you have any new goals/objectives?
Who will review my Personal Budget?
You and your Supporting Officer will review your Personal Budget together. You can also
have input from your Circle of Support if you like.
You will also complete a Personal Budgets Review Form.
If your life has changed a lot, you may need to complete a new Supported Self
Assessment Questionnaire. Your Supporting Officer will do this with you.
21Step seven Enjoying Life - Review
What if I am unhappy with my Personal Budget or my support?
If you are unhappy with your Personal Budget or your support you need to;
• Discuss it directly with the people providing your support
• Contact your Supporting Officer or your support broker who will be able to give you
a copy of Darlington Borough Council’s Adult Social Care Complaints Procedure.
They will also tell you how to contact an independent advocate if you want one.
Please tell us if you can help other people with their personal budgets
We would like individuals and families who already have a Personal Budget to help other
people who are new to it to develop their plans.
If you would be willing to help with either support planning or sharing your story, please
contact the Business Transformation Team on 01325 346441 or e-mail
transformingsocialcare@darlington.gov.uk
22Glossary Glossary Advocate An advocate is a person who speaks on behalf of another person, or helps them speak up for themselves. They represent people’s needs, opinions and choices and offer support to individuals to represent their interests in a variety of situations. Advocates can also help people to become more aware of their rights and can support people to exercise those rights and be involved in, and influence, decisions that are being made about them. An advocate can be a friend or relative you want to speak or act for you, or a person trained to be an advocate. The Council funds an advocacy service for those who may need to use it - see useful contacts. (Page 27) Brokerage The support and help offered to individuals to plan and organise their care package and individual budgets support plan. This is carried out by a person, or an organisation known as a ‘Support Broker’, or as part of care management by staff in Adult Social Care. Capacity Mental Capacity is the ability of someone to make decisions. These can range from day- to-day decisions, such as deciding what to wear in the morning, what to eat for breakfast, or whether or not to have a shave, to extremely serious ones, like moving home or having an operation. People may have difficulties making some decisions either all or some of the time. This could be because they have a learning disabilty, dementia, a mental health problem, a brain injury or have had a stroke. Carer (family carer, unpaid carer) A person providing support who is not employed to do so by an agency or organisation. A carer is often a relative or friend supporting someone at home who is frail, ill or requiring support; The carer can be of any age. 23
Glossary
Direct Payments
A Direct Payment is a cash payment that Adult Social Care can give to an individual who
wants to organise and arrange their own support. A Direct Payment creates more
flexibility in the provision of care and support services, and allows people to have greater
choice and control over their lives, and to make their own decisions about how their care
and support is delivered.
Eligibility Criteria
Guidelines to work out if people are entitled to services or not. This criteria helps us make
sure that we treat everyone fairly and that the people most in need of our help receive it.
The eligibility criteria is based on national guidance and is used by all councils providing
Adult Social Care services. There are four bands, depending on risks to people if their
community care needs are not met.
The four bands are:
• Critical
• Substantial
• Moderate
• Low
Financial Assessment
An assessment of whether an individual has enough money to make a financial
contribution toward the cost of their support.
Impairment
The loss or limitation of physical, mental or sensory function on a long-term or permanent
basis.
Indicative Personal Budget
This is an indication of what is a fair and reasonable amount of money to meet your social
care needs, as calculated by the Personal Budget Calculator. It is the Indicative Personal
Budget which allows individuals to plan the support that will deliver the outcomes to best
meet their identified needs. An Indicative Personal Budget must be approved before an
individual can receive their final Personal Budget.
24Glossary Outcomes The changes, benefits or other results that happen as a result of a person having social care support. Outcomes are related to the individual as to what they want to achieve for themselves and these must be recorded in the support plan. Personal Budget Social care funds given to an individual to be used to meet their social care needs as assessed by their Supporting Officer, in line with their support plan. Personal Budget Calculator This is how we calculate a Personal Budget. Each point equals an amount of money that you may receive to spend on your social care support. Personal Contribution This is the amount of money a person has to pay towards the cost of their support. The amount is worked out by staff following a financial assessment. Self Directed Support Self Directed Support (SDS) is a way of enabling people to meet their health and social care needs. SDS means individuals and carers with assessed eligible needs are offered a personal budget to spend on meeting their needs. Individuals are supported to choose and organise their support in the way that suits them best. Individuals have the choice of taking their Personal Budget either as a Direct Payment, or as Directly Managed Support, or a combination of these two options. SDS also includes the provision of universal services, which are available to all free of charge, and information, advice and guidance. The main aim of SDS is to promote independence, health and well-being by giving service users more choice and control over planning and managing their support. 25
Glossary
Support Broker
This is a person, or a company, commissioned to help to plan and organise the personal
budget and support plan with an individual. If the individual chooses to use a specialist
support broker they may have to pay for this. However, a broker can also be a family
member, a friend, a worker from a voluntary organisation or a Supporting Officer from
Adult Social Care. The Support Broker must ensure that the individual is fully involved in
the decision making and controls the process of choosing the support plan and its
delivery. The Support Broker may not necessarily co-ordinate all parts of an individual’s
support but only those parts with which the individual needs help and support. (See
Person Centred Planning on the DLDLive website: www.dldlive.org.uk)
Support
Assistance provided to individuals to enable them to live with dignity and respect in the
community.
Supported Self Assessment Questionnaire (SSAQ)
The Supported Self-Assessment Questionnaire (SSAQ) is used to identify and evaluate an
individual’s needs in order to deliver an Indicative Personal Budget with enough money to
enable somebody to meet their identified eligible needs. It forms part of the community
care assessment, and is the first part of the Personal Budget Calculator.
Supporting Officer
General term which could be Social Worker, Care Manager, Care Co-ordinator etc.
Support Plan
This is a detailed plan outlining how an individual’s support needs could be met. This is
drawn up following the assessment process by the Council, working in partnership with
the individual. The individual will be supported to write their plan themselves. This lets
them and those around them consider the ‘outcomes’ they wish to achieve with their
individual budget and how they want to live their life to meet their assessed eligible
need/s.
26Useful Contacts
Access and Contact Team Telephone: 01325 346200
Adult Social Care Fax: 01325 346474
Central House Minicom: 01325 468504
Gladstone Street
Darlington
DL3 6JX
Emergency Duty Team: Tel: 08702 402994
or Text: 07826 903165
Website: www.darlington.gov.uk/adultservices
Providing information and support on Adult Social Care. First point of contact to
request an assessment.
Advocacy Together Telephone: 01325 465337
Suite 1, 37 Victoria Rd
Darlington
DL1 5SF
Email: darlington@together-uk.org
Services offered: Advocacy (IMHA) Advocacy (Community)
Independent service for people who use social care who experience difficulties
putting their views across to others.
Age UK Telephone: 01325 362832
Bradbury House Fax: 01325 741490
Beaumont Street West
Darlington
DL1 5SX
Email: info@fiftyplus.org.uk
Website: www.agedarlington.org.uk
The largest charity working for older people. Offering information or advice on
anything from health to housing. (Previously known as Age Concern and Help
the Aged).
27Useful Contacts
Care Quality Commission (CQC) Telephone: 03000 616161
Care Quality Commission Fax: 03000 616171
National Correspondence
Citygate
Gallowgate
Newcastle upon Tyne
NE1 4PA
Website: www.cqc.org.uk
Aims to make sure better care is provided for everyone - in hospitals, care
homes and people’s own homes. It does this by carrying out inspections and
setting standards.
Carers Support Service Telephone: 01325 357533
West Lodge Fax: 01325 254848
West Crescent
Darlington
DL3 7PS
Email: carers@darlingtondisability.org
Website: www.darlingtondisability.org/carer/carer.htm
The Carers Support Service provides information, advice, support and training
for carers.
Darlington Association Telephone: 01325 489999
on Disability (DSAD) Fax: 01325 488188
20-22 Horsemarket Text: 01325 245061
Darlington
DL1 5PT
Email: mail@darlingtondisability.org
Website: www.darlingtondisability.org
They are a voluntary and charitable organisation led by disabled people. It exists
to promote independence and choice, and supports disabled people and carers
through the provision of services, support and information.
28Useful Contacts
Darlington Citizens Advice Bureau Telephone: 01325 256999
Bennet House Fax: 01325 380324
Horsemarket
Darlington
DL1 5PT
Email: admin.desk@darlingtoncab.co.uk (we regret we cannot offer advice by
email)
Website: www.darlingtoncab.co.uk
Darlington CAB provides specialist services in respect of welfare benefits,
employment and money advice to individuals who are eligible for legal help.
Darlington Learning Disability Telephone: 01325 555940
Service Fax: 01325 555959
Upperthorpe
90 Woodland Road
Darlington
DL3 7PZ
Website: www.dldlive.org.uk/Contacts/LDServices.htm
or contact the Emergency Duty Team on 08702 402994
Offers information, advice, support and services to people who live in the
borough of Darlington, over the age of 18 with a learning disability and their
carers.
Darlington LINk Telephone: 01325 380145
Evolution Building Text: 07575 237723
Church Row
Darlington
DL1 5QD
Email: info@darlingtonlink.co.uk
Website: www.darlingtonlink.co.uk
The LINk helps local people and organisations to speak with one voice and have
real influence over key decisions that affect health and social care in their
community.
29Useful Contacts
Direct Payments Support Service Telephone: 01325 360524
Enterprise House
South Entrance
Valley Street North
Darlington DL1 1GY
Email: mail@darlingtondisability.org
Website: www.darlingtondisability.org/directpayments/directpayments.htm
A support service for individuals who wish to have a Direct Payment so that they
can organise, manage and pay for their social care support.
Disabled Living Foundation (DLF) Telephone: 020 7289 6111
380-384 Harrow Road (switchboard)
London 0845 130 9177 (helpline)
W9 2HU
Email: helpline@dlf.org.uk
Website: www.dlf.org.uk
They are a national charity that provides impartial advice, information and training
on daily living aids and equipment.
eVOLution Telephone: 01325 266888
Church Row Fax: 01325 266899
Darlington
DL1 5QD
Email: enquiries@evolutiondarlington.com
Website: www.evolutiondarlington.com
eVOLution aims to promote, support and develop the voluntary and community
sector in Darlington to bring about positive change in the lives of people and
their communities.
30Useful Contacts
MENCAP (Local Society) Telephone: 01325 741480
Unit 1n-1p
Enterprise House
Valley Street North
Darlington, County Durham
DL1 1GY
Website: www.mencap.org.uk
Mencap is the leading UK charity for people with a learning disability and their
families.
MIND Telephone: 01325 283169
St Hilda's House Fax: 01325 285332
11 Borough Road
Darlington
DL1 1SQ
Email: gemerson.mind@hotmail.co.uk
Website: www.darlingtonmind.org.uk
Mind is the leading mental health charity for England and Wales. It provides
information to help promote understanding of mental health and campaign to
create a society that promotes and protects good mental health for all.
NHS Darlington Telephone: 01325 364271
Darlington Primary Care Trust Fax: 01325 746112
Dr Piper House
King Street
Darlington
DL3 6JL
Website: www.darlingtonpct.nhs.uk
Working in partnership with NHS County Durham, NHS Darlington is responsible
for commissioning (planning and buying) health services on behalf of around
600,000 people living in County Durham and Darlington.
31Useful Contacts
Useful Contacts
WRVS Telephone: 01325 366682
Unit 1Q
Valley Street North
Valley St North
Darlington
DL1 1GY
Website: www.wrvs.org.uk
WRVS is one of the UK’s largest voluntary services dedicated to tackling social
isolation or deprivation in communities. There are a number of community
support services provided by the WRVS in Darlington.
32Darlington
Central House
Darlington Borough Council
Adult Social Care & Housing
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