Direct payment amounts?

firat94

Hello,

If you are awarded 16 hours per week for direct payments how much does the council help you in terms of amounts?

Do they pay the min wage per hour x16 or is it calculated some other way?

mix_dage

@ firat94

There is usually a set amount according to each council. I have experience from 2 different councils and they were at that time vastly different in hourly rates.
Potentially you will also be financially assessed, and possibly be asked to make a weekly contribution.
If you haven’t already had a personal financial assessment check out DRE (disabled related expenses) you can offset some of the potential costs.
see link below for some suggestions

https://www.homecare.co.uk/advice/what-can-i-claim-as-disability-related-expenditure

Good luck

firat94

https://forum.scope.org.uk/discussion/comment/990540#Comment_990540

If you dont mind me asking how much were they roughly per hr?

mix_dage

https://forum.scope.org.uk/discussion/comment/990543#Comment_990543

first LA pays £9.50 ph, with an assessed weekly contribution from X, X lives in a very remote rural area but under a larger authority based in city, so I negotiated a higher than city rate (This was a discretionary extra payment by LA) because I could show X couldn’t get cover they recommended as all the SE PA's charged £14 X had to be financially reassessed and X's contribution increased accordingly.

Second LA was £11.50 ph Z made assessed weekly contribution Z also had to top up £2.50 hourly rates as SE PA's were charging £14 locally. This LA now pays £16 ph so Z is able to pay the PA that hourly rate. Z's weekly assessed contribution has risen accordingly as rates increased. ( but Z no longer has to top up hourly rates).

Your care plan will have total annual care plan costs, hourly rates etc. When you get your final approved care plan copy, you will be financially assessed for your weekly contribution.

Stay in touch with your LA

good luck

Ps. SE =self employed registered with HMRC with a UTR number.