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Hello Philomena,
If the local authority pushes ahead and insists on a care package that you feel does not meet Georges needs, then the first step is to put in a formal complaint, perhaps stating that your sons eligible needs cannot be met with the proposed care package and that you believe it to be in breach of section 1 of the care Act-a failure to promote or have regard to his wellbeing.
The challenge would be that without appropriate night time support there will be a significant risk to Georges physical emotional and mental wellbeing.
Gather supporting evidence from any medical professionals involved in Georges care about why he needs night time support and the risks that he would face without it.
The Care Act Statutory guidance is clear “the local authority should not set arbitrary upper limits on the costs it is willing to pay to meet needs through certain routes – doing so would not deliver an approach that is person-centred or compatible with public law principles” (Chapter 10).
You can get free legal advice about Georges rights under the Care Act from the Disability Law Service https://dls.org.uk/
Also see Information from a leading solicitor and social care professor Luke Clements:
Challenges to costs ceilings http://www.lukeclements.co.uk/resources/challenging-costs-ceilings/
It appears that a number of health bodies and councils operate ‘cost ceilings’ – ie limitations on what they are prepared to fund in particular cases. Not uncommonly this will take the form of a financial limit on the total weekly cost of home care services that can be put into any one household, or a maximum permitted sum on any home support package (the implication being that if the package costs more, then a residential support plan will be preferred) or a rigid limit on how much will be paid for a residential care or nursing home.
Blanket policies of this nature are unlawful, in that they would amount to a fettering of the health or social services body’s duty to meet an assessed need make resource questions determinative, rather than being ‘no more than one factor in an overall assessment, where … the individual disabled person will always be the paramount consideration’
Options
· Make a formal complaint-you can also ask your MP for support
· seek legal advice-there is still legal aid available, you can contact the civil legal advice line to check if your son would qualify and for details of solicitors with legal aid contracts https://www.gov.uk/civil-legal-advice
· Or Take your case to the local government ombudsman
I hope the information above is of some help and that you are able to get the support you need.
Please contact me at the helpline if you would like further information on tel. 0808 800 3333 or email helpline@scope.org.uk
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