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Social Care Payments- Advice Needed

April2018mom

We have been discussing the idea of social care for my son. I certainly feel the time has come. I’d appreciate some stories of what you used direct payments for plus social care experiences as well. My son is almost 3, he was born in November 16. What is out there for small children?
We need some respite care and time to ourselves. One of my goals is for him to develop his independence. I think he will need adaptive equipment definitely.

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poppy123456

Hi,

He will need a needs assessment from your local council to start with. Once this is done then they will make a decision on what care can be given. Social Services for children have a very specific criteria so it may not be easy to get care, as i personally experienced this myself with my daughter.

If they agree to the care then a budget will be given and paid through direct payments, if that's what you choose. You can't just use this money on anything you want, it must be used for what's stated in the care plan. With direct payments you have access to the money through an online bank account provided by your local council.

Respite is a totally different thing and can be paid as an extra in the budget but receiving this will depend on the budget of your local council. To receive this you will need to request a carers assessment. If it's decided that respite is needed for both yourself and your son then then extra money will be given. Again this money can only be used for respite. You will need to keep receipts of for everything because you will be asked to provide proof that the money was spent on what it was intended for. Your local council will ask for these possibly every 6 months.

It's definitely not an easy or straight forward process.

April2018mom

Thanks.
How do I keep track of finances? Should I buy a folder or not? How is a care plan drawn up?

poppy123456

No problem.

For the care side of it i use a company called payroll who produce payslips for my daughters PA. They also deal with the tax/NI that needs to be paid for the PA. They email me every month and tell me what needs to be paid, how much and when. Money is added to the account every week and this covers PA hours/tax/ extra costs for fuel which the PA claims for because when she takes my daughter out she uses her own car. Her holiday pay is also covered through direct payments. I don't keep any receipts or wage slips for any of this because it's all sent to the local council by payroll.

All i do is log onto the back account each month and pay the PA and HMRC.

For respite, i keep receipts and a note book so i can remind myself how much is left out of the respite money. It's an added extra on top of her budget.

A care plan is drawn up once the needs assessment is done. This is based on what care the child needs.

April2018mom

How long does the needs assessment take?

poppy123456

That will depend on the size of the waiting list in your area.

April2018mom

UPDATE- we have a date for a needs assessment. What questions should I ask during the assessment? A social worker called me today to confirm a appointment for next week. We are looking at traditional options for respite care since my son is quite independent already! But we certainly will need adaptive equipment to help him remain independent.

poppy123456

You will be asked questions about your son because they will want to know how his conditions affect him so they can give him the adaptions he needs to help in the future.

Respite will totally depend on the budget of your local council.

April2018mom

Second update

I met with a social worker today to discuss my son. The discussion revolved around his physical difficulties mainly. I don’t think that I need respite care. My future goals for him include him eventually being able to work and living independently too.

The whole assessment went better than I originally thought it would. We spent the better part of three or four hours talking. What will happen next? After a lot of discussion, she decided he only really needs adaptive equipment at home.

When will I receive a copy of the report from the social worker?

Adrian_Scope

Hi @April2018mom, I'm glad the assessment went better than you thought it would. Unfortunately it's hard to know how long it will take for you to receive a copy of the report, are you able to contact her directly to ask?

April2018mom

Adrian_Scope said:

Hi @April2018mom, I'm glad the assessment went better than you thought it would. Unfortunately it's hard to know how long it will take for you to receive a copy of the report, are you able to contact her directly to ask?

I have emailed her back to ask.

Adrian_Scope

That's good, I hope you hear soon.

April2018mom

After that, what is the next step?

poppy123456

As no care support is needed, they may not write a report.

You'll be contacted regarding the adaptive equipment, if any need installing you'll be given a date for this to be done. Other than that, that's it.

April2018mom

Can the care plan be updated?

How do I start looking at activities for him? We are researching mainstream activities as there seems to be very little for physically disabled toddlers to do.

poppy123456

I thought you said that he only needs adaptive equipment at home. If this is correct then there won't be a care plan. There's only a care plan written if care/support is needed.

April2018mom

poppy123456 said:

I thought you said that he only needs adaptive equipment at home. If this is correct then there won't be a care plan. There's only a care plan written if care/support is needed.

I know but I want him to be able to go to community events/clubs/activities as well.

poppy123456

You will need to check what's available in your area.

April2018mom

Where do you buy aids from? What companies do you use?

poppy123456

You don't need to buy them, an Occupational Therapist will supply them free of charge.

Is this for your son? If so then you need to speak to the person that you had the home assessment with because they should be dealing with all of this.

April2018mom

poppy123456 said:

You don't need to buy them, an Occupational Therapist will supply them free of charge.

Is this for your son? If so then you need to speak to the person that you had the home assessment with because they should be dealing with all of this.

Thanks. We are meeting a private OT next Monday for a assessment. I managed to find one with experience of my son's particular needs.