Adult social care frequently asked questions
Gateway to care - February 2012gatewaytocare@kirklees.gov.uk
The Government asked local authorities like Kirklees Council to change the way we deliver services to make sure we continue to put people first. This change is called 'the transformation of adult social care - putting people first'.
To help us deliver this change we continue to work with other organisations in Kirklees including NHS Kirklees, the Police and voluntary organisations and communities.
We want to make sure you lisve your life as you wish, knowing that you can get high quality services that are safe and right for you as an individual. The services you receive should help you to live independently, while maintaining your well-being and dignity and enabling you to have choice and control.
These questions have been put together to give you some answers to how we are putting people first in Kirklees. You can go straight to the question that interests you by clicking the question below. For a full list of the questions and answers please scroll down.
To help us deliver this change we continue to work with other organisations in Kirklees including NHS Kirklees, the Police and voluntary organisations and communities.
We want to make sure you lisve your life as you wish, knowing that you can get high quality services that are safe and right for you as an individual. The services you receive should help you to live independently, while maintaining your well-being and dignity and enabling you to have choice and control.
These questions have been put together to give you some answers to how we are putting people first in Kirklees. You can go straight to the question that interests you by clicking the question below. For a full list of the questions and answers please scroll down.
- What does Putting People First in Kirklees mean?
- How will I know if I am eligible?
- What is eligibility criteria?
- What is an assessment?
- What is a person-led assessment?
- What is a person-led review?
- What happens if I am eligible for help?
- What is a support plan?
- What is a direct payment?
- What is a personal budget?
- What is an individual budget?
- What is a virtual budget?
- What is self-directed support?
- Will I be able to spend my budget on anything that I like?
- Can I get someone to help me manage my money?
- How will you monitor what I spend my money on?
- Can I have my money in one lump sum?
- If my budget is not enough will I be able to get extra money to buy the service that I want?
- I keep hearing the term personalisation, what does it mean?
- Can anyone get a Personal Budget?
- What other money could I receive?
- How much money will I get?
- Is the allocation of a personal budget subject to means-testing?
- How can I use my Personal Budget?
- Are Personal Budgets taxable?
- Will a Personal Budget affect my benefits?
- Will I have to pay any of the money back?
- Do I need to keep records?
- What happens if my needs change?
- Will the Council still use the Fair Access to Care Services guidance to determine who is eligible for support?
- 'Self-Directed Support' and 'Personalisation' - does it all mean Personal Budgets?
- If I want to employ a personal assistant (PA) how will I know if they are reputable?
- What would happen if someone doesn't have Mental capacity to complete the paperwork themselves?
- What is Advocacy?
- I would prefer to deal with one person throughout the process - is this possible?
- How will I find out what services are available for me to spend my budget on?
- How and who will monitor if support is working?
- I don't understand some of the information in leaflets because of the Terminology used - can be jargonistic - not user friendly
- How will health funded packages fit in?
- How will this affect joint work from integrated teams - will money be able to be used to buy physio etc?
Kirklees Council Adult Services are looking at the whole adult social care sector to make sure that it gives you choice, control and
independence in how we meet your social care needs.
To help us do this we are working more closely with independent, private and voluntary organisations that deliver services and activities. We developed a new assessment process which will tell us what your health and social care needs are. This assessment allows us to work out your personal budget, so that you can shape the type of services you buy, provide you with information to make informed choices and make sure that our staff have the skills needed to deliver these changes.
To help us do this we are working more closely with independent, private and voluntary organisations that deliver services and activities. We developed a new assessment process which will tell us what your health and social care needs are. This assessment allows us to work out your personal budget, so that you can shape the type of services you buy, provide you with information to make informed choices and make sure that our staff have the skills needed to deliver these changes.
If you do not get a service from us but would like to know if you can, you can ask for a person led assessment. This assessment will identify
if you meet our eligibility criteria for services.
We have guidance called "eligibility criteria" to work out if you are eligible for adult social care services.
Our social workers and care officers use the criteria to make sure we treat everyone fairly and that people who meet
the criteria for help receive services and support.
Our eligibility criteria is based on the legal requirements set down in community care legislation.
For people who fall within the "critical" and "substantial" category of the criteria we have a statutory duty to provide services.
Critical care needs are when you cannot care for yourself because you are in immediate danger or you could cause harm to others.
For example:
Vital is described as vital is described as "necessary" to the person's life, health and well-being.
The services we provide in this category include:
Substantial is described as "Substantial" to the person's life, health and well-being such as.
Before we decide whether we can provide you with support, we need to decide whether you are eligible for services.
Our eligibility criteria is based on the legal requirements set down in community care legislation.
For people who fall within the "critical" and "substantial" category of the criteria we have a statutory duty to provide services.
Critical care needs are when you cannot care for yourself because you are in immediate danger or you could cause harm to others.
For example:
- life is, or will be, threatened.
- significant health problems have developed or will develop.
- there is, or will be, little or no choice and control over vital aspects of the immediate environment.
- serious abuse or neglect will occur.
- there is, or will be an inability to carry out vital personal care or domestic routines.
- vital involvement in work, education or learning cannot or will not be sustained
- vital social support systems and relationships cannot or will not be sustained.
- vital family and other social roles and responsibilities cannot or will not be undertaken.
Vital is described as vital is described as "necessary" to the person's life, health and well-being.
The services we provide in this category include:
- intensive support at home, like home care services.
- equipment to help you live as independently as possible at home, such as a housing adaptation, a carephone or fall detector.
- residential or nursing home care so that where possible you can regain your independence and confidence after a stay in hospital and return home etc.
Substantial is described as "Substantial" to the person's life, health and well-being such as.
- there is, or will be only partial choice and control over your immediate environment
- abuse or neglect has occurred or will occur
- there is, or will be, an inability to carry out the majority of personal care or domestic routines
- involvement in many aspects of work, education or learning cannot or will not be sustained
- The majority of social support systems and relationships cannot or will not be sustained
- The majority of family and other social roles and responsibilities cannot or will not be undertaken.
- intensive support at home, like home care services
- equipment to help you live as independently as possible at home, such as a housing adaptation, a carephone or fall detector
- residential or nursing home care so that where possible you can regain your independence and confidence after a stay in hospital and return home
Before we decide whether we can provide you with support, we need to decide whether you are eligible for services.
An assessment means we will look at your current situation and the difficulties you are having. We usually need to take advice from health professionals, such as your doctor and community occupational therapist to reach a decision.
A person-led assessment is when a person assesses themselves. This can also be called self-assessment. You will be able to carry out a person-led assessment on your own, with a family member, friend, neighbour, carer, advocate or with an Adult Services worker. It is your choice if you want someone to help you.
The person-led assessment will identify what your needs are and if you meet our eligibility criteria.
The person-led assessment will identify what your needs are and if you meet our eligibility criteria.
A person-led review is when you tell us if your needs are being met and how your life has improved. It is your opportunity to tell us what is working and what isn't.
You will be able to carry out a person-led review on your own, with a family member, friend, neighbour, carer, advocate or with an Adult Services worker. It is your choice if you want someone to help you.
You will be able to carry out a person-led review on your own, with a family member, friend, neighbour, carer, advocate or with an Adult Services worker. It is your choice if you want someone to help you.
If you are eligible for our services your person-led assessment will have identified what your social care needs are. You will use this information
to write your support plan. You will also be able to decide if you would like Kirklees to manage your care for you or if you wish to take
a direct paymentand manage your support yourself. You can also choose to take a mixture of managed services and a direct payment.
You can do this with an adult services worker, advocate, friend, carer or family member.
You can do this with an adult services worker, advocate, friend, carer or family member.
A support plan is a document which says what your needs are and how your needs will be met. It is your choice how your needs are met.
Download the "How to write your support plan leaflet" (PDF: 806KB)
Download the "How to write your support plan leaflet" (PDF: 806KB)
A direct payment is a cash payment which allows you to buy your own support, instead of Kirklees Adult Services providing it for you.
The money is there for you to buy the services you want in order to meet your assessed needs. You can choose who provides
the care, what time they come, and what they do. The amount of money you get will depend on your level of social care need.
A direct payment can only be used to buy services that are not provided by Kirklees Adult Services. However, you can
choose a mix of services, so that some of the services are provided by Kirklees Adult Services and the rest is provided in the
form of a cash payment, a 'direct payment', for you to buy other services that meet your needs and enable you to live independently.
A personal budget is an amount of money that if you are eligible you can use to meet your social care needs. The money can only
be used to meet your assessed needs.
A personal budget is calculated using a points-based Resource Allocation System (RAS).
You will complete a Person-Led Assessment. Points are allocated from the assessment which is converted into a monetary value
using the Resource Allocation System. We will then inform you of your 'indicative' personal budget.
You can then choose how to spend your personal budget to meet your identified social care needs.
To help you to manage your budget there are 3 support options that we will offer:
- Self-directed support - this is when you choose to find the support services you need and manage your budget on your own
- Care navigation - this is when you asks us to help you to find the support services you need and to put them in place but that you wish to manage your budget yourself
- Care support - this is when you ask us to help you to find the support services you need, to put them in place and to manage your personal budget for you
A personal budget gives you the choice and control for how you want to put your support package together. You can then choose
to manage, or "spend", this budget on your support either with or without further support from Kirklees Adult Services.
An individual budget is very similar to a personal budget, and the 2 terms are often used to mean the same thing.
The difference is:
- A personal budget is only money from Kirklees Adult Services that is for meeting your assessed social care needs.
- An individual budget comprises money from other funding streams, such as Supporting People, Disabled Facilities Grant, and others. This money is put into one budget (an individual budget) for you to use to meet your identified social care needs.
At the moment Kirklees Adult Services is only using personal budgets.
A virtual budget is if you decide that you don't want to take the budget as money and ask Kirklees Adult Services to manage your budget for you. This is called Care Support (currently Care Management).
You will still be told what your allocated budget is and will choose how it is used to meet your assessed social care needs.
Self-directed support means that you must have a clear upfront allocation of resources, be offered a budget and be able to choose how to spend this budget.
Direct payments, personal, individual budgets and virtual budgets are all ways of enabling you to self-direct your care.
You will be able to spend your budget on anything that meets your assessed social care needs as long as it is not illegal or likely to put you or other at serious risk of harm.
You may choose to manage your own money, you may want a broker to help you or you may ask us or someone else such as a member of your family to manage your allocation on your behalf.
Kirklees Adult Services will make sure that people have the support they need to manage their support package.
Kirklees Adult Services will make sure that people have the support they need to manage their support package.
We monitor how budgets are spent through our direct payment process. We are continuing to develop our monitoring systems to ensure they are fit for purpose.
Personal budgets are paid in instalments to help people to manage their budget.
In some cases we allocate "one-off payments" which are based on a person's annual personal budget amount.
In some cases we allocate "one-off payments" which are based on a person's annual personal budget amount.
If their is a service that your needs that can be purchased within your allocation of the personal budget but you wish to purchase something more expensive we won't top up your budget but you can contribute to it yourself to purchase the more expensive option.
We will only top up your budget if the only available service to meet your needs is more expensive than your budget allocation - any areas like this will hopefully be identified through the support planning process when providers are identified to meet your outcomes. This will be assessed on a case by case basis.
Personalisation is a term that can be confused with personal budgets. It means ensuring our services deliver choice, control and independence to
the person to enable them to make decisions about their support needs.
Yes, if you are eligible for our services you will have a person-led assessment which will calculate a personal budget based on your level
of need. Everyone who accesses our services receives a personal budget to meet their needs.
In addition to your Personal Budget you may be able to get money from the following:
It is important to remember that each source of funding has its own rules and reviewing arrangements and therefore you may be reviewed by more than one organisation.
- Disabled Facilities Grant - this can pay for changes to your house, like a stair lift or a wet room. We can organise a specialist assessment to advise how these adaptations might be arranged.
- Access to Work - this can pay for the cost of workplace adjustments to help a disabled person take up or keep paid work.
- Supporting People funding - this is spent on 'housing related support' to help people live independently in their own home. It can pay for things like help to develop life skills such as understanding a tenancy agreement or cooking, which will help vulnerable people to be able to live independently.
It is important to remember that each source of funding has its own rules and reviewing arrangements and therefore you may be reviewed by more than one organisation.
The answers given on the Person-Led Assessment (PLA) will be used to work out the amount of money available to support your needs.
This process makes sure that people get a fair amount of money to meet their level of need.
Once you have done the assessment you will be told an early estimate of how much your budget will be. This is so that you can start to do a Support Plan and work out how you might want to spend the money to meet your needs and make changes to improve your quality of life. If the amount of money is too low or too high, we will look at it together and change it to make sure it is right for your care.
Once you have done the assessment you will be told an early estimate of how much your budget will be. This is so that you can start to do a Support Plan and work out how you might want to spend the money to meet your needs and make changes to improve your quality of life. If the amount of money is too low or too high, we will look at it together and change it to make sure it is right for your care.
Yes. Just as with other services, you may have to contribute towards the cost of your support but it will depend on your financial circumstances. We will carry out a financial assessment to see if you have to make a contribution.
Your Personal Budget can be spent on many things - there are only a few unbreakable rules (for example, nothing illegal!). Your money can be used to pay for anything that helps towards your social care needs, so you can be really creative and help get the most out of the money. How you intend to use your Personal Budget will need to be agreed in your Support Plan before any money is paid to you.
Here are some examples:
Here are some examples:
- Employ a personal assistant instead of a carer from us - if you choose to employ your own staff you will be given advice, support and information about your legal responsibilities as an employer. You cannot employ a member of your family to support you except in exceptional circumstances which have been agreed by us.
- A care agency of your choice - we recommend that your care is purchased from a provider that is registered with the Commission for Social Care Inspectorate (CSCI) who inspect the standards provided by care agencies to make sure they meet national minimum standards. We can give you contact details of local care agencies if you ask for them.
- A community activity - such as going to a club or an educational activity like going to college.
- An item of equipment - you may wish to buy an item of special equipment to meet an outcome shown in your support plan.
- Complementary treatments - such as chiropody, physiotherapy or occupational therapy to complement any ongoing health treatment you may be receiving.
- Transport - to visit family and friends or attend a leisure or educational activity.
- You tell us! - There are lots of beneficial things out there that we don't know about, so tell us, as part of your Support Plan, what you think will help you.
No, because the money is for your own support needs. It is important to keep your Personal Budget money in a separate bank account so you can show that the money has been used to meet the outcomes in your support plan if you are asked about it by HM Revenue and Customs. If you employ a personal assistant, then you need to make sure that they pay tax on their income. We can help you with this.
No. Your benefits will not be affected by your Personal Budget.
We normally allow people to carry forward up to eight weeks worth of their Personal Budget from one year to the next; although it is possible to carry forward more if it has been agreed in your Support Plan. Over and above this amount we will ask you for repayment but we will discuss this with you.
Yes. You must keep your bank statements and you must be able to accurately tell us what you have spent your money on. We know this can be hard work so we're trying to make this as painless as possible. We will discuss this with you as part of the process for setting up your Personal Budget.
If there is a change in your needs so that you require either more or less support, please let us know as soon as possible. We may need to review your support with you. This is exactly the same for everyone who receives an Adult Social Care Service from Kirklees Council.
30. Will the council still use the Fair Access to Care Services guidance to determine who is eligible for support?
Yes. We will continue to offer support to anyone who is assessed as having a critical or substantial need.
No. Self-Directed Support and Personalisation are much, much more than Personal Budgets. We are committed to offering a range
of services which all put the service user first, including information and advice, the services we provide 'In-House', telecare,
reablement,developing the local market to provide choice in the services you want to purchase and everything else.
CRB checks will continue as they do now. You will develop a support plan and where it is identified that a personal assistant will be employed they will go through the same processes as currently happen for PA's paid through direct payments. We are also looking at other issues relating to PA's and possible training and accreditation schemes that may be delivered.
We have also incorporated Safeguarding into the new customer journey and associated paperwork to make sure you are safe.
We will provide support and this can be via support at assessment by an assessor and/or an advocate. We will continue to follow the mental capacity act and deprivation of liberty safeguards.
Advocacy is a process to support people to:
- Express their views and concerns
- Access information and services
- Defend and promote their rights and responsibilities
- Explore options and choices
Advocacy is a vital part of our offer and it will be available to everyone who needs this. We will provide support with the assessment process and you will also be able to identify if you would like an advocate at any point you feel that you need it.
Under personalisation you will have the same named worker for your assessment, and planning your support but there will also be extra people introduced to you who can provide specialist support to
help you to put your support package in place. You will have the choice to put those services in place yourself, with
a family member, friend, advocate or care navigator (a new role within Adult Services) or through care support (traditional care management).
Adult Services is working with Shop4support to develop an online marketplace for Kirklees to provide this information.
At present it is anticipated that this will be in place early 2012. Staff, members of the public, customers of
Adult Services, providers, etc will be able to access this information through the Kirklees Council website.
The Kirklees online marketplace will be part of a regional marketplace for Yorkshire and Humber.
We will keep you informed about when the marketplace is live but until then you can find out about services available through our website or by contacting Gateway to Care.
The Kirklees online marketplace will be part of a regional marketplace for Yorkshire and Humber.
We will keep you informed about when the marketplace is live but until then you can find out about services available through our website or by contacting Gateway to Care.
Monitoring arrangements will continue as they are now with the emphasis on the individual highlighting any problems. There will
also be the Initial Planned Reviews and Annual Planned Reviews.
We also carry out planned and ad hoc financial monitoring of person budgets, both virtual and in the form of a direct payment.
We also carry out planned and ad hoc financial monitoring of person budgets, both virtual and in the form of a direct payment.
38. I don't understand some of the information in leaflets because of the Terminology used - can be jargonistic - not user friendly
All our information that we produce is checked to make sure that it is in plain English and is easy to read
and understand. We are also working on Learning Disability versions of our information to make them into easy read documents
using 'photosymbols' and so on.
If you receive any information that you do not understand please contact Gateway to Care on 01484 414933
Health funded packages sit outside the personal budget and the support plan. This is purely to
fund social care needs and identified outcomes from the support plan to meet those needs.
Health are currently carrying out pilots across the Country on personal health budgets.
Health are currently carrying out pilots across the Country on personal health budgets.
40. How will this affect joint work from integrated teams - will money be able to be used to buy physio etc?
You will be able to buy physio from your personal budget as long as it meets your adult social care needs within the
identified outcomes and is not classed as illegal or inappropriate.
If you have any questions about any of the information above please contact Gateway to care on 01484 414933 or your named social worker.
