How do you calculate the level of contribution that adult social care recipients should make to their care packages?
We complete a financial assessment as per Care and Support Statutory Guidance issued under the Care Act 2014 the Department of Health.
What income are social care recipients allowed to retain, after their contribution to their care package has been deducted?
We apply the statutory disregards and allowances which are dependent upon a person’s age and financial circumstances as per the guidance indicated above.
What do you allow as Disability Related Expenses? Please provide a copy of your guidance if this is easier.
Each person receives a financial assessment when all eligible disability related expenditure is taken into account dependent upon their individual circumstances
Do you use pre-payment cards for care payments?
Yes
If yes can people opt out of using these?
Yes
Are there any restrictions on what Personal Budgets and Direct Payments can be spent on?
Direct Payments must only be sent on meeting the outcomes defined in the Care and Support plan
Please provide a copy of your guidance on this.
Please provide a copy of the guidance document that your authority uses to make decisions on Direct Payment packages.
See policy above.
Do you have a contingency policy for Direct Payment users. If yes please attach a copy.
An allowance of 1 weeks’ worth of funding is made and support to contingency plan is provided by Direct Payments Officers at the onset.
If a PA is off work sick do you provide extra funding to cover their sick pay – as individual employers can no longer get statutory sick pay reimbursed? As DP users use their funds flexibly inevitably some surplus arises and such balances will be considered in relation to use for other expenditure such as sickness or redundancy payments.
As users use their funds flexibly inevitably some surpluses arise and such balances will be considered in relation to use for other expenditure such as sickness or redundancy payments.
- What percentage of Direct Payments rates, that are paid to adults who directly employ their own PAs, are allowed to be spent on the following additional expenses?
- National insurance employer contributions
- Statutory paid holidays
- Payroll charges
- Independent living insurance
- Advertising
- National Minimum Wage increase from April 2016
- Redundancy payments
- Pensions
- Training
- Contingency funding
The standard rates vary from £10.58 – £12.70 per hour and include provision for holidays, NMW, training, sickness, a pension allowance is added if and when a PA requests to join a pension provider. It is based on the minimum current employer contribution of 1%.
Allowances are made for holiday, bank holiday, equivalent to 5.6 weeks, converted to a weekly amount.
If the Direct Payment recipient has a payroll service £3.50 per week is allowed, employer’s liability insurance at a one off payment of £90 is added. A contingency payment equivalent to 1 week’s payment is paid and with permission can be used to cover any other costs including recruitment.
As DP users use their funds flexibly inevitably some surpluses arise and such balances will be considered in relation to use for other expenditure should it arise such as training, maternity or redundancy payments.