Personalisation
What is Personalisation?
Personalisation means thinking about public services and social care in an entirely different way – starting with the person rather than the service.
Currently, and historically, a person in need of social care services would be assessed (by a social worker and possibly several other people) and then told what type of support they would receive, who from, where and when. For some years now the Government has been moving towards changing that system to one where the person in need of social care gets to decide what type of support they will receive, who from, where and when. This is known as the Personalisation Agenda. Self Directed Support is the phrase used to describe this way of doing things.
The Government wants people who need social care support to have more choice and control over their lives and have asked all local authorities to introduce new ways of supporting people. In practice, this means making social care more personalised and giving service users more choice and control over the social care they receive.
For some time Local Authorities have been under a duty to offer Direct Payments, which is form of Self Directed Support. A Direct Payment works a bit like a benefits payment. It is a cash payment to a service user who uses it to pay the provider of his or her choice to provide the support needed.
The next stage on from Direct Payments is Individual Budgets.
Individual Budgets have been piloted in 13 Local Authorities. This is where the service user is given far more control from the start of what type of support they purchase and from whom.
It is possible under Individual Budgets to employ family members or friends and the range of things which can be funded is much wider for example gym membership, a gardener, a day out or a massage etc. Individual Budgets can also be used to purchase items rather than services, such as a computer or a bike or even a dog!
The drivers behind Personalisation are found in the “Our Health, Our Care, Our Say” White Paper. In short, people will be happier, healthier and have better prospects for the future if they are put in control of their own social care support.
Person centred thinking is the philosophy which underpins Personalisation. Individual Budgets are therefore intended to:
· Put people in control of their own social care and support.
· Encourage flexible, tailor made, person centred care and support packages.
· Throw open the range of support and services which can be funded.
This all sounds great, so what are the potential problems?
· The service user becomes an employer, who has to recruit their own employee or provider. Once they have selected someone to deliver the support they have wages to pay, tax and national insurance, or alternatively have invoices to deal with.
· Needs v Wants. What if service users want to spend their money on an activity or item which isn't necessarily best for them?
· Family members and friends can been employed. What happens if that relationship breaks down? Even the most caring families sometimes entangle their own needs and wants with those of the person they look after.
· Abuse - how can abuse of funds be avoided, checked up on?
· Advocacy – how do people make their social care wishes known?
· Safeguarding – what systems will be put in place to ensure people do receive the support they need and are paying for?
· Pilot schemes have shown that older people don't feel the benefits of Individual Budgets as much as other groups do.
· As for providers, this represents a massive change in the way social care services will be bought and paid for. Providers will have to adapt the way they sell their services and receive payment
Personalisation can be confusing to those familiar with the traditional role of social services. But this, personalisation glossary, explains funding terms that are now being used:
Personalisation
Personalisation is the all-encompassing term for the Government’s agenda to give people more choice about the care they receive. The system places the service user at the centre of the process and allows them to choose the agencies they use and the manner in which they receive support.
Self-directed support
Self-directed support is the term used for when people choose their services, organise their care and arrange for payments to be made. This is because the individual who requires the service is directing their own care and has choice when it comes to their support.
Individual Budgets
Service users receive an Individual Budget and use this to pay for a variety of services. The individual budget contains funding from several sources, including social services, the Independent Living Fund, Supporting People, Disabled Facilities Grant and Access to Work. It can also be used to purchase equipment if this is needed. Crucially, individual budgets encompass a number of different agencies but are accessed at a single point, making the system easier to navigate for service users compared to the old multi-agency approach.
Personal Budgets
Personal Budgets are similar to Individual Budgets, but are made up solely from social services funding. Personal Budgets are not multi-agency payments, so people would still have to contact other organisations if they receive some level of support from them. People also have a choice as to whether they receive the money as a direct payment, to receive a standard care service, or a mixture of both.
Direct Payments
Direct Payments are means-tested payments made instead of receiving social care. The money received should be enough to meet your care needs. Direct Payments have been available since 1997 and are made to a wide variety of people, including carers, adult service users and people with short-term needs. Direct Payments should not be confused with direct payment; this is the method in which Personal Budgets and Individual Budgets are paid.
Indirect Payments
Indirect Payments are similar to Direct Payments, but instead of being paid to the individual who needs the service, payments are made to a nominated individual or into a trust. The trustees or nominated people then pay for services on the individual’s behalf.
Indicative Allowance
The Indicative Allowance is also known as the Gross Individual Budget and is the maximum amount of funding made available to meet an individual’s social care support needs.
Individual Support or Service Fund
When a service provider agrees to hold a spend someone’s Individual Budget on the understanding that it will be spent according to the persons Individual Support Plan and that any money will be kept in a separate bank account.
Support brokers
Support brokers provide help to people looking for care services. They are at the behest of the service user and provide the technical assistance to put the support package in place. Often they will be work independently from the local authority and will mediate between their client and the authority. Support brokers can be anybody from close friends and family to members of a local charity or voluntary organisation or a social worker.
