Agenda item

Shona McFarlane, Director of Health and Wellbeing presented the submitted report in respect of Personalisation, Self Directed Support.

Self Directed Support describes new approaches in the social care system that puts people in control and helps them to design their own personalised support.

A key part of the process was the introduction of a personal budget.  Building into the new system was a process for working out the level of resources a customer can access to pay for the support they require to meet their needs.  Exactly how the customer chooses to spend their personal budget was flexible and in their control and was documented in a support plan.

In order to fulfil the requirements of a SDS process, new documentation must be introduced; these documents would include:

• Individual Social Care Assessment
• A Resource Allocation System
• Support Plan
• Risk Policy

Individual Social Care Assessment (ICSA)

The ISCA is a needs based assessment tool which assesses eligibility under Fair Access to Care Services criteria.

To fulfil the duty to assess needs, the care manager will complete the ISCA with the customer. The document has been written in a way that ensures the customers needs, aspirations and desired outcomes were at the centre of the assessment.

The ISCA had been combined with the Resource Allocation System and therefore completion of the document allowed an indicative personal budget to be calculated.  This was an indication of the level of resources a customer may need to live life as an equal citizen and achieve some or all of their personal outcomes which sit within the ‘Outcomes for Adults’ framework.

Resource Allocation System

The aim of a Resource Allocation System (RAS) and Allocation Framework was to provide a clear and rational way to calculate the level of resources an eligible person was likely to need to arrange support.

It was not the intention for the RAS to give a precise allocation of funding but rather to be a tool which is sufficient to produce a ballpark figure for the majority of users.  The ‘indicative allocation’ calculated by the RAS can be adjusted up or down accordingly depending on individual circumstances.

The actual amount would not be agreed until a support plan that met the eligible social care needs was completed.

Support Plan

A customer’s needs and the outcomes they wished to achieve were identified during the assessment process and recorded within the ISCA.  The support plan would map how a person would meet their needs creatively to achieve their outcomes and who would support them in this.  It would also identify how the person would manage their resources.

A support plan must be agreed and signed off by the care manager.

Risk Policy

The risk policy would highlight the arrangements that RMBC Adult Social Care would put in place to address complex risk situations.  The policy would include a risk assessment tool and the process for managing risk which involved criteria for referring cases to a Risk Enablement Panel.

The risk panel would exist to guide, advise and support individuals to minimise risks and manage complex risk situations; it would provide a forum where staff could share risk decision making.  The panel would aim to seek positive solutions and outcomes for individuals and resolve issues regarding the sharing of risk between individuals.  It would be responsible for providing a consistent approach to managing complex risk situations and to take the final decision on issues involving risk.  Safeguarding was a key element of personalisation, and the Risk Enablement Panel would have a key role in preventing abuse, and protecting vulnerable adults from abuse.

An implementation and monitoring plan to roll out the new documentation would be produced and agreed by the Self Directed Support and Personal Budgets group.  The group proposed a planned roll out to avoid a negative impact on performance during a critical time of the year.  Personalisation Champions within the Physical Disability Team and Sensory Impairment Team would be the first to use the documentation with new customers allocated to them as of 1^st March 2010.  As of 1^st April 2010, the new documentation would be further rolled out to all teams within Assessment and Care Management including the Learning Disability Team.

The documentation, including the RAS would be monitored and reviewed regularly by the Self Directed Support and Personal Budgets group and appropriate amendments would be made.

Discussion ensued and the following points were raised:-

• Reference was made to the general information form at P18 of the report, which did not include information relating to retired people.  It was confirmed that this questionnaire was purely to capture information relating to people in employment.
• Concerns were raised about the difference in the pound per point figure for older people and people with learning disabilities.  A query was raised about how this would affect them when they reached the age of 65.  Confirmation was given that these figures did not relate to benefits received but were in respect of their care package only.
• It was felt there was a need for ensuring safeguarding measures were in place to make sure that the money allocated was being used by the customer.
• Were safeguarding checks in place in respect of people receiving mobility allowances to ensure that the vehicle in question was being used by the customer and not their extended family?  Confirmation was given that safeguarding measures were in place for this.
• At what point would existing customers be assessed for this new way of working?  All customers would be assessed as part of the annual review of their package.
• If a large number of people decide that they want to provide their own care what impact would this have on spot contracts.  It was confirmed that a new framework agreement was to be introduced which would put the onus of service providers to provide a service that our customers wanted.

Resolved:- (1) That the new SDS documentation and operating framework in which this sits be approved.

(2) That regular monthly updates be presented to the Cabinet Member.