Challenging Charges For Social Care Services

Thanks to NCIL for passing on this information.

 

The Coalition on Charging is a group of organisations chaired by the National Centre for Independent Living (NCIL). The coalition was established to campaign against the current system of charging for community care services.

 

The Coalition members include: NCIL, Age Concern, Scope, the Multiple Sclerosis Society, Disability Alliance, Alzheimer’s Society, People First, Mind, Radar, the Alliance for Inclusive Education, Counsel and Care, United Kingdom Disabled Peoples Council (UKDPC), Action for Blind People, Royal National Institute for the Deaf, Arthritis Care, British Polio Fellowship, Carers UK, Equalities, Help the Aged, the Parkinson’s Disease Society, Mencap.

 

The Coalition is writing an up to date report, highlighting the current situation with charging for care, to ensure that the issue is on the government’s agenda when looking at the future of social care.

 

Our survey:

 

As part of the report we want to include feedback from people who are affected by charging. We have developed a survey that will be used to help the Coalition on Charging produce good information.

 

The report is aimed at the Department of Health and Government. A Government consultation (‘green’) paper on reform is due out sometime in 2008.  The Government has said that it ‘believes that there are real opportunities for reform within a system that shares the cost between the individual and the state’.

 

However, in our view, it is very important that they look at the effects on people of the current charging system and hear the views of people who are currently being charged for their support.

 

In order that we can include your views please can you respond to this survey by May 1 2008.

 

Please fill in the question on personal details. It is important for us to know your age as adult services are often provided for ‘adults’ and ‘older people’. We will not pass on any personal information and will make all responses anonymous in the report.

 

The Coalition has one set of survey questions for individual people who need support and their carers. There is a separate set of survey questions for organisations representing people who need support and representing carers. Please fill in the right survey.

 

You can download them here:

 

charging-survey-for-individuals

 

charging-survey-for-organisations

 

If you are involved in a forum or network, if you were able to discuss this issue that would be very useful.

 

The survey is for all adults in England who use (or have used) local authority social services for support in their own home. This includes people who use (or have used) direct payments. It does not include people who use residential care services.

 

This survey is aimed at all disabled and older people who use community care services.

 

We apologise for the short amount of time given to return the survey but we hope you will be able to give us your views.

 

Please send your completed survey by May 1 2008 to NCIL,  Fourth Floor, Hampton House, 20 Albert Embankment, London SE1 7TJ or to policy@ncil.org.uk or fax to 0207 587 1663

 

 

Southampton Delivers Charging Blow to Direct Payments Users

Over two years ago, despite protests from SCIL and the majority of Direct Payments users in Southampton, Southampton City Council decided to introduce charging for Direct Payments users. For a number of reasons, the policy has not been implemented…until now.

This week, all Direct Payments users will receive a letter asking them to complete a form about their individual circumstances. Based on this information, Southampton City Council will then assess whether the user will pay a charge for Direct Payments.

SCIL completely oppose the introduction of charging and believe that it is fundamentally wrong for people to have to pay towards having their human rights met.

SCIL also believes that the amount of revenue actually raised by such policies is a lot less than many authorities claim once you take into account the costs of financially assessing users and administering the charges. We also question whether trying to collect accurate information from users without actually visiting them is going to be possible, particularly when disability related expenditure needs to be considered.

Indeed the Fairer Charging guidance issued by the Department of Health states ‘The process should not be primarily paper-based, or carried out by post, as a full list of possible items without explanation could be confusing for users. The process should be flexible enough to deal with differences in the needs of individual users. Users will very often need personal help and advice on how to claim. Assessments involving disability-related expenditure should, therefore, normally be carried out by personal interview in the user’s own home.’

SCIL has already had many concerned users contact us and we have therefore decided to hold an ‘open day’ where users can visit SCIL and receive help to complete the form. We will also be providing users with information on disability related expenses although this in no way absolves the local authority from their responsibility to provide face to face financial assessments to users.

The ‘open day’ will be on Friday April 11 2008 between 10am and 4pm. Direct Payments Support Workers will be on hand to give information, advice and support throughout the day. Obviously, we will also be visiting people at home if they are unable to get to SCIL, although Southampton City Council has set very tight deadlines for getting the forms completed. Please ring 023 8033 0982 or email directpayments@southamptoncil.co.uk for more information.

Below is an advice sheet produced by HCODP about preparing for a financial assessment. Please feel free to download it if you think it might be useful.   

Advice Sheet on Financial Assessments