Help Needed Please Direct Payments for Care while on holiday

New to Carers Connect
1

Hi All

I am having immense problems with the Direct Payment Team at local CC. Never had much contact with them before but seem to have a cultural of blame the carer and inundate them with admin work.

Can anyone please point me to any links relating to personal budget direct payments being used abroad for replacement care while on holiday. Much appreciated. I am the Carer and the Caree will be abroad for 13 Nights, while there personal budget in addition, identified on the Care Plan as replacement care and has been added to Personal Budget and paid as a one off payment. Hope that makes more sense.

2

You need to explain a bit more.
Is the carer or the caree getting Direct Payments?
Who is going abroad?
What alternative care are you talking about?

3

One example from a google search. I guess it depends via each local authority.

4

Thank you

5

Hello and welcome!

Please tell us a bit more. Who is the caree? What type of care are you talking about? Are you staying at a hotel or not?

6

It may well be that there are various other sources of funding that you are unaware of, or provisions in the Care Act that the LA is unaware of. Just explain a bit more.

7

Hi Thanks I have the funding in place it is the evidence that this is allowed to be outside of the UK I am looking for. AS using PFS as facilitator not allowed transfer funds outside UK. Hope that helps

8

Sorry, no idea what AS or PFS facilitator means.

Where is the funding from, a local authority or the NHS?

9

Hi

Sorry typo As is as, PFS prepaid financial services, system used to hold personal budget for direct payments for care. The money is from a County Council Personal Care Budget, replacement care is the amount to replace the carer during that time. Not explaining this too well.

10

Thanks, that’s helpful.

Have a look at the 2014 Care Act Statutory Guidance, which makes it clear that as long as the money is being used to meet an assessed need (i.e. providing care for the client) then the LA should not place any unreasonable restrictions on how it is used).

I don’t know anything about the Prepaid Financial Services System, but surely it’s supposed to be arranged to manage the money properly for their client, your carer? Having a holiday is a normal part of life. Somewhere I have paperwork written by Luke Clements on that subject, but not sure where it is right now (I’m not well, son with LD home, and major reorganisation of my study/sewing room underway after redecoration!)