Holidays on Personal Budget

My daughter has had a couple of holidays over the years and they have always been paid no problems. That was when we used another agency who handled everything. Last year County Hall took over the running of everything and have really tightened up. They have not paid for a request for payment I sent in in June for daughter and myself. i queried this and was told that holidays should never have been paid for and nobody will get them in future.

I have spoken to two other local mums who claim for holidays and trips here and abroad. My daughter would not be able to take a holiday without me and her PA will not travel abroad and does not have a passport so it’s down to me.

I thought the idea of a PB was that people could choose what they want to do and how they can spend it. Believe me, holidaying with my daughter is not easy at times and I am “on call” 24/7.

Any advice appreciated. Thanks.

Hi Penny.

Disability Rights UK Factsheet F72 is a suitable blueprint here :

Personal Budgets:The right social care support | Disability Rights UK

The diificult part to track down a clear answer is what these monies may be spend on.

Consensus appears that PBs offer the freedom of choice but … at the same time , LA issue PBs in conjunction with an agreed
care plan.

If that is the case here , what has the care plan to say for itself … more particularly , on the question of respite / holidays ?

If silent , it appears we are back to square one … and the freedom of choice as to what these monies are to be spent on.

No definite answer … yet another grey area which may also be a post code lottery ?

Thank you Chris. Will drag the paperwork out and look.

Chris … the social worker has today confirmed that she will authorise payment of the holiday for daughter and myself as we had already taken it in June and daughter has money in her account but they will not do so in future.

I will try and locate the paperwork and double check though. We are decorating the “office/spare bedroom” and all the boxes of paperwork have been put in the loft so we have a clear space to work in!

I would love to hear from anybody else on here who takes a holiday with their caree and how they get on with Personal Budgets etc. Has anybody else been told they will not authorise them?

My daughter could never travel alone and I feel that she needs to experience foreign holidays while we are still fit enough to take her as I know the day will come when we won’t be able to. It also broadens her horizons and is something she would like to use her PB for!

We went to Corfu one year and we met a lady on the beach with her adult daughter who has Down’s and they had travelled all over the world and she never had any problems using the PB. It also worked out a helluva lot cheaper with Mum taking her than a PA.

That’s good news , Penny.

In line with what we all are seeing with the LA cutbacks , many are looking closely at the use of PBs and DPs in an attempt to either freeze or cut them.

It follows therefore that any activity , or use thereof , that could be considered optional … like holidays … will be closely scutinized , and questions asked.

Chris, can you post a link to the article you posted earlier. That mentions breaks and I think Penny will find it useful

No success so far.

I can tailor make one from scratch … general or specific … quite a bit is crossing over between various threads … I’ll check
the recent ones on Direct Payments and Personal Budgets as a backstop.

Actually my heading is misleading! It should read “Short Breaks”.

Short breaks ?

As we all know , one of the areas being closely scutinized by most LA when it comes to monies being dished out under the PB and
DP schemes.

A new thread sums up the current situation pretty well … a long read but well worth it :

https://www.carersuk.org/forum/support-and-advice/all-about-caring/direct-payments-las-and-families-of-disabled-children-cereba-report-prof-luke-clements-38329

( Akin to visiting a restaurant on a weekly basis … as each week passes , less and less on the menu ? Asking for something not
on the menu can be achieved … if one has the monies to pay for it !

Trouble is … said practice is contrary to current law … Carer Act , 2014 citied … who out there is doing something about that ???

NOT the LA Ombudsman … they can only REACT , not ACT ! )

Chris - I am beginning to understand that the wording on the Review paperwork has to be very precise. The SW used the word “short break”.

" Short break " … a definition ?

Means many things to many people.

In my days as a carer , anything over an hour and less than 3 … for just over 10 years. Any longer and my caree came with me.
( Any notion of " Respite care " came with a price tag in those days … 1997 - 2008. )

To others , might mean a fortnight away from caring … however funded.

Question is … what is this social worker’s definition ???

If NOT defined in writing , where does everyone go from here ?

Arbitration ?