Personal budgets Carer Caree

All about caring
1

I haven’t had a carers assessment for 6 years, but I hear about personal budgets that my caree can get a personal budget and so can I the carer.

Has anyone received a personal budget, I don’t know anyone, what can they be used for, how much do you get?

I suppose I have to have a carers assessment, there has been contact with Social Services not good contact I might add.

So should I have had a carers assessment regularly and should I have been offered a personal budget.

I read about services on the internet but never seem to be able to access them.

And equally my carees should they be getting personal budgets, there really is a lack of information, advice support, only by looking on the internet you find out these things.

What is my first step?

2

Hello Londonbound and Welcome
You need to contact Adult care services at your Council
They will appoint a Social Worker to make an appointment
To see you in your home.

Worker

3

Personal budgets ?

Full sp :

**_https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/social-care-and-support-guide/money-work-and-benefits/personal-budgets/**_

Personal budgets and direct payments.

You’ll be given a personal budget to spend if your local council decide you’re eligible for help with any social care and support you need.

You can request an assessment from the council to establish your needs.

The money in your personal budget can be paid to you, to help you make more decisions about how it’s spent. This is known as a direct payment.


Usual Forum health warning … several VERY recent threads and postings on the whole aspect of these !

I’ll post links if you cannot identify them.

4

Through monitoring complaints to the ombudsman I have learned that both you and each caree should have a review ANNUALLY. These can be “light touch” ie a phone call “is everything ok, has anything changed” but they must be recorded as such . You can request a full review at any point, especially if things have changed


That is the theory and the law, although councils do try to avoid. They get penalised or criticised if they don’t

So ask for assessments, and don’t be fobbed off. That has to be your first step.

However do be aware council’s are now using reviews to cut budgets if they can. Again maybe not correctly and the ombusdamnd often awards money backdated for care that should have been received when reviews were missed or faulty

5

A social worker to see me in my home, no I was directed to the internet, we don’t need to see the person now , you can fill in a carers assessment on the internet.
However I was advised unless my circumstances have changed no help will be available.

It all just seems to be internet these days, there is a care services directory on the internet.

If you need shopping, go on the internet, they will deliver.

What about the elderly and disabled who don’t have internet, don’t use the internet?

The world has gone internet, you have to order blue badges on the internet, you book your hospital appointments on the internet.

6

… and to continue to claim under Universal Credit , keep one’s own online blog upto date ?

Yep , as far as the elderly are concerned , FULL MARKS to Age UK.

Most branches send out staff to the frontline trenches … virtually no other " Supporting " organisation does … unless
one includes Trussells in that definition ?
( TV licences for the over 75s / Pension Credit take up … both recent threads … and highly relevant. )

It maybe worthwhile checking CUK’s own guidance on carer assessments ?

Online assessments ?

If NOT covered , recommend bouncing that off the CUK Advice Team … by email … contact details follow :

https://www.carersuk.org/forum/support-and-advice/carer-disability-benefits/how-to-contact-the-carers-uk-adviceline-24147

COULD lead to a face to face assessment ???

7

In case you haven’t already spotted it , an extract from the CUK take on CAs ;

__

How will my carer’s assessment be carried out ?

In some areas local organisations, such as carer’s organisations, may be asked to carry out the assessment. Your rights remain the same in this situation, and the local council still has the ultimate responsibility for any decisions made.

Assessments can be done over the phone or online, but this should only happen if you agree. > Your local council may carry out a supported self-assessment. This could involve you filling in a self- assessment questionnaire, and then being contacted by the local council to discuss what you have written on the form.

If the assessment involves a meeting, it should be carried out in a convenient and private place. It is your choice about whether the person you are looking after is present or not. If it helps, you can have a family member, a friend or a Carers Support Worker from a carer’s organisation with you.


Note the word SHOULD … what does that mean in reality ???

" Sorry squire , we only do the online stuff nowadays ? "

Okay , CUK … what advice would you now give to Londonbound … and to countless others now facing the same problem ?

8

I refuse to do it online, over the phone, or by post. They can come and see me, one human being to another!

9

I have read thoroughly the guides about Carers assessments on carers uk site and Mind, as I am dealing with carees with mental illness.

When the Care Act came in I simply wasn’t told anything about it, I had new rights, i could get an advocate and neither were my carees.

Reviews annually, my caree had a review annually carried out by the care company supplying the care, however it was copied word for word from the previous year.
It was well known I was caring but no one ever offered or suggested a carers assessment despite my obvious caring duties. My caree was in and out of hospital should have triggered a carers assessment but nothing.

My final bad experience was that a carers assessment to have the caree sitting in the same room, I should have had the chance to talk privately. I didn’t. That’s the way they do it now a joint assessment?

There was never any follow up after the carers assessment, I was discharged from Social Services and that was that.
I have never been supplied with any useful support, emotional and practical support, anything like that, I have just been left in the dark.
The council have clearly acted illegally but if I cannot get signposted to somewhere to help with the complaint, I cannot complain effectively.

I have been put off for life from contacting social services, my caree has died , i am upset greiving, no help has been supplied, I am still angry at the way i have been treated by Social Services.
That I should have been respected and valued, helped and supported.

I should have had someone to help, a carer support worker, a sympathetic GP, my case was and still is complex.
So where do i go? who do i contact Social Services, they didn’t care and still don’t despite my request my help and support weeks ago , no one has ever got back in touch with me.

A complete and total lack of help and support while my caree was alive, a complete lack of help and support when my caree died.

So what now I just can’t face months of arguing with social services, back and forth, going through complaints and ombudsman only to get refused and turned down yet again.

Carers UK, where do i go for help, as i have said providing a wash and dress does not help mental illness, providing a day centre, when the needs are evenings, nights and weekends.

I need someone to listen, I need someone to understand, i need someone to help, not come up with useless suggestions.

I have had issues with the carers centre in the past, I have had issues with the local advocacy service so do not feel able to use them.
Very let down, just don’t trust anyone anymore.