Template

Self-Directed Support: Reducing Process, Increasing Choice and Control

Case Studies

ADASS West Midlands Directs Payments Network

Following on from the three workshops held on reducing unnecessary process we are seeking to include in the write up of the workshops some case studies of emerging and established positive practice where councils have reduced and/or improved their SDS processes. This template is designed to elicit information with which to construct the case studies. Please complete as much as you can of the template. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any queries ( Tel: 07917050862)

  1. Please name and describe what you did.
ADASS West Midlands Direct Payments Network – Direct Payment Agreements and Factsheets
A working groups of Direct Payments leads reviewed regional Direct Payment Agreements and also accompanying factsheets.They considered the range of Agreements currently in use in the region between the council and the Direct Payment recipient with a view to agreeing a common format (which can be adapted to local circumstances).
Guiding Principles
  • Accessible – no jargon or legalese
  • In easy read format
  • Brief
  • Co-produced
The Wolverhampton Agreement (based on the CIPFA model) most closely fits the guiding principle above and was the recommended format for Direct Payment Agreements in the region.
There are 3 elements to the Wolverhampton Agreement – the standard Agreement, the Suitable Person Agreement and the one off Agreement. (The general consensus, based on experience, is that trying to combine these 3 documents into a single one is counter-productive and can result in a more complicated and lengthy document). Regional work to produce these other forms of Agreement is ongoing.
The final template was cross referenced with the current Direct Payment guidance and the recently published Think Local Act Personal document, ‘Improving Direct Payment Delivery’ and the new Care and Support Bill.
A group also reviewed current factsheets available across the West Midlands region in order to develop a recommended regional approach based on good practice.
The focus of the work was on developing factsheets for Direct Payment recipients rather than guidance for staff, although it is recognised they could fulfill a dual function.
It was agreed that there were two types of factsheets:
  1. General information to be provided to all potential recipients prior to making a decision about whether to take up the offer of a Direct Payment
  1. Specific/targeted information to be provided as required
Guiding principles:
The following principles were agreed – all factsheets should:
  • Be co-produced with people who receive Direct Payments
  • Strike a balance between providing sufficient information but not overwhelming people
  • Signpost people on to more detailed information for example the Skills for Care toolkit
The sample factsheets listed below are broadly based on those developed by Warwickshire Council with the addition of examples from Dudley and Herefordshire.
  1. General factsheets to be provided to all potential Direct Payment recipients:
1.Getting Started
2.Suitable Person
3.Finance and Record keeping
4.Keeping Safe
5.Peer Support
6.When Things Happen (contingency, industrial tribunal etc)
7.FAQ
  1. Specific factsheets to be provided as required:
1.Recruiting a Personal Assistant
2.Employing a Personal Assistant
3.Employing people legally
4.Being a good employer
5.Using an agency
6.Insurance
7.Carers
8.Training Personal Assistants
9.When someone using a Direct Payment
The final documents can be viewed and downloaded at:

  1. What were your reasons for wanting to make changes in this area?
  1. Agreements
The new Care and Support Bill places a general responsibility for a local authority to establish and maintain a service for providing people in its area with information and advice relating to care and support for adults and support for carers. This includes providing information about the care and support system and how it operates, and the choices of types of care and support. There is an implicit need to provide information about direct payments and how they operate. This model documentation satisfies this requirement.
Mapping the preferred process against existing processes demonstrated current practice could be improved. Non-essential information was included in the Agreements, with ‘clauses’ added over time intended to cover specific and rare situations which have occurred locally, even though the resolution of these situations in practice has generally not been achieved by invoking the terms of the Agreement but by thoughtful, individual negotiation.
Consultation exercises conducted by individual Local Authorities with Direct Payment recipients demonstrate that people want information which is clear, understandable and accessible. Often they prefer this to be provided by the Council.
It is recommended that the Direct Payment Agreement should contain only the essential information and this should be accompanied by a range of complementary ‘Factsheets’ to advise Direct Payment recipients about their rights and responsibilities in terms of being an employer, purchasing services and equipment etc.
  1. Factsheets
‘Think Local Act Personal’ and the new Care and Support Bill require councils to provide good quality, accessible information to the public to support them in making choices and managing their own support services.
Factsheets should be available in addition to the agreement between the Direct Payment recipient and the council and they should meet the same criteria outlines above for the Agreement.
In order to achieve an accessible and brief agreement document, more detailed supporting information should be made available via factsheets. These enable Direct Payment recipients to be clear from the outset about their rights and responsibilities.
Based on customer feedback – people feel particularly confident about this type of information when it has been supplied by the council.
Direct Payment Support Organisations (DPSO) provide much of this information as part of their contractual responsibility with the council, but council factsheets should also be available for those who opt out of the DPSO service and perhaps choose to use an agency or independently employ their own Personal Assistant. It is anticipated that the demand for this type of information will grow as councils move away from traditional block contracts with DPSO’s and Direct Payment uptake increases in line with government targets.
  1. What were the specific improvements that were intended?
A standard, accessible format for Agreements which would have the following benefits:
  • Inspire confidence in managers, finance colleagues etc. because it is based on the best examples and shared expertise
  • Minimise cross border issues
  • Be attractive to both Direct Payment recipients and social work staff
In terms of factsheets, it was agreed:
  1. Local councils to review their current factsheets
  1. Where appropriate, adopt or adapt the regional format in line with the examples below, in consultation with Direct Payment recipients
  1. Introduce printer-friendly versions of the factsheets which can be readily updated and printed off as required rather than pre-printed versions
  1. Signpost people to other information/websites for more detail as required
  1. Provide general factsheets in list A below to every potential Direct Payment recipient and target specific factsheets in list B as appropriate.

4. What actions were taken to put the idea(s) into practice and who was involved in the
a)Planning the changes
Herefordshire Council,Warwickshire County Council, Dudley MBC, Solihull MBC, Worcestershire County Council and Project Development Manager ADASS West Midlands.
b)Making them happen (implementation)
ADASS West Midlands Regional Direct Payments Network involving the 14 West Midlands Councils
c) Review
ADASS West Midlands Regional Direct Payments Network involving the 14 West Midlands Councils
5.Briefly describe the improvements and outcomes achieved including anything that was less successful.
Process Mapping
In order to reach a fuller understanding of the purpose of the Agreement and what should and should not be included in it, the preferred Direct Payment process was mapped out identifying where the Agreement fits into this –see diagram below.
THE PREFERRED DIRECT PAYMENT PROCESS
Assessment/Review

Resource Allocation System

Outcomes agreed with DP recipient

Cultural
shift
requiredDP recipient identifies how they would like to achieve
their outcomes within budget

DP identified

Support
planning
role
DP recipient provided with Agreement
plus appropriate factsheets/information

Support plan drawn up and agreed


DP Agreement signed Admin
role
Mapping existing Direct Payment processes demonstrated that they are not generally ‘lean’.
Consultation exercises conducted by individual Local Authorities with Direct Payment recipients demonstrate that people want information which is clear, understandable and accessible. Often they prefer this to be provided by the Council.
It is recommended that the Direct Payment Agreement should contain only essential information and should be accompanied by a range of factsheets to advise Direct Payment recipients about their rights and responsibilities in terms of being an employer, purchasing services and equipment etc.
6. Were any of the results surprising?
  1. Do you think the improvements is sustainable and, if so, why?
Yes they are sustainable because they can be updated and adapted to local circumstances easily as they are all accessible from the IEWM website ie no need for costly print runs for documents that quickly become out of date.
8. Are you planning to introduce further changes in this area? If so, please briefly describe
So far we have produced the standard Agreement. Work is ongoing to produce a Suitable Person Agreement and a one off Agreement. (The general consensus, based on experience, is that trying to combine these 3 documents into a single one is counter-productive and can result in a more complicated and lengthy document).
Additional factsheets will be produced as and when required.
9. Has there been any analysis of the costs and benefits of making the changes? If so, please briefly describe.
No formal analysis but common sense suggests that councils working collaboratively on this, exchanging best practice and shared learning will result in less time overall being required to develop these resources at local level over and over again.
10. How could this practice be taken up by others?
Easily – the resources are available for general use and can be easily customized and adapted for local circumstances.
11. Any other information you would like to tell us

Contact for further information:

Sue Williams

Project Development Manager

ADASS West Midlands

Tel: 07824 605 653

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