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Direct Payments
Direct payments are not a separate type of short break service, but rather a means of arranging a short break service. Within children’s services a person with parental responsibility (usually a parent) of a disabled child /young person or a young disabled person (aged 16 / 17 years) is given money to purchase their own service instead of the local authority arranging that service on their behalf. A direct payment is given INSTEAD of a service and the giving is based on an assessment of need and eligibility criteria in the same way as direct services. A direct payment may be given to purchase equipment.
Many local areas are hoping to increase the take-up of direct payments as one of the ways to meet the Full Service Offer.
One area has queried whether of not direct payments can be given to families assessed using the Common Assessment Framework (CAF) by a team other than the social work / disabled children team. Link
There is an increasingly number of new terms being introduced into this area which are causing some confusion – personalisation, individual budgets, personal budgets, self-directed support. A useful diagram was developed as part of a CSIP presentation and can be accessed via the following link (it is slide 5):
http://networks.csip.org.uk/_library/resources/Personalisation/Personalisation_advice/Self-directed_Support_Strategy_workshop.ppt
The presentation was aimed at an ‘adult services’ audience.
Accessing mainstream services.
Building capacity into mainstream services to increase access is part of the Aiming High programme. Mainstream services will need to change and adapt in order to become more inclusive and funding through the Aiming High programme may be used to achieve this, if it is spent in a way that builds up an inclusive infra-structure which changes the service – training of all staff rather than appointing one ‘disability worker’. The funding should not be used to meet the requirements of the DDA for greater access. The concept of ‘transformation’ is important in this respect as the change in a service needs to be long term.
Whilst some disabled children will be able to access mainstream services without support, other will require one-to-one support to access inclusive services and it is an accepted part of the Aiming High programme that providing more sessional workers, befrienders or support workers through direct payments will increase short break provision.
Examples of Good Practice:
North Yorkshire – Springboard project promotes the access of disabled children and young people in mainstream clubs and groups by providing support and preparation through a group work programme.