Community Care’s 2012 personalisation survey found concerns from social workers that all stages of the personal budgets process were beset by bureaucracy. Our guide shows how some councils are are cutting the red tape.
(Img: MartinPoole/Mood Board/Rex Features)
Personalisation survey findings
68% of respondents to Community Care’s 2012 survey said assessment paperwork was too complicated for service users to complete by themselves
64% said they did not have sufficient time with users to effectively support self-assessment
Other respondents said assessments forms were too long, leaving them less time with service users
Practice tips for managers
Have as few questions in the assessment questionnaire as you realistically need
Make it as accessible as possible to service users and their families, including through the use of online portals
But don’t just rely on one form of technology for accessing assessments – investigate various options
Co-design your system with service users and social workers.
Source: Stockport Council
Personalisation survey findings
72% of respondents to Community Care’s survey disagreed that their resource allocation system (RAS) was easy for users and carers to understand
58% disagreed that their RAS was easy for professionals to understand
62% disagreed that their RAS effectively allocated money in line with need
Practice tips for managers
Involve social workers when designing the RAS and listen to their concerns
Acknowledge differences in the specialties in social care; you may need different allocation tables for different client groups
Treat the RAS as a starting point in determining support plans, not the end point; the RAS process needs to be followed up with good support planning
Source: Hartlepool Council
Personalisation survey findings
68% of respondents to Community Care’s personalisation survey said support planning was still mainly led by council care managers/social workers
3% said it was mainly led by users and families and none that it was led by user-led organisations (ULOs), despite good practice guidance advocating that users take the lead and evidence of the positive impact of using ULOs
Practice tips for managers
Start with the assumption that people will do their own plan and provide them with simple planning tools and encouragement
Where people want or need help with support planning, this should be proportionate
Support planning tools and resources should be much more accessible for service users, using web-based technologies for example
A mixed economy of support planning services should be developed in the area, including user-led organisations and peer support
Source: Re-thinking support planning: Ideas for an alternative approach, Think Local Act Personal
Personalisation survey findings
19% said social workers in their area were able to sign off personal budgets without managerial approval
Some respondents reported that it took a long time for service users to get access to personal budgets because of lengthy processes
Practice tips for managers
Tell users clearly what information is expected of them to sign off a budget, keep this information simple and make sure users have enough time and support to get the information
Create a summary sheet for sign-off which focuses on how individuals will meet agreed outcomes without requiring a detailed support plan
Allow social workers to sign-off support plans where people have good support around them, are confident with being able to use their budget effectively and are able to get what they need within budget
Sources: The Centre for Welfare Reform, Groundswell Partnership
Personalisation survey findings
56% said reviews took place annually while 18% said they happened more frequently than this; 76% said reviews were mostly carried out face-to-face
24% said the value of personal budgets had decreased for most clients following reviews in the past 12 months; 15% said they had increased
Some professionals have said their role has become akin to accountancy in having to check how service users have spent their money
Practice tips for managers
Be well-prepared and use the support plan as a basis for the review
Be flexible and focus on outcomes that meet needs; don’t obsess on what the personal budget is being spent on
Don’t separate your review system from the assessment process; consider getting social workers/teams who carry out assessments to review the same cases
Source: Hartlepool Council
Date Published: 4 July 2012
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