Direct Payments, advice needed!

[CaptainPlump]

Hello everyone! I'm not sure if we're eligible for direct payments and thought I'd ask here for advice before going too far down that route. My DS is 4 1/2, severely autistic and starting school in September. Lots of the other mums I know with SN children are getting direct payments for respite care, so I thought I'd look into it. His ABA funding runs out when he starts school and I really, really want to be able to continue paying his therapist to spend time with him as they have a wonderful relationship and he really needs constancy and consistency in his close relationships.

I finally managed to talk to a duty social worker at the children's disability service today and he's going to send me out a referral pack for the team to discuss at their next meeting and I'm looking for ideas of what they're looking for and what I ought to say. My main concern is that most of the mums I know who are already getting DP are either single parents or have other children - my DH and I both work and we only have the one child. What are their eligibility criteria? I'm sure I sound very ignorant, but I'm not sure who else to ask for advice!

Thanks in advance...

[Davros]

Don't think of it as whether you are "eligible" for DPs. The fundamental issue is Soc Svs assessing your DS and deciding that he needs X hours of support. You are then entitled to request that support as DPs or something else. The key thing is that they assess that there is a need for support (which I'm sure there is).

[CaptainPlump]

But what does that "support" mean in this context? As they normally fund for respite (rather than ABA) then I suppose the support is for the parents rather than the child. I'm just really worried about playing this wrongly and DS losing out!

[CaptainPlump]

Bump!

[daisy5678]

We were assessed and given the choice of respite, direct payments or a play worker taking J out for 4 hours a week. We went for the last option, but it was definitely up to us - they allocate money here, not service, iyswim.

[jimjamshaslefttheyurt]

Don't mention ABA. Just ask for DP's (if they assess your son as being entitled to receive a service then they have to give it in DP's if you ask).

Then you can pay who you like- however if you tell them you're paying a therapist they'll bleat on about not paying for education. So as soon as you get your dp's your therapist becomes a PA and you're fine.

I've written a bit about dp's here - I don't mention it there (as SS read my website ) but we have paid therapists with it. My point being you can't have someone come in and engage ds1 unless it's therapeutic.

[Davros]

I have paid therapists, cleaner, ironer, holiday help, babysitter etc. Not all at once! Support means whatever helps you, your DS and the family as long as its not a close relative, although I thought they had or were going to change that. As long as the person completes the necessary paperwork and is registered as your Care Worker or Personal Assistant or Family Support Worker (as I call ours), what they do with the time is up to you.

[CaptainPlump]

Thank you, that's exactly what I wanted to know. I had a feeling that they wouldn't pay for ABA, but if his (current) therapist carries on working with him as his Family Support Worker there's no way to stop her doing therapy with him!

I'm just wondering how they assess him as being in need of support - do they look at his level of disability or the family situation? I'm just not sure what to stress when I fill in the referral forms they're sending out.

Thanks again!

[CaptainPlump]

And jimjams, thanks for the link - I'll spend more time looking at your blog once I get a chance!

[jenk1]

sorry to hijack your thread, but i have been thinking about applying to SS for a carers asessment again as we were turned down last year for DS as he is AS he doesnt meet the criteria (which i know is balls but i was worn out with fighting the LEA and Sendist tribunals and didnt push it).

How do i go about getting an asessment, last time i phoned up the childrens disability team and they did it for me but im thinking that maybe i should just do it off my own back this time.

TIA

[daisy5678]

They do it here by looking at the level of disability/ need - Level 2 qualifies for no support, Level 3 qualifies for some and Level 4 qualifies for residential care!

J is level 3 because of the violence and aggression/ obsessions and so he was entitled to some services and as I am a single parent, they also thought I needed a break. That was all done from the initial assessment - the carer's assessment was done later and the package had already been decided - nothing happened as a result of it!

I don't think AS meets criteria here - autism only - but I think that diagnosis is only relevant when they decide if they'll assess or not - when it comes to services, they'll do it off need. I don't think family situation is as relevant as need either.

[Davros]

You can't do it independently afaik, you have to ask Soc Svs for an assessment. But don't ask for a Carer's Assessment (ours also brought nothing extra) but ask for your DS's needs to be assessed and say if asked that things have changed since last time. No harm in CA in time, esp as mine didn't do it and I can hold it against them if I need to, but not critical. There is a time frame in which they must (ha ha) respond once you make the request for your DS's needs to be assessed so make sure you keep a record of each and every phone call, email, letter.