Direct payment for carer support

[Tornado70]

My elderly dad cares for elderly mum. He had a carers assessment earlier this year and was awarded a sum each month to fund him to have time away from mum, to recharge his batteries. He was advised to have a day out whilst funded carer was with mum.
He has had some days out: train journey, museum or art gallery, walk around, lunch and train home.
He has now submitted all his receipts and been told the funding does not cover travel or food! Although he was advised to have a day out.
he’s been told to pay back that element of what he’s spent (which is most of the money).
Can anyone please advise? He can’t afford to pay it back.

The funding is to pay for the care for your mum while he is out. He should submit the receipts for that.

Mum gets a direct funding payment for that herself. Dad’s payment is for “recreational activities such as gym membership, visits, days out, short break, etc”.
They’ve accepted part of the receipts but not train travel, taxi, or food when he’s somewhere.

Right. FIL used to get funding for a sitting service to allow him to go out and gey a break . Social worker and carers used to get frustrated that he didn't go out and stayed in fussing with MIL and I made an incorrect assumption it was the same sort of issue.

Could he ask them for the criteria of what it does cover? And how they define "day out"? And how he's meant to have a day out without travel - is there as assumption he'd use a free bus pass, for instance?

I can see with the food that he'd normally be paying for his food so possibly that why it's not covered, but there's a big difference in cost between making a sandwich at home and lunch out at an art gallery!

A pp is correct. The payment is to pay for replacement care, they don't pay for lunch or travel.

He needs to ask them to clarify exactly what is and isn't covered under the terms of his payment. And ask them for suggestions for what he can spend it on.

Short term are you able to help in covering the costs they aren't reimbursing.

I haven’t heard of this and made the same assumption as countrygirl that the money is for care so he can have time off with the suggestion of getting out and about in that time.

They’ve accepted part of the receipts but not train travel, taxi, or food when he’s somewhere.
Which receipts have they accepted, there might be a clue in that?

he’s been told to pay back that element of what he’s spent
Has he spent the money meant to cover carers? I think you need to contact SS and find out what the situation actually is, he doesn’t seem to have understood correctly.

Have you checked he isn't like my FIL who could wilfully misunderstand anything if it suited him? He would swear the social worker had told him blue was red if it was what he wanted to hear.

Thanks for the replies.
it was 100% for my Dad’s expenses in having a break from his caring role (not to pay fir a carer). The carer who sits with mum whilst he is out is funding by a separate DP to mother. That is not in question.
Dad hasn’t got confused over it: I was with him when social worker did his carers assessment and he has not seen or spoken to them since.
We have put in a response to what they have said and are awaiting their response to that.
We are requesting a written copy of his carers assessment which we never received.
The social worker absolutely said the money could be used “for a day out or even a short break. You can get the train, have some lunch, do whatever you enjoy and have a good break”.
Thats exactly what he’s done with the money.

I think my mum got something similar I. Role as carer for my dad. They suggested she spend it on a massage (highly unlikely!), I think she used it to purchase a shopping trolley..

Good news. It’s all now been approved.
That was a stressful few days. We appealed to the finance company, it was escalated to the county council who have said it’s all fine.
Relief!

Thats very good news OP, glad it’s sorted.

It's to pay for a carer to give him a break in addition to the in home care funded by direct payments. He can't use it to pay for his activities

Never heard of them funding fun,

Yes he can , two different funding sources.

It’s carers respite not “fun”.

Apparently he can.

If it’s not fun, he’s doing it wrong.

It is meant to be enjoyable however it is not funded “fun”. Are you are carer?

Carers are allowed to have fun too. Don’t be such a killjoy.

You are either trolling now or completely missing the point.