Will social services take all her money ?

[onestepat]

My gran is being moved in a care home.
Social services told me as my gran has no assets they normally take control of her finances.
So how will they do it ?
Will they open a bank account in her name ?
Or will her pension just get paid directly to the care home minus a weekly amount for gran.

She will be financially assessed to pay for her care- dependent on her income, they will likely use all of it leaving it with around £25 a week allowance for things like toiletries, hairdresser etc.

For example, if she gets £200 a week income, care home costs at least £500 a week, so that will charge her £175 and leave her £25 a week.

So her pension will continue to go to her bank account. If you mean the council have deputyship of her funds they may set up a new account or they may use her current one. It depends on the council as to whether she pays her portion to the council who then pay the full amount to the home, or she may pay her portion direct to the home.

The thing is they've never asked to see bank books etc
They've just asked for her national insurance number

She will need to pay for her care to the level assessed. That feels quite different to social services taking her money, doesn’t it?

I was confused what they meant.
The lady didn't seem to have a clue.
My aunt has her bank books and I asked would they need them? She said I don't know

They need to apply to the Office of Public Guardian for Deputyship- this can take months so it may be that they don't need those details just yet. The social worker won't be involved with the finance side so it may be they don't really know, but the Deputyship team should have more of an idea.

The social worker said to me because my gran doesn't own a property etc that's why they would normally take control of her finances.
They said it won't only be worth me doing it if she owned property etc.
Is this correct ?

Is your Gran able to make decisions about her finances @onestepat?
If she isn't able to and she has been assessed under the Mental Capacity Act and you are all in agreement then a best interests decision has to be made about the management of her finances. Has the social worker mentioned any of this?

@ClaraTA yes she's been assessed last week and has no capacity.
The social worker asked for my grans national insurance number to take over the finances and that's it.
Tbh if that's standard practice then fair enough because she has no savings (except a few thousand funeral fund)
No meeting was discussed or had.

My gran has had dementia for over 10 years but since December time it's rapidly changed.
To not knowing who I am sometimes and she doesn't understand bills /money anymore
I never thought it would Decline so fast.

Normally the council take over Deputyship if there are no other family members able to do it. If there are no assets or savings you might as well let the council manage it, they know what they are doing.

It sounds like they are going to set an appointeeship. That means the council will manage her money for her, including her pension.

I think the social worker is poorly advising you on this matter.

What will happen as a PP said upthread is that the Deputyship team will manage how her care will be cared for. Whatever her assessment reveals and that will not be the social worker. From what you have said, the SW is not fully informed. There is nothing to stop you being informed though.

Have a look here, www.ageuk.org.uk/information-advice/care/paying-for-care/paying-for-a-care-home/ and furnish yourself with the facts. Social workers, often have little knowledge around how benefits and other financial services work.

@onestepat a best interests decision needs to be made about managing your Gran's finances now. If you feel you can do it then make sure you say so, what the SW has mentioned is just one option - it should not be assumed it is the only one, there is a process that must be followed to decide what is in your Gran's best interests when who does it and how her money is managed now. Maybe have a chat with your family first? But do make sure you inform the SW there needs to be a best interests decision about it.

Sorry OP, not when I meant to type "in terms of who does it..."

Are they discussing carehome fees or power of attorney over finances? They are two very different things. The latter needs to inform all relatives with a vested interest regarding it first. So in this instance it would be her children primarily or any siblings. If family members can't do the latter then it would be outsourced by SS to a private company (which is what happened with my own DM as none of us were in a position to take them over).