How do you you actually get Direct Payments

[2006hildy]

How do you you actually get Direct Payments is there an idiots guide to getting them.
The government doesn't broadcast what you are entitled to.

DD diagnosed ASD.

We want funding for a 1:1 Carer who can stay with him for afterschool clubs and Beavers . They will not accept him without.

From Hertfordshire they told us we did not qualify?

He has not started Beavers yet but that is what the school clubs said so I assumed it would be the same.

I've heard of Family Fund and Merlins Magic Wand but are there any others out there that you have heard of/had success with?

Grants are all new to us at the moment.

Money tight because I have to be a Carer. I lost my career when I had my disabled child, cannot have a normal 9-5 job. I love him dearly. We do not live the life of luxury.

Information from so called professionals is often lacking eg Family Support Worker - useless and didn't turn up to our TAC meeting when she said she would.

I could go on. If you can help us with any of the above issues please contact me.

Yours struggling,

You need a SW for your dc. They arrange the direct payments. Ask the school to do a CAF for you, that'll get the ball rolling.

We have a CAF so called professionals seem to know nothing or maybe we don't qualify. We don't have a SW again maybe we don't qualify.

Could be that the CAF did not show there to be a need for a SW. Chase whoever did it for he report to see what it says

Hi there, does your dc (sorry confused as you said ds then dd) receive DLA?

I haven't personally come across anyone receiving direct payments for ASD. A social worker told me quite specifically that dd (AS and PDA) wouldn't qualify.

Most people I know (I run an asd support group) use DLA to fund activities for their child. Your local council website should also have details of "Short breaks" available, which may include a "buddy" system whereby a suitably vetted person accompanies your dc on outings. In my area this costs £5 per hour.

You ask for an assessment from the Disabled Childrens Team (social services). They have to do an assessment. They cannot refuse over the phone. You have a legal right to an assessment.
When they do the assessment they have to decide if you there is a need eg for short break / respite / direct payments. There is eligibility criteria usually but they should look at the whole family's needs so eligibility criteria cannot be too rigid. There should also be a right of review if you don't agree
you need to ask for 2 separate assessments - one for the disabled child and one for you as a carer.
Have a look at Contact a Family website for leaflets on social care assessments.
Also Council for Disabled Children has legal rights handbook by Steve Broach, a barrister, which sets out info on assessments and eligibility criteria.
We get 2 hours per week (3 in holidays) for DS (moderate ASD). We got it on the basis we needed time with our other children doing typical family activities which DS cannot tolerate. Once we got this we then got offered a sibling group and free babysitting as well.
Assessments are time consuming hence why they try and fob people off by phone.

Use DLA yes, we might have to, once we have paid off the fence we had to put up fast.

Didn't know we could have probably got a grant for that.

To stop him from escaping and playing on the road all the time.

I babysit an 11 year old boy with severe autism (preverbal and only just toilet trained) for 6 hours every other Friday night, he is at over night respite the Fridays inbetween. I can do up to 20 hours a week during the school holidays. His parents pay me from DP. I get £9 an hour after tax. I'll ask his mum about the ins and outs of how she applied next Friday.

I receive DP and one night a month respite, my DS also qualifies for short breaks which pays the difference from an activity to 1:1 so if it was swimming I pay for the lesson the council will pay the difference for 1:1, I do not use this as sons learning difficulties are high. A lot of the assessments are as much about family support around you than the child's disability, you need to show you and your family are at breaking point. My DS DLA is spent most months on yet another security device and repairs to my house. When applying for SS assessment ask for an OT assessment for the house, I received sensors for doors as he is quick.

Have you looked Ito a befriending service? That is free and they would take him for you.

I have had the assessment done by a social worker for Direct Payments but that was 3 months ago and despite many phone calls and and emails I have still heard nothing back about the outcome. Does anyone know what I should do now ? Are they avoiding giving me a direct refusal in case that gives me a right of appeal or are they just incompetent ? Who can I complain to about non response?

I have just been told I need a social work assessment to access any help but the Aiming High Fund should be able to help with providing assistance for attending clubs etc.

Is all the advice area specific (postcode lottery) or is it the same in Hertfordshire?

How do you access the Aiming High Fund is that through SW too?

Keep all the advice coming it's all good stuff.

Although known to SS we got DP without having a named SW. Just state your case (ask for more, so then you get lowered to what you want, rather than less than what you want iyswim). So in your case all the other kiddos are there without parents, just cos yours needs support, why should that be from a parent? in line with peers, social inclusion etc etc. HTH

I live in Herts also and had to ask (3 years ago) for a carer assessment ( I was very ill at the time and still unwell) because my family was struggling. I had asked in earlier years for support (access to specialised services) but been turned down. Ds 13 has ASD ADHDsev LD (he attends sn school) and eventually we were assigned a SW to assess, and after a long delay ( 1 year to go through all the committees) got 1 day a month respite (I was still very ill at the time) and a couple of hours DPs. There is a system of assessing families of disabled children to see how high the risk of not giving extra support to the family is to that child and then siblings - and grading it into I think 4 or 5 need groups. Unofficially in our area ( with the usuall extreme budgetary limits) it is only the highest 1 or 2 groups that will then be put forward for support ( I don't remember the exact wording but basically crisis point). Other families ( lower down that list) are directed to universal services. I do not think there is a right to DPs as yet but may be wrong - as you say the system is very opaque!

Ask - and go on asking. It is easier for social services to dish out DPs than other specialist services such as respite. I think it is perfectly reasonably to ask for DPs to support a child in afterschool clubs if they would not be able to enjoy like other children without that support. its all about access and inclusion. Make the point that this is the only way she can access 'universal' services. We used ds DPs for exactly that. Good luck.

Ds managed beavers with me in the background (parent helper giving support as needed) - but I was well at the time. The rules on parent helpers have changed now so helpers have to be police checked by the organisation.

He! where did that s come from sorry!

Ps I think Herts has recently ( last couple of years) got more supportive to families with children with ASD and challenges.

the process of assessment is under section 23 and 24...section 23 is the child and 24 is for the family/carer.
It's a lengthy process and not an easy one emotionally. Mine was completed over several weeks visits and about and hour or more at each visit.
I have to say, the SW who was doing this assessment with me was initially (1st 3 weeks of visits) reluctant and always saying that she believed we wouldn't qualify...by the 4th/5th visit and info gathering...she had changed her view and was supporting the need for DP's. This assessment is for the whole program of SW support so takes in Shared care/respite, DP's and all supports, not just for DP's
The info/report gathering is then finalised into a large report and goes to a 'Panel' for decision making....so don't be put off by the SW completing the work...it is decided by several Panel members who deliberate the report and make their collective findings and decisions....within this completed report (which you will get a copy of prior to the panel date (you must read, discuss any changes, amendments, etc), you can add your own notes to support your application. Only sign the report if you can agree with every word written by the SWer!
I am currently waiting for the result so can't say what has been decided yet.

My best advice is to demand/stick you your guns that this is done by SW to determine your situation and don't be put off. It was a lengthy wait from my request to the work actually starting too as they have to find and allocate a SW to do this work with you. I waited 5 months from my initial request! (we are in Scotland)

Good luck

Hi whatthewhatthebleep

I am in Scotland too - I have been waiting about 3 months for the results or outcome of an assessment done on ds1's needs. I'm finding it difficult to get in touch with sw office now as they just take messages and never return my calls. How long did you wait until the report went to the panel for a decision?

The panel for our assessment was just this morning and my SWer is going to phone me later on today to tell me the outcome...not heard anything yet ...will wait til end of day...
I would be expecting to know very soon though. Something not 'right' about you still waiting for this long willow ....this would seem very wrong....once the panel has met, decided and specified...you should have been advised of the outcome and sent a letter with the exact details and how it will be paid, etc and maybe been phoned by the SWer.....you could be losing the DP's you are entitled to whilst waiting for so long...????
I'd be demanding answers tbh....this isn't right I'm sure....my SWer has sent me a text to tell me the panel is this morning and she will phone me later on with the outcome....it's all done at the panel stage...this is the last part and there is no delay as far as I have been told.
I really think you need to be phoning someone about this!!

You are right - whatthe , I have phoned but always been fobbed off with the story that someone is going to call back etc. I will have to step up the persistance!

you could phone SW dept and get the name of the disability team leader/manager and the email addy...send your concerns and details in writing...they can't ignore this and have to respond to you properly...don't let them pass the buck and ignore you anymore...give it say 3 days and then email again...even better if you can CC to other people the same email...means there is no confusion and attempts to say it's not received or so ans so was on holiday, etc...
That's the route I would go if I were you

Just spoke to SW...we have 4 hrs DP's a week awarded...so will get a letter about details, etc soon. Ther is a grey area about this for us though as my DS may be going to Residential school placement and this may change things later on...for now we have got it though so this is good news for us today

Thanks ! I will put the battle plan into operation tomorrow ! Thanks very much for such detailed advice