How much to pay for help with ds1?

[Jimjambells]

One of Ds1's LSA's has agreed to help out during school holidays. If we get direct payments (supposedly we went to panel mid Novemver but no-one from social services has bothered to contact me to tell me the outcome and I haven't got the energy to even try and talk to them) I'll go with their amounts (anyone know what they are?). But I'd like to give him some idea of the hourly rate- and I'm just wondering what people think would be reasonable.

I would want him to pretty much entertain ds1 1:1 which isn't an easy job. Would use a mixture of structured work (ABA/computer etc) and directed (obviously) play. But would also want him to be an extra pair of hands on trips out etc. I'll provide lunch, snacks etc for him. I think I have a tendency to overpay as I always think its such a hard job :o

I would say about £10 an hour??? Not sure if that is the going rate but would think that was about right

LSA's at our school get about 12k per year which if you work it out over the amount of working school days (including INSET)there are (195)(which you would do if you were paying supply rates) they get £60 per day which is about £8 per hour

So is that pre-tax??? If so I think that is similar to the direct payments amount. I think direct payments work out at around £5.50 per hour if you (ie me) then pay PAYE and NI on top, and about £8.50 if the carer is self-employed. Am desperately trying to avoid having to get in contact with SS though. Really too pregnant to deal with them.

We pay our current ABA tutor £10 plus her travel expenses (although she bought her own young persons railcard) and give her lunch. AFAIK that is quite generous (especially for Devon :o) but we chose to pay her that much as we haven't been able to find a supervisor so she is pretty much running the programme herself- also she is very experienced (5 years of ABA programmes)- I really don't have to do much at all. I would have to do a lot more organising of the programme etc for the LSA (he's good, very keen, lovely person, but very new to autism).

£10 an hour obviously- not just £10 :o

yep i think so- 12k before tax

My friend looks after a child with PD/PMLD and gets £6 an hour.

pixiefish is right though at school they earn around £8 ph.

I think the DP rate depends on where you live. Ours is £8.10. I pay our very part-timers £7ph, £8ph and £9ph and that is in Hampstead, so I think £10 is tooooo much. Ours do a combination of ABA, play, computer etc and outings. It just depends on how much someone is worth to you and what you think they'll be happy with. Our newest girl was more than happy with £7ph. These 3 are all cash-in-hand mind you, one is a student and wouldn' pay tak on what we pay her, one I think declares it as self-employed and the other is genuinely cash-in-hand.

I was thinking £7/£8 cash in hand so that should be about right maybe.........

And if DPs kick in you don't want too big a difference between what you have been paying and the DP rate, its a nightmare administratively! If DPs turn out to be more you can give the worker a rise!