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SN children

Here are some suggested organisations that offer expert advice on special needs.

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Original poster

Direct Payments - what do you use yours for?

39 replies

Blossomhill · 05/08/2005 19:56

Spoke to SS today and am having an assessment for DP's. Anyway we are def. eligible as dd is on the disability register, they just need to assess our situation.
I hope you don't mind me asking but what do you use yours for?

OP posts:

Fio2 · 05/08/2005 19:58

really weird as my social worker told me today i am not eligable

paed said ring my mp

fgs

Davros · 05/08/2005 19:58

I use mine to pay someone to look after DD while I take DS swimming one day and trampolining the other day. It therefore doesn't act as "respite" but helps us. I do pay someone else to spend time with DS and take him out when he's up to it and I pay her out of my own pocket so I think it just all evens up in the end. I don't think it matters which person you pay with your DPs as long as you're getting what you need as a big picture iyswim.

Davros · 05/08/2005 20:00

Ha Fio! If you are assessed as having any need of respite then you can automatically request DPs. I also found out from a friend who has been a Social Worker for 25 years that ANY disabled child is counted as a Child In Need according to the children's act so that is WRONG! I think you should get straight back to them. Have they been to assess you?

Fio2 · 05/08/2005 20:08

yes and apparently i am not a priority

my paed has told me to write a letter to social services and do a copy and send it to the council

then if they still refuse she will write a report and say i do really need it, she was furious- said I had all the knowledge but was too soft

then last resort MP, who lives a few doors down and lives next door to one of my frie3nds HA! and I have inhaled his dope at leisure (TMI?)

Jimjams · 05/08/2005 20:21

Fio I think if you request a care assessment they HAVE to do it. DP's were a right mess here until a few people complained (my friends ) so by the time I asked for them they'd just about sorted themselves out. Took a year to organise, but I couldn;t face trying to deal with SS- found them exhausting.

Easiest way is probably to write requesting them again and copy the letter to you MP and councillors- usually seeing that the MP has been copied in gets them off their fat ones and doing something. And it saves you having to find the time to write a separate letter to you MP (more time you don't have).

It's disgusting if you've been refused- stress in the letter she is at an SLD school and there are no playschemes etc for her and it affects ds as he can't get out as its not safe to take both of them out (they hate NT siblings being affected).

MY SW made a few stupid remarks about 'we wouldn;t pay for violin lessons for a normal child" (>????) which I just acted confused about (still not sure what she was going on about).

Jimjams · 05/08/2005 20:29

Oh hang on you must have requested a care assessment if they've assessed you as not being priority.
You are in the same situation as my freind- she was told that her situation was no different from any other mother with 2 children (it's normal for 7 year olds to draw all over walls, climb on roofs, have no road sense at all, not be able to talk apparently). When she was showing the SW the damage her child had done to her carpet when left alone for 5 minutes (ink pad footsteps- copying the fimbles) the SW said "lots of people would pay money to have a design like that". Her dh woorks away - so she really needs an extra pair of hands- and the SW said that she needed counselling. Patronising cow.

Anyway friend kicked up a big stink- letter of complaint to everyone. As a result DP were reviewed and a standard formula was introduced. The reaosn I said stress the SLD school is because that seemed to help me get lots so I think it must be part of the formula. When ds1 was a ms they weren't very interested - as soon as he switched to SLD they started showering me with the things.

Fio2 · 05/08/2005 20:34

hhmmm yes the care i give is excellent apparently. the paed said cry down the phone and lie what an elightening appointment

after tonight I might be a single mum anyway as far as my temper is going......

Jimjams · 05/08/2005 20:41

I'll bet there's a text problem......

I don't think you need to lie - just get through their heads that your dd is severely disabled. They have problems understanding that often. Make her sound danegrous to herself when out and about then say you can;t get out and guarantee that her and her brother will be safe. And there are no playschemes so you're housebound and your dh is away and you havge no respite. Then copy to everyone you can think of. When they see the long list of cc names at the bottom they may change their minds. IN my case they added up how many hours of playscheme they would have provided had theiir been one, and how many hours of respite they would give for the disability bit then gave me the cash instead

Fio2 · 05/08/2005 21:06

oh frig, he has been on a train in india for 6 hours

huh he is not very happy at the bastard remarks

anyway back to direct payments....

Original poster

Blossomhill · 05/08/2005 21:16

Fio what bastard remarks?

OP posts:

Fio2 · 05/08/2005 21:17

on his mobile blossomhill what did you think?

Original poster

Blossomhill · 05/08/2005 21:44

Oh I see !!!!

OP posts:

anniebear · 06/08/2005 15:24

still waiting to hear after 8months!

maddiemo · 06/08/2005 16:17

Don't know anyone that gets them here. Even with very severe children.

Fio2 · 06/08/2005 16:56

kent county council

tut tut fucking tut

dottee · 06/08/2005 17:19

A good news story at last. Dd and I became eligable after a very long winded assessment and they started accruing after I'd appointed someone. I'm saying that because the assessment was complete in January yet it was April before I found someone.

We were awarded 2 hours per week (@£6.66 per hour). I had to open a second bank account which the money is paid into. Because dd normally goes to her dad's at weekend, I asked if I could save the hours until the summer holidays and SS agreed to this. That means up to the week before last, I'd accrued 26 hours and that amounts up to a total of 38 accrued on the last week of the holidays.

I've used 12 hours already. Dd's one to one is working for me and she was 'an extra pair of hands' whilst I did errands on Monday and on Wednesday she was invaluable when she came on an outing with us and helped me deal with dd's challenging behaviour when it happened.

I've booked her for next Thursday and the Friday on the week after that. I've sent her first time sheet in to D P payroll services at the council and they will deal with the pay slip which should be sent to me soon so that I can give the DP worker a cheque along with the slip.

To give you some idea of dd's disability status, she gets middle care DLA and higher mobility DLA. We do not get respite anywhere else - if we did I would not be eligable for DPs.

HTH.

dottee · 06/08/2005 17:24

By scanning the thread I see you lot are not having much luck. I accessed DPs by going to the GP saying I was depressed and frightened of the school hols (last year) and what dd may do. He spoke to the SW when she was on her weekly visit to the surgery and she referred my case onto the Children's Disability Service section of SS. They then contacted me and came out to see me. The assessment is very, very long winded but my tip is keep at SS until you get a result. I've now got a very good relationship with my SW.

Jimjams · 06/08/2005 17:29

forgot to say about mine.

Plymouth city council seem very generous in comparison.

Like dottee mine are provided because ds1 doesn't access respite (playschemes would count as respite- but there are no playschemes he can access, nor can he access the overnight care).

They've also taken into account the needs of his siblings- because if ds1 is with us we can't really go anywhere except for walks- providing they're not on the beach or under trees- as he won't go anywhere else.

We've been given 8 hours a week during term time and 18 hours a week during school holidays. These holidays I've had someone come in 4 afternoons a week. She looks after ds2 and ds3 (takes them to the park etc) so I can take ds1 somewhere. I also leave ds1 with a mumsnetter occasionally so I can take the other 2 out.

I have another person starting in Sept to help out with ds2 and ds3. I've found it very difficult to find someone who can manage ds1 (only the mnetter so far- she is great).

We get higher rate care and higher rate mobility.

Fio2 · 06/08/2005 17:34

crikey, i get higher rate care and mobility too, except i am too dumb to shout my gob off. i am ringing on monday.....and I am going to cry, go to my gps and get anti depressants, get a counsellor etc to get them

Jimjams · 06/08/2005 17:36

fio- honestly Plymouth CC were the same until my friend complained -(v loudly- she also receives higher rate care and mobility- and people with lower needs were being awarded more than her- it was madness. They sorted themselves out and now they do it quite well. Although they also received a really poor rating so had to sort stuff out iyswim/

Fio2 · 06/08/2005 17:40

my social worker said as dd comes accross as placid in front of people she will just be dtermined as a younger chilkd and therefore no extra hassle try carrying a six year old up and down the stairs every day several times, day in day out, oh its ok she just acts like a younger child wtf?

Jimjams · 06/08/2005 18:03

oh dear you sound like you have a SW who doesn't get it at all. You are definitely going to have to spell it out for them. cc everyone you can think of in any letter....

Fio2 · 06/08/2005 18:45

yes my paed said she is a nicer and more friendly social worker than most It is sleepyjess's social worker too, we have a little private joke about her ;)

and she is nice and does seem genuinely helpful, i cant fault her on that!

Davros · 06/08/2005 19:55

All very well being nice but she needs to be professional and KNOW what she is talking about. Utterly ridiculous that you're not assessed as needing any support.

Fio2 · 06/08/2005 20:06

hm yes! well my paed said if they ignore me again and I write a leter and tag the date she will get involved aswell, bless her

go on davros

you know you want to kick me up the arse

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