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making a difference to the lives of people with severe learning disabilities
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N.Ireland - Understanding the Funding

Recent government policy has moved towards enabling disabled people and their families to have more control over the funding that provides their care and support, and there are a number of opportunities available, such as direct payments.  

Direct Payments

When the Social Security Agency assess that a person’s needs are eligible for a service and funding is agreed to meet those needs, the person can choose to take the funding from the Social Security Agency directly rather than have them organise the service. The person takes on the responsibility of organising and managing the way their needs will be met. This may involve directly employing helpers (usually known as ‘personal assistants’) or directly contracting with an agency. The person will also be expected to keep records for monitoring and auditing by the local authority to show that the direct funding (that is ‘Direct Payments’) is spent appropriately.

The advantage of such a scheme is that a person can tailor the support needed to suit his or her own preferences and choose who delivers that support. This places the person in control. Whilst it is necessary for the person to consent to this option, they do not need to manage or run the scheme themselves but can nominate another or others to look after the day-to-day ‘business’. Once this is in place, the Local Authority has a duty to make Direct Payments.

Support services are available to help individuals and their families along the path of exploring this option (contact your local social security office). Help is also available with recruitment, budgeting, payroll and monitoring.

For more information on Direct Payments contact the Department of Social Development on www.dsdni.gov.uk or telephone (028) 9052 0500

Trusts and Trustees

When a person does not have the capacity to consent to Direct Payments, it may be possible for the funding to be made available to a third party. The third party is usually set up as a Trust, with Trustees taking responsibility for the organising, managing and monitoring of the provision.

The fundamental obligation of a Trust and Trustees is to act in the best interests of the person.  A trustee is a legal definition that refers to the holder of property or money on behalf of the beneficiary, therefore a person that agrees to take on possessions of trust funds is a trustee.  A trustee must show skill and care in the circumstances of the situation, taking in to account any special knowledge, experience or professional status.  Trustees must work together collectively regarding trust funds.

Individualised Budgets  

The Supporting People strategy ‘Supporting People, Changing Lives’ (NI Housing Executive, 2005) sets out to replace a multifaceted system of numerous funding sources with one ‘Supporting People’ Fund. This means that there is one ‘pot’ – all the money the person is entitled to goes in it, and it is used to meet the person’s needs. Everyone involved knows how much is in the ‘pot’. 

Funds which go into the ‘Supporting People’ Fund include the Independent Living Fund and the Disabled Facilities Grant. These are explained below:

The Independent Living Fund was set up to enable disabled people to choose to live in the community rather than in residential care. The Independent Living Fund is there to finance personal care in the community, either by using care agencies or employing personal assistants.  The Independent Living Fund is funded by the Department of Social Development in Northern Ireland.  For further information contact www.ilf.org.uk or telephone (0845) 6018 815

A person with a disability who owns the property they live in, or is a tenant, may qualify for a disabled facilities grant towards the cost of providing adaptations and facilities to enable the disabled person to continue to live there.  An assessment must first be carried out by an occupational therapist.  Contact your local health and social services trust, or visit www.nihe.gov.uk

 

For further information on benefits and entitlements contact the Benefits Enquiry Line (Telephone 0800 220 624), visit www.direct.gov.uk or visit www.citizensadvice.co.uk or contact Citizens Advice Regional Office on (028) 9023 1120