Listening to you, working for you Experience of change and implementing personalisation Presented by: Sue Sutcliffe and Kate Vincent-Merritt

Listening to you, working for you www.bexley.gov.uk

Experience of change and implementing personalisation

Presented by: Sue Sutcliffe and Kate Vincent-Merritt

www.bexley.gov.ukListening to you, working for you www.bexley.gov.ukListening to you, working for you www.bexley.gov.ukListening to you, working for you www.bexley.gov.uk

THE PATHFINDER VISION is a system in which: Children’s special educational needs are picked up early

and support is routinely put in place quickly; Staff have the knowledge, understanding and skills to

provide the right support for children and young people who have SEN or are disabled wherever they are;

Parents know what they can reasonably expect their local school, local college, local authority and local services to provide, without them having to fight for it;

For more complex needs, an integrated assessment and a single Education, Health and Care Plan from birth to 25; and

There is greater control for parents over the services they and their family use


The 20 SEND Pathfinders (representing 31 boroughs) are working towards the following common objectives:

To develop a new 0-25 assessment process and a single plan which bring together the education, health and social care services on which children and young people who are disabled or have SEN and their families rely and focuses on improving outcomes;

To explore how the voluntary and community sector could ensure access to specialist expertise and introduce more independence to the process;

To ensure the full engagement of children, young people and their parents and families, schools and colleges; and

To improve choice and control for children, young people and their families through the use of personal budgets and direct payments


PERSONAL BUDGETSBy 2014…all families with the proposed Education, Health and Care Plan will have legal entitlement to the option of a personal budget’

Pathfinders are testing:

• The scope of a personal budget;

• Mechanisms to give families choice control; and

• Impact and consequences of a personal budget.

• How the option of a personal budget links to the development of the assessment process and single plan;

• The impact on families including their engagement in the planning process and on outcomes; and

• The impact of an entitlement to a personal budgets on commissioning, planning and cost-effectiveness of services


PERSONAL BUDGETS Personal Budgets through Direct Payments Used for any or all of resources in Single Plan Unit costing for all services using ready reckoner Developed Processes, Contracts and Handbook Key workers to support


Phase One Ensure strong working relationships with all

stakeholders Set up a structure to develop and pilot the

new single plan Empower families to navigate new systems Use Early Support keyworking models to

provide family support through 0-25 Provide a single point of access to services


Phase One continued Agree a joint assessment process across

Education Health and Social Care Describe the Local Service Offer in parent

friendly language Work with Special Schools on a Banded

Funding Model Identify and cost services which could be

funded by Personal Budgets Setting up monitoring systems


Resource Allocation System In order to determine the amount of resource a child should

receive the following steps were taken Child was assessed using the audit tool ( this was done with

school staff and later checked with parents) The level of need was clarified based on the audit. The current budget allocation for schools was disaggregated An amount of funding was allocated to each child for a year. The agreed outcomes for the child determined how much

money was given E.g.; is it for speech and language therapy , music therapy ?

In future the allocation will be based on budget allocation alongside the EHC plan


Progress so far 10 Personal budgets

in place so far 3 children out of

school 7 children with part

budgets for therapy support

150 children receiving direct payments for short breaks

HOW DO WE SUPPORT THEM?

Listening to you, working for you www.bexley.gov.uk

Kate Vincent-Merritt

Direct Payments Support Service Manager


About Inspire

Our Mission is to work in partnership with

communities to enable, empower and

enhance the lives of people with physical

and sensory impairments and all clients

receiving a direct payment.


Existing Services

Information and Advice Services Sensory Support Services Day Services and Rehabilitation Special Needs Housing Occupational Therapy Direct Payment Support Welfare to Work – Employment & Training Physical Disability Registration, Parking Badge and

Concessionary Travel Local Respite and Training Wheelchair Service - on behalf of Bexley PCT/Care Trust

Community Equipment Service


Direct Payments

Inspire has been supporting CYP for Short Breaks Services since the legislation changes of 2003

Developed services over the years to meet the needs of the clients.

Visits and reviews carried out by a DP Co-ordinator with managerial support


Clarify the Social Worker and panel agreement - this can differ to client’s expectations

Explain client responsibilities – such as:– Employment law requirements– Tax and national insurance– Work contracts– Wage calculations, including holiday pay, etc– Record keeping– Bank accounts– Health and safety– CRB checks – Monitoring

Inspire’s Support


Assist with recruitment – Adverts– Interviews– Job descriptions and person specifications– Supporting letters– Work contracts– CRB checks

Payroll services – separate organisation provides this if needed or wanted

Telephone advice line Monitoring and reviewing

Inspire’s Support


Pool of PAs has started – Advertised and attracted potential carers looking for work– Provide profiles for each worker including specialist areas and

location– Introduction service– Trying to build the market– May consolidate with other providers into a “brochure” of services

Inspire’s Support


Check that spending is appropriate Check client is happy (and safe) with arrangements Reclaim unused funds for the council Reclaim misused funds- and put in an action plan to stop this

from happening again

Report to the council about outcomes and highlight areas of concern.

Flag up transition cases

Monitoring and review


Inspire already in a good position to start this because of its Direct Payment work

Clients who had expressed a wish to change their health and / or educational services were asked to join the pilot

Clients visited by Complex Needs Manager & Direct Payments Manager

Funding and outcomes discussed Sourcing services agreed Contract provided via Inspire Handbook given to client

Pathfinder Scheme


Written in collaboration with parents Had to be informative as well as cover all

legal responsibilities and points of policy Launched in October 2012 and comments

invited– Some said it was too long– Some said it was too short– Can’t please everyone

Handbook


Evaluation questionnaire produced Assess spending and outcomes achieved Learn lessons All pathfinder clients will be visited in person

to discuss and complete the questionnaire Findings reported to …….

Evaluation


Kate Vincent-Merritt, Manager0203 045 5339

[email protected]

Melanie McNaught, Co-ordinator0203 045 5341

[email protected]


Lessons Learned Joint commissioning – where does

a health need end and an educational need begin?

Managing parental expectation EHC Plans and Personal Budgets

require additional time and personnel

What use is choice if there is nothing to choose from?

Who bears the cost between 18 to 25


Challenges and opportunities Funding Computer programme for RAS Block contracts Safeguarding School processes and protocols How much flexibility should there

be? Pooled budgets And many more


ANY QUESTIONS ?


Sue Sutcliffe,

Commissioning Officer

London Borough of Bexley

Email: [email protected]

Kate Vincent-Merritt,

Direct Payments Support Service Manager

Inspire Community Trust

Email: [email protected]

Documents

Listening to you, working for you Experience of change and implementing personalisation Presented by: Sue Sutcliffe and Kate Vincent-Merritt