The provision of carers grants and assessments - Find a freedom of information request

1. Please provide the  name(s), email(s) and telephone number(s) of the individual(s) responsible for carer's services.

2. What is the current process for carers completing a carer's assessment?

3. Is there the ability for carers to do/request this online?

4. Do you offer carer's grants? If so, what are the eligibility criteria?

5. If you do not provide grants, is provision for carer's wellbeing available as a direct payment if eligible for support?

6. Are there plans to review / change the policy for provision of carer's grants and/or direct payments? If so what are these plans?

7. If yes, please provide details of amount of grant available per person and total value of grants issued for 2017/2018.

8. What is the total budget available for carers' grants if different to above?

9. Is this managed in-house or via a third-party organisation? If a third-party organisation please provide name of supplier, total value of contract and contract end date?

10. What is the process for carers applying for a grant? Are there any restrictions on what the grant can be spent on and is there a requirement for carers to submit receipts?

1. Emma Krasinska

2. Identification of need (by self, by a health or care professional). If need can be immediately met, it will be (i.e. information and advice; signposting).

Requesting an assessment (by self, or by a health or care professional via the Lincolnshire Customer Service Centre (CSC). 

Lincolnshire County Council (LCC) triage all requests to ensure that any immediate needs are met straightaway, rather than waiting for an assessment.

Statutory carer's assessments are all carried out by one of LCC's two providers depending on need, complexity and carer preference. Lincolnshire Carers Service is delivered by Serco Customer Service Centre by telephone or Carers FIRST. LCC aims to complete the assessment within 28 days of the request. A support plan will follow the assessment.

Carers' needs may also be considered within the adult's assessment, and as such may be a combined assessment. 

3. 

Yes. Request may be made online, by email. The carer can be sent an assessment to complete themselves via email or post. LCC are currently in the process of developing an online facility. However LCC does promote the experience of an assessment as a valuable therapeutic intervention in its own right that makes a difference and not just a form to fill in. LCC offers carers information to prepare for and get the best out of an assessment.

4. No. LCC used to, prior to the Care Act (2014).

5. Yes it is. Since the Care Act, LCC have stopped offering a one-off small grant and instead removed the cap for a Carer's Personal Budget. Eligibility for this depends on application of the national eligibility criteria. Use of this depends on carer needs and taking into account a strengths and community assets approach. LCC uses the Three Conversations model.

6. No, because we did this in 2015 with implementation of Care Act. We continually review the effectiveness and impact of our offer to carers, including the Carer Personal Budget.

7. Not Applicable, see above answers.

8. The total annual budget for Carer Personal Budgets is £750,000.

9. The total annual budget is managed in-house by the Carers Lead (name above).

The individual offer of Carer Personal Budgets is managed through a combination of in-house and through LCC's two providers, following an assessment. One provider, Carers First have the contractual ability to authorise Personal Budgets up to a value of £1000. Currently all authorisations above £500 are approved in house by LCC's Principle Practitioner.

10.There is no grant application process. See answers above to Question 4 and Question 5.

Restrictions as to what carers can spend a personal budget on those set by law/ statutory regulation for Direct Payments (i.e. must be legal). The use of the carer personal budget must be shown to meet the assessed eligible need of the carer and help achieve the desired wellbeing outcome. It can be used very flexibly, but it must have a positive impact on the need.

LCC does not currently require carers to keep receipts. LCC have taken a proportionate approach to auditing Carer Personal Budgets due to their value. Use of a Carer's Personal Budget is monitored at a 6 week follow up review and an annual review. Use of personal payment cards will also help enable a proportionate audit approach. This is under review and may change, but the principles of proportionality and cost/value of audit and consideration of barriers to uptake will remain.