Arranging Support and Services

1. Using this Procedure

This procedure should be used when a final personal budget has been agreed, Care and Support Plan (or Support Plan) has been signed off and services are to be arranged.

Note: This procedure is used by all of the following teams and services:

• Initial Contact;
• Community Led Support;
• Learning Disability;
• Mental Health;
• Community Response Hub; and
• Reablement (ongoing needs only).

2. The Commissioning, Contracting and Brokerage Procedure

Click here to access the Commissioning, Contracting and Brokerage Procedure.

The Commissioning, Contracting and Brokerage Procedure contains the processes for arranging a host of services, as well as guidance on arranging services for self-funders and out of area services.

3. Direct Payments

When the Care and Support/Support Plan has been signed off you should proceed to arrange the Direct Payment as set out in the plan.

Direct Payments should be arranged in line with local processes and requirements.

4. Individual Service Funds

When the Care and Support/Support Plan has been signed off you should proceed to arrange the individual service fund as set out in the plan.

Individual service funds should be arranged in line with local processes and requirements.

5. Urgent or Interim Support

When agreed any urgent and interim support should be arranged using the Commissioning, Contracting and Brokerage procedure. Click here to access it.

6. Swindon Carers Centre

Information about Swindon Carers Centre and how to register for support can be found in the Commissioning, Contracting and Brokerage procedure by clicking here.

7. Providing Professional Support

Professional support is on-going support that you intend to personally provide to the person/carer that is outside the statutory requirement to arrange, monitor and review services.

Examples of professional support include:

1. Long term planning and monitoring;
2. Regular Wellbeing visits;
3. Advocacy support;
4. Counselling.

You should discuss and agree the need to provide professional support with your line manager, as often the support may be better provided by someone from within the person's/carer's informal networks or a person or organisation with specialist skills.

If you do provide professional support the existence of the support should be clearly visible from the person's/carer's records.

You must keep proportionate records of all professional support provided and ensure that the need for professional support is reviewed regularly through statutory review functions and supervision.

8. Arranging Alternative Services

Alternative services are services or methods of support in a Care and Support/Support Plan that meet an eligible need but cannot be directly commissioned by adult social care. They include things like:

1. Housing;
2. Welfare benefits;
3. Health provision;
4. Colleges and training centres;
5. Specialist transport services;
6. A community based group or church; and
7. A charitable support group.

Under the Care Act the duty to meet eligible needs is only discharged from the Local Authority when any alternative services to meet that need are in place. This means that you must be satisfied that:

1. The person/carer (or their representative) will make appropriate and timely arrangements to meet eligible needs through the alternative services identified;
2. The alternative services identified are available and can be provided in a timely way.

You must also consider any support that the person/carer may need to arrange the alternative service and whether the advocacy duty applies.

If you have any concerns that eligible needs may not be met by an alternative service in the time or manner intended you must take steps to:

1. Monitor the situation;
2. Plan and agree what action the Local Authority will take if the alternative service is not provided to ensure that its duty to meet eligible needs is met (this could be the provision of interim support during any periods of delay).

In some situations it may be appropriate and proportionate to support the person/carer to make arrangements to access the alternative service in order to be satisfied that the service is in place and meeting needs as set out in the Care and Support/Support Plan. You can support the person/carer to arrange the service yourself or you could ask another person (such an advocate or family member) to do this. If a person with care and support needs is already in receipt of paid support from an agency they may also be able to assist.

Any on-going need for support to access an alternative service on a regular basis should have been identified as part of the Care and Support planning process (for example if support is required each week to arrange specialist transport) and appropriate long term arrangements should be in place. If this is not the case you must explore methods for meeting this need with the person/carer (or their representative) from a strengths based approach, and make best use of the services and support already available in the Care and Support /Support Plan (for example the task could be added to the care plan of a domiciliary care agency).