Oldham SEND Pathfinder

Personal BudgetsAn Oldham Perspective

Wednesday 6th March 2013

Julie Hawkins: Short Breaks & Transformation Manager

Personal Budgets – Culture change – winning hearts and minds

• In early stages consulted ‘In Control’ & Oldham Adult Services and ‘friendly others’

• Commissioned Person Centered Planning training package encompassing train the trainer to build capacity for long term sustainability. Parents and professionals from Local Authority and Health attended.

• Information events/meetings with professionals and providers including social care, access team, health, schools, early years, further education and voluntary sector.

• In it together approach with professionals and parents as partners.

What is a personal budget?

Personal Budget

RAS – Resource Allocation System Completed with families –leads to clear indicative budget

based on assessed need.

Choice of how the budget is spent outlined in a support plan owned by family

Traditional services Direct Payment

Or a range of options in between

Personal Budgets – ‘Social care’ Pilot

• Prior to being a Pathfinder we had commenced work to develop a pilot focusing on short breaks / social care and maybe health

• Expression of interest from families reflecting range of needs / age range – numerous meetings with families – 10 volunteer families

• Each family supported by Project Manager and named worker – social worker / community nurse

• Regular pilot group meetings with professionals involved and families

Personal Budgets – ‘Social care’ Pilot

• Agreeing what’s in and what’s not in or maybe in with negotiation

• Unit costing services• Paperwork & Process – Resource Allocation System

(RAS)• Agreed initial ‘pounds for points’ level• Training and information events for staff / parents on-

going • PATH / Support Planning

Personal Budgets – ‘Social care’ Pilot

• Provider meetings work towards market readiness.• Tender process created preferred providers list to

increase market choice• Developing process/systems to support

implementation in line with adult services• Desk top exercise using adapted ‘In control’ RAS with

50 families across age / need range

Personal Budgets – ‘Social care’ Pilot Evaluation

• Key findings and issues to consider: - Wonderful and positive experience for my family - Path planning raises parent expectations - What’s in e.g. equipment, other family members etc - Ensuring support plans reflect individual needs and are linked

to the child’s assessed needs - Message from all workers involved needs to be consistent and

positive - Exposes full needs - Age differences – guidance in assessing - ‘Pounds for Points’ levels - Supporting parents when they have their budget – team

capacity long term - Timescales for implementation need to improve

Personal Budgets-Health pilot

• Worked alongside LA, shared learning and training.• Struggled to recruit and sustain family involvement.

- Death of Child

- Families felt system too complicated

- Families have felt choice restricted due to health's strict guidelines regarding care support.

-Limited support planning resources.

Personal Budgets – Education Pilot

• Summer 2012 Personal Budget project group extended to include heads, SENCO’s, ‘central’ SEN staff, educational psychologists etc

• Workshop consultations with parents• Identifying families and schools – mainstream and special

for pilot• Unit cost calculation• Work on RAS to include education• Phased approach to implementation in education similar to

that of social care• April 2013 commence pilot

Personal Budgets – Education Pilot

• Agreed what’s in and what’s out or with negotiation:

-In: Transport, TA support

-Negotiation: equipment, teacher time, additional support services

- Out: Therapies• Virtual budget exercise to examine potential implications for

settings and families - create framework for pilot families/schools.

• FE: working on high needs funding form to ensure colleges can clearly demonstrate how they are meeting individual objectives/outcomes for individuals.

Personal Budgets-Future implications and considerations

• Personal Budgets Policy• Contingency funds• Appeals Process• Prepayment cards/accountancy – audits• Infra Structure to support personalisation –

aligned/pooled budgets• Parents as Support brokers• Impact of Personal Budgets on current block

contracts and in house provision• Senior leadership and council corporate support

Personal Budgets – Next steps & key Challenges

• Case study: personal budget across social care, health and education-creating framework to support

• Integration with single assessment / plan process• April 2013 full implementation social care/short

breaks personal budget option• RAS notional budgets in place for all children open to

ACN Social work team – with full costing of current services accessed

• Further develop the market to include wider choice of preferred providers and brokers

Thank You

• Julie.hawkins@oldham.gov.uk• Tel: 0161 770 3126 or 3110