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As well as proposals for how the money will be spent, the plan will also include details
of any precautions and emergency measures needed to make sure people are safe, and it
all has to be agreed by the council, but the process of presenting it to them for approval
has been made very easy. People can talk about their plan via the internet, at a meeting
held somewhere convenient to them, or a member of staff from the council can do it for them
if they wish.
Once the support plan has been agreed, people have access to funds from the council and
they can start to make it work for them. They can take all of it, or just some of it as
a direct payment. If they wish, they can leave all or part of it with the council to spend
on their behalf, for example, on paying for the services of an agency and even if they
do ask the council to arrange services or activities on their behalf they will still
have choice.
It's all down to personal preference. Some people may want to do everything for
themselves with help from the council. Others might prefer to get the council to arrange
all or some of their support services for them, or use a third-party broker.
>>There's quality with care in direct payments because it's all done through an agency
and it's sort of agreed that I have the same carer who sees me four times a week.
Some might wish to use support workers provided by an agency. Others, like Lorraine, might
choose to become employers and hire their own personal assistant. If that's the case,
staff at the council can provide support with advertising for a suitable person and fulfil
all the requirements of an employer such as tax, national insurance and so on.
There are also organisations you can pay to do a lot of administration for you and also
organisations who will become the employer for the person you have chosen to be your
personal assistant.
Personalisation is designed to be flexible and suit the real needs of a person. Knowing
upfront how much money Hayley has to spend on her support gives her the choice and flexibility
to lead a full life with as much independence as possible.
Help from the council doesn't stop when the support plan is agreed and in place.
>>I think Hayley enjoys the independent side when, in the past, before she had her budget,
when she wanted to go and see Kylie for instance, it was mum that took her. Now she can choose
one of the two PAs to go with her so she's making choices in her life. She's not always
involving us and she can make decisions about how she wants to spend her time and who she
wants to spend her time with. I think she's growing in maturity now because she's having
to make these decisions herself and hopefully, in years to come, she'll be able to live
much more of an independent life and that will give my husband and I a great deal of
satisfaction knowing that she's fitting into society more and not totally reliant
on lots of other people.
Every plan is reviewed six weeks after it's been put into action to make sure that it's
working, and there are further reviews of these once a year, and of course, staff at
the council are just a phone call away if people find their circumstances have changed
or if they need specialist assessments or support.
Being in charge of our own destiny and living our lives is something that we are all entitled
too. Having control over the support that you need to live independently can give you
more freedom and flexibility to live the life you want.
There is an alternative to traditional services like day care and home support and taking
control of your support can give you more independence, more dignity and more of a life.
If you would like to find out more about how this could help you live a more independent
lifestyle then contact Adult Social Care by telephoning 01344 351500
Or visit the website www.bracknell-forest.gov.uk