Self-directed support
Self-directed support is currently being trialled with people who have a learning disability or a physical or sensory impairment. If you would like to use one of these services, we must first carry out an assessment of your needs with you to find out if you qualify for a service.
How do you decide if I qualify for a service?
We use guidelines set by the Government known as ‘eligibility criteria’, to determine if you qualify for a service, based on your individual needs. These guidelines are used because we want to ensure:
- people in greatest need and most at risk receive services
- everyone who asks for a service is dealt with fairly using the same guidelines
- everyone understands what decisions we make and why.
Once you have been assessed your eligible needs will be determined using the criteria in the four bandings shown below:
- critical
- substantial
- moderate
- low
Needs in the moderate and low band will not qualify for services from Barnet Council. However, you will be given information and assistance to help you select the right support for you or may be offered services from other agencies, for example voluntary or private agencies.
If your needs are critical or substantial, we will work with you to provide a short-term package of support. This support will be focussed on:
- maximising your skills to help you to live without assistance (such as getting up and dressed) or
- resolving problems that were caused by a crisis (such as the extra support you might need when leaving hospital after an accident).
The support you receive will be time-limited, normally lasting up to six weeks, during this time we will look at how you are managing. If it became clear that this initial help was not going to resolve all of your needs we will talk to you about longer-term support.
A long-term package of support involves completing a personal budget questionnaire. This will provide you with an indication of the amount of money that will be available to pay for your social care. Knowing what your personal budget is will help you take control of planning support, as it will allow you to think about how you will spend the money available to suit your personal situation.
We will continue to support you by regularly reviewing your support package, looking at what changes we need to help you make and what is important to you.
If you have further questions about self-directed support, please contact the appropriate Adult Social Services Duty Team.
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Email this pageLast modified by: Dawn Rowe on 10/03/2009