Advisory service (Direct Payments)
Carers
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Employing foreign workers
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What is the Direct Payments Advisory Service?
The Direct Payments Advisory Service comprises a team of advisers who can help you to decide if Direct Payments are right for you. If you are interested in receiving a Direct Payment as a way of meeting your care needs, you can contact us from the details opposite.
Following a referral from your social worker or care manager and a member of the team will meet you to explain Direct Payments, and answer any questions you may have.
What do we do?
The Advisers can help both you and your social worker or care manager with the following:
- before your assessment, we could help you decide what kind of care or support you need. This may help both you and your social worker at the time of your assessment, as you will have given some thought to the kind of assistance you require
- following an assessment, if you have expressed an interest about receiving Direct Payments, one of our advisers will come and meet you to explain how to manage Direct Payments.
In the meeting, we will discuss the following issues:
- using your Direct Payments to employ an agency worker
(PDF: 95KB) or employing someone yourself. - the responsibilities of becoming an employer, for example, public liability insurance, health and safety, tax and national insurance liabilities etc. We will provide you with all the necessary information and support to help you become a responsible employer.
- suitable places and publications where you may be able to advertise for or find a suitable worker.
- questions you may wish to ask a potential employee during the interview.
- the responsibilities of receiving Direct Payments, such as opening a separate bank account, and keeping a record of how the money is spent. We will give you a Folder to keep any documents in and provide all the necessary training on how to keep the records.
- help you think about what alternative arrangements you may need for the times when your usual arrangements breakdown.
We may provide support to your social worker or care manager to help them set up your Direct Payments.
We will provide you with ongoing support via the Direct Payments Helpline:
- Tel: 020 8359 3760
- Open: Monday-Friday, 9.30am-1pm
Direct Payments forum
This is a quarterly meeting open to all Direct Payments users and family members. The forum provides an opportunity for Direct Payments users to share ideas and influence how Direct Payments operate in Barnet. Staff from the Direct Payments Advisory Service attend and it's another opportunity to ask them any questions you may have.
Personal assistant training
Peoplereceiving Direct Payments can access training for Personal Assistants they employ (this excludes personal assistants provided by an agency). The training is also available to carers of people who receive Direct Payments. The training is free of charge and currently includes person handling, the use of hoists, food hygiene, first aid, health and safety and infection control.
If you are interested in this training please contact the Learning and Development Unit:
- Tel: 020 8359 6390
- Fax: 0870 889 7445
Training courses and dates will be determined by the numbers of people interested.
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Email this pageLast modified by: Dawn Rowe on 19/08/2011