FOI Request - Direct Payments in Social Care

Request 101002993319

I am carrying out some research work regarding Direct Payments in Social Care (adults and childrens) [...]  Can I please request that you supply the information to the questions below on behalf of your local authority for both Adults and Childrens Direct Payment services.

1. How many adults receiving support have a direct payment within your local authority ?

2. How many children do you support that have a direct payment within your local authority ?

3. How many of your direct payment recipients require extra support with the administration of their direct payments?

    4a. Do you provide or commission a service that manages or supports your direct payment users with the administration of their direct payment, doing such tasks as Paying invoices for care or returning documents to the local authority on behalf of the direct payment user ?

    4b.  Who is this provider of this service within your local authority?  

    4c.   Please provide the specification for the contract that is currently in place for this service or outline what the main duties of the service provider are?

    4d.  What is the annual cost of the service currently on place?

    4e.  When does your contract with your current provider end?

    5a.  Do you provide or commission a service to provide information and signposting  support for your direct payment users?

    5b.  Who is this provider of this service within your local authority ?

    5c.  Please provide the specification for the contract that is currently in place for this service or outline what the main duties of the service provider are?

   5d.  What is the annual cost of the service currently on place?

   5e.  When does your contract with your current provider end?

   6.  How many of your direct payment recipients make an assessed financial contribution to their direct payment?

   7.  Please provide the title, name and contact information for the officer responsible for commissioning these services within your local authority

  8.  Please provide the title and the name of the offer in charge of quality assuring these services mentioned in this FOI

  9.   What is the percentage of direct payments within your authority that continue beyond two years and have had both the six week review and at least one annual reconciliation of the direct payment account ?

  10.   How many cases of fraud or misuse have you identified within the last 2 years ?

  11.  Do you process your direct payments in house or do you have someone that provides this service for you?

 12.  What systems do you offer direct payments service users for payroll?  Are they inhouse or an external provider, please name the provider if external.

 13.  Is the processing of your direct payments done inhouse or is this a task provided by an external service provider?   

Response 08-03-2022

1.           How many adults receiving support have a direct payment within your local authority ?
187 (incl. unpaid carers accessing SDS in their own right)

2.           How many children do you support that have a direct payment within your local authority ?
29

3.           How many of your direct payment recipients require extra support with the administration of their direct payments?
There is an in house team who offer as much support as required for any one utilising an option 1, support can be sought from friends, family, SDS team at Health and Social Care Moray and also the use of a Direct Payment.  We do not monitor the contact we have to request additional support from each package in order to effectively answer this question with accurate figures.

4a. Do you provide or commission a service that manages or supports your direct payment users with the administration of their direct payment, doing such tasks as Paying invoices for care or returning documents to the local authority on behalf of the direct payment user ?
This is done in house through the SDS team at Health and Social Care Moray

4b.  Who is this provider of this service within your local authority?  
It is an internal provision

4c.   Please provide the specification for the contract that is currently in place for this service or outline what the main duties of the service provider are?
Not applicable

    4d.  What is the annual cost of the service currently on place?
Not applicable

    4e.  When does your contract with your current provider end?
Not applicable

    5a.  Do you provide or commission a service to provide information and signposting  support for your direct payment users?
This is provided in house

    5b.  Who is this provider of this service within your local authority ?
Not applicable

5c.  Please provide the specification for the contract that is currently in place for this service or outline what the main duties of the service provider are?
Not applicable

   5d.  What is the annual cost of the service currently on place?
Not applicable

   5e.  When does your contract with your current provider end?
Not applicable

   6.  How many of your direct payment recipients make an assessed financial contribution to their direct payment?
28 recipients

   7.  Please provide the title, name and contact information for the officer responsible for commissioning these services within your local authority
Not applicable as we do not commission these services

  8.  Please provide the title and the name of the offer in charge of quality assuring these services mentioned in this FOI
The internal support is monitored via the internal audit team

  9.   What is the percentage of direct payments within your authority that continue beyond two years and have had both the six week review and at least one annual reconciliation of the direct payment account ?
This is not something we would be able to accurately report on at this time due to COVID and the team concentrating on critical functions to support individuals maintain their care and support throughout the pandemic.  Due to the pandemic staff were redeployed to other critical functions to support frontline services.

  10.   How many cases of fraud or misuse have you identified within the last 2 years ?
We have not had cases of fraud in the last 2 years, there have been 8 cases where a DP has been misused, but has not necessarily been intentional.  Most of the packages have operated in accordance with their outcomes, and in cases of misuse we have supported the individual to understand the errors and to offer further support in the operating of their package, for example checking timesheets and invoices before they have been funded.  They cannot really be put down to misuse as on the whole, they have utilised additional hours over and above the flexibility of the budget due to deteriorating conditions, before contacting Social Work.

  11.  Do you process your direct payments in house or do you have someone that provides this service for you?
The processing of Direct Payments is carried out in-house

 12.  What systems do you offer direct payments service users for payroll?  Are they inhouse or an external provider, please name the provider if external.
We have an approved list of payroll providers that are external to Health and Social Care Moray.  At present, those approved are Accountability, Barrie Bookkeeping and Fife Business Services

 13.  Is the processing of your direct payments done inhouse or is this a task provided by an external service provider?   
This is done in house