Assessment
In order to work out what support you need, and how much we can help with the cost, we need to carry out an assessment.
The assessment process
- Contact the Integrated Access Team
- Complete an Assessment
- Agree on a Support Plan
- Receive your personal budget
- Regular reviews
Step 1 - Contact the Integrated Access Team
The Team will ask you some questions to find out if you are potentially eligible for a Personal Budget. Following this initial discussion, and if you are potentially eligible for support, an information pack and self-assessment questionnaire will be sent out to you.
Appointments will also be made for one or all of the following to visit and help discuss your needs in more detail: a social worker, an occupational therapist and a financial assessor. This gives you the opportunity to discuss your situation in more detail and help you decide if you wish to continue with the assessment.
Urgent assessments
Where needs are more complex and urgent, the team quickly refers you to the most appropriate council staff for a full Community Care Assessment to be carried out. We may be able to arrange some temporary support or put you in touch with an individual or organisation that can best help. This may be another Council or a non-Council service if more appropriate.
Mental health assessments
Please note that if you, or someone you know, needs a referral to Mental Health services, the Trust in Barnet, Enfield and Haringey has a new single point of entry called INTAKE. Referrals to INTAKE are accepted from local GPs, social workers, voluntary organisations, and other health care professionals.
So if you, or someone you know, needs a referral please get in touch with one of the above.
|Back to topStep 2 - Complete an Assessment
After the initial discussion and appointments, you will need to complete the self-assessment questionnaire you’ve been sent.
You might want to involve someone who looks after you (a carer, relative or friend) or someone to speak for you (an advocate or supporter, a trustee or someone with a Power of Attorney). Alternatively, you can decide to complete your assessment with a Social Worker or Council help. There is an opportunity for carers, family and friends supporting you to have their say and ask for an assessment too. This applies to children who are providing care as well as adults. We might also need to get information from other people; for example, a GP or district nurse.
You will need to send your completed supported self-assessment questionnaire to the Integrated Access Team (IAT) at IAT@haringey.gov.uk.
In the face-to-face interview we’ve made with you, you will have the chance to tell us about:
- Yourself and your life
- What is important to you
- What is working well for you, what’s not, and what is preventing you living the way you want
- What you want to change, how and what help you need to make this happen
- What would happen if these changes were not made.
How decisions are made
Your answers in the questionnaire and interview will also help us work out, depending on your financial circumstances and whether you meet our eligibility criteria, what Haringey Council might contribute towards the costs (this is known as your Indicative Personal Budget), or what contribution you might need to make.
Financial assessment
The council will complete a financial assessment to check that you’re receiving all the welfare benefits you’re entitled to, as you may be entitled to money from other sources as well as a Personal Budget - for example, for adapting your home, for equipment you might need, or housing-related support. The assessment will also confirm if you need to make a financial contribution towards your budget.
Confidentiality
The information given to us is confidential and we will only share it with those people who need to know about the situation. For example, if relatives or friends are helping to look after you, we will usually discuss the situation with them as well. We will always ask for your permission before sharing information.
You will receive a copy of the completed assessment and what your Indicative Personal Budget might be. We can also give a copy to someone else if you give your permission.
What happens next
If you are eligible for a personal budget the next step is to agree on a support plan. If not, we’ll talk to you about what other sort of support might be available, from Haringey Council or other organisations.
Disagreeing with our assessment
The assessment is voluntary and you can withdraw at any time. If you do not agree with the outcome or are unhappy with the way we carried out the assessment, you can ask for the decision to be reconsidered or make a complaint.
|Back to topStep 3 - Agree on a Support Plan
We will work with you to create a Support Plan that describes the care and support you need and how you will use your personal budget to best effect to pay for it.
We will make sure your Support Plan meets your needs, is legal, affordable, makes the best use of your personal budget, and most importantly - helps you live a healthy and independent life.
Family, friends, a carer, independent agency or provider, or the council can help you manage your Support Plan.
|Back to topStep 4 - Receive a Personal Budget
A social worker and the personal budget support team will help you use your support plan and personal budget. This includes helping you decide the best way to receive your personal budget.
Pre-payment Card
A pre-payment card is just like a debit card. It has your Direct Payment loaded on to it four weeks in advance, as part of the Direct Payment Agreement. You cannot spend, or withdraw, more than the money loaded on to the card. You can also pay invoices over the telephone and withdraw cash, but there is a charge for this.
If you are suitable to have a card, this will be arranged by the Personal Budget Support Team. For those who cannot use the card by themselves, support arrangements can be put in place to help with this.
Other ways of receiving your budget include:
Directly paid into your account
You can receive monthly payments directly into your bank account, but because public money has to be accounted for, you will need to provide bank statements and receipts for your spending.
Paid into a holding account
A personal budget can be paid every month into a bank Holding Account that a care agency then uses to pay for the care that you authorise. Having a Holding Account is not appropriate for everyone, but it does reduce the amount of paperwork that you have to do.
Paid by the council
In exceptional circumstances, it is possible for people to have most, or all, of the care needs managed for them by the Council.
Cash payments
If you choose to have a cash payment, you will need to agree to certain terms and conditions that we will explain to you, and sign an agreement form confirming you understand your responsibilities.
What you can expect from us
Throughout the process:
- We will always respect the dignity of those we look after. To find out what standards you can expect from us, read the Dignity in Care standards (PDF, 981KB).
- You will be given enough time and help to allow you to express what you need and what to achieve
- The views of carers will be considered
- You will be protected from abuse
- Cultural, ethnic, religious, sexual or other preferences will be fully taken into account including, for example, arrangements for an interpreter if you do not speak English or use British Sign Language
- Personal Budget Holders will be in control and able to exercise choice throughout.
Step 5 - Regular reviews
We stay in touch with you to ensure that your needs are met and that the services you receive are keeping you safe and well.
Once we’re sure that things are going well, we will have a yearly review of the support plan to make sure that you are managing your personal budget and to see whether your needs have changed.
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