In Control is a national programme that is helping to change the way social care is organised. It means that if you need support you will have far greater choice and control over the way this is arranged.
The scheme is based on the principle that you are the best person to know what type of support meets your needs. The money is given to you so that you can choose and arrange the support yourself. The money that is given for your support needs is called an Individualised Budget .
To receive an individualised budget you need to have been assessed as eligible to receive community care services under the Government's Fair Access to Care Services .
You will then be asked to complete a simple self-assessment questionnaire about the areas of your life in which you feel you need support. You can do this yourself, with the help of family or friends, a care manager or an advocate.
When you have completed the questionnaire, your answers will be fed into something called a Resource Allocation System. This will identify the amount of money which will be available to meet your needs.
The next step will be for you to think about the type of support that you want and make a plan for this by showing:
• how you will stay healthy, safe and well and increase your independence
• how you will organise the support you need and the help you will need to do that
• what you will spend the money on
• how you plan to live your life now and in the future: the goals and outcomes you want to achieve
You can have help to do this and can choose who you would like to help you.
This could be a care manager, your family, friends or an advocate.
You will also need to think about how much natural support can be provided by families and friends and will be given help to obtain money from other sources such as the Independent Living Fund and benefits such as Disability Living Allowance.
You will need to know how much you will have to pay towards your support, if anything. This is called your ‘contribution'. To find out if you have to pay towards your support, you will need to have a charging assessment undertaken by our finance (FAB) team.
Once the support plan and your contribution have been agreed, your money will be paid into a nominated bank account. You can start to organise your support and the people who will provide it.
With an Individualised Budget you can choose to have services provided by Health and Community Care in addition to employing people directly.
You will be asked to provide us with ‘returns' twice a year to show how you are spending your Individual budget. We will review your support plan with you once a year.
If you have support needs, or you care for someone with support needs, and would like to be part of In Control you can contact Health and Community Care to ask for an assessment.
Please Contact Jeremy Long Price: -
Tel: 02380 330982
E-Mail: Jeremy@Southamptoncil.co.uk
Poewrpoint Presentation on In Control
The Brokers Roles - A Powerpoint presentation demostrating the roles of the brokers
SCC Self Assessment Questionnaire -