Finding Our Way Barnsley Report

8/9/2019 Finding Our Way Barnsley Report

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AUTHORS: SAMANTHA LAWSON,

GEOFF PEARMAIN and JOHN WATERS

MAY 2010

Finding Our WayThe story of Self-Directed Support in Barnsley



Cover Picture: description required

Thanks to all those who have

contributed to this report and who

have helped us develop and shape

the Personalisation agenda within

Barnsley.

In particular:

Barnsley Arena

Dial Barnsley

Volunteer Support Brokers

Age Concern

Together Barnsley

NHS Barnsley

Care Services Direct

Employees of Barnsley Council

Jamie Hanson (Happy Associates).

Thanks too to some key individuals:

John Waters from In Control

Sam Lawson, Avril Watson and Julie Moore

(Barnsley Adult Social Services)

Christopher Hatton (Lancaster University)

Frank Burgin (Barnsley Arena).

Most of all, I would like to thank the families and

individuals who have been part of this work and

who have shared with us their learning, theirfrustrations, their celebrations and their successes.

Thank you.

Wendy Lowder

Assistant Executive Director – Personalisation

In this report we see how one local

authority, Barnsley Metropolitan

Borough Council, has got to grips with

a major challenge: how to create a

system o social care that puts the

wishes and needs o ordinary people beore the

demands o services and the system itsel.

This is a story of change and it makes inspirational

reading. The report shows that change is possible

and that local authorities can and are working in

innovative ways. For me, the most striking aspect

of the report is that it is local people themselves

who are making a crucial difference.

Julie Stansfeld

Chief Executive

Welcome Acknowledgements


http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/finding-our-way-barnsley-report 3/16 Barnsley Council | In Control 1

The story of Self-Directed Support in Barnsley

Foreword

I am particularly delighted to

introduce this report that describes

our endeavours to implement Sel-

Directed Support, a new approach

to social care that allows people to

control their own social care through a

Personal Budget.

Self-Directed Support places each and every

person who needs our support at the heart of

what we do. As you will see from the report, we

have achieved a great deal during the last few

years and we continue to learn with and for

Barnsley people about the best way to deliver Self-

Directed Support.

This report clearly shows the creativity and

resourcefulness that local people and their

families can draw on when we recognise them as

equal partners. We have seen the difference that

Self-Directed Support can make to people’s lives.

We are very proud of our work and we hope to

continue to build on it during the coming years.

I would like to extend my personal thanks to the

families and individuals who have worked with us

to help us learn from their experiences.

Councillor Jenny PlattsCabinet Spokesperson for

Adult Social Services

Finding Our WayThe story o Sel-Directed Support in Barnsley


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Introduction

From time to time all o us look to other people

or help – help with everyday things like mending

a broken-down car or fxing a crashed computer,the things that we don’t have the skills or the time

to do or ourselves. For many o us, the time will

come when we will need to look to others or help

with even more everyday tasks – things that we

now take or granted. As we get older or perhaps

as a result o an accident or injury, we may need

to look to others or help with things like washing,

dressing, preparing meals or getting out and

about. Needing extra help with everyday tasks is,

or a signifcant number o people, something that

is part o their whole lie, rom childhood to old

age, perhaps because they are born with a physical

or learning disability.

If we do need help with everyday tasks, for

whatever reason, we tend look for help from

people who are close to us – our family and

friends. Nearly six million people in the United

Kingdom spend some of their time providing help

and assistance to their family members. Also, a

surprisingly large number of people look to the

government for help. Every year, a million and

a half people in England receive some form of sate-funded social care support. A million and a

half people work in the caring sector. The sector

is made up of some 25,000 different companies,

charities and government organisations.

In 2009 in Barnsley, 10,544 people received

some form of social care support from the local

authority and its partners. The local authority

spent £62.7m on social care. That means the

Council used just over a third of its annual budget

on supporting older and disabled adults. One wayor another, social care affects us all.

Needing help and support is something that is a

fact of life for many people. It is a normal part of

life and not something to be embarassed about or

ashamed of.

However, needing support has traditionally often

meant relying heavily on one of a number of pre-

purchased services, such as place in a residential

care home or a day centre. For some people this

can mean losing out on other important things inlife, things that many of us take for granted, like

having a home of our own or going to work.

In 2006, Ipsos MORI conducted a survey that

explored public attitudes to social care. 90% of

respondents said it was important to them to be

able to stay at home if they developed a long-term

health condition or disability. 87 % believed it was

important that they are given the choice of wherethey live other than residential care. Two thirds

of respondents believed it was important that

support from social care agencies enabled them to

stay in work.

However, some 42% (635,000 people) of the

social care work force are employed in residential

settings. According to the Shaw Trust, a disability

employment charity, only half of disabled people

of working age are in work, compared with 80% of

non-disabled people.

In acknowledging these issues, the Department of

Health has set an agenda for change in social care.

The Department’s aims are set out below.

Over the next 10 to 15 years, we want to

work with people who use social care to

help them transorm their lives by:

✱ Ensuring they have more control giving

them more choices and helping them

decide how their needs can best be met ✱ Giving them the chance to do the things

that other people take for granted ✱ Giving the best quality of support and

protection to those with the highest

levels of need.

Clearly, there is a long way to go. This report

describes an exciting journey that has been

underway in Barnsley for several years now – one

that will transform the everyday experiences

of people who need support and those close tothem.

We have been working to change the way our

whole social care system operates. This report

describes these changes and our learning so far.

In Control

In Control is a social enterprise that has been

working since 2003 to transform the current social

care system. In Control has worked in partnershipwith central government, local authorities and

local people who need support to devise a new

way of organising the social care system in the UK.




The intention of the work has been to ensure that

those people who need support are able to lead

lives as full and active citizens. In Control’s work

draws from and supports work undertaken by

disabled people themselves and the Independent

Living Movement. In Control’s learning is shared

openly with central and local government.

A new operating system forsocial care

In Control offers a new ‘operating system’ for social

care – a seven-step model of Self-Directed Support.

Unlike the existing system, this new model has

at its heart the individual, their family and their

community, rather than care services (as is the

case now). Self-Directed Support is underpinned

by a belief that disabled people and their familieshave both the capacity and the right to control the

support they need to live full and active lives.

Instead of just placing a person into an existing

service, Self-Directed Support is designed to allow

the person and their family as much control over

their support as is possible. To do this, it draws

on some existing good practice, such as person-

centred planning, and introduces some new

ideas, such as a Personal Budget and a resource

allocation system.

Self-Directed Support is brokendown into seven steps

Money. If people are to direct their own support

it is important to be clear early in the process

about how much money is available to use in

a support plan and the outcomes that money

must be used to achieve. To do this, the local

authority must develop a Resource Allocation

System (RAS).

Making a support plan. If people are to have

support that is personal to them, they need a

good plan describing what that support will look

like and what it will achieve. It is important that

the person and those close to them lead this

planning process.

Agreeing the plan. As the local authority is

making money available to fund the support

plan, it is reasonable that it will want to agree

how that money is used. The local authority

also needs to be satised that any risks the

person may choose to take have been properly

considered.

Organising money. Once the money and the plan

are agreed, the person needs to be in control

of the funding so they can direct their support.

There are different ways this can be achieved.

Taking the cash directly does not suit everyone.

Organising the support. When the budget is

under the control of the person, they can arrange

how their support is organised. This can involve,

for example, buying equipment or recruiting staff.

Living lie. When people are supported in ways

and at times that are right for them, it is possible

to live a full and active life.

Seeing how it worked. It is important to take

time to look at how well the plan has workedand to show what the money has been used to

achieve.

A resource allocation system (RAS)

The RAS takes the form of a simple self-

assessment questionnaire. This lets people

know early on in the process how much money

is available to them from the local authority

to fund their support. It also clearly states

the intended outcomes of their support plan.

The RAS gives an indication of the amount of money that should be in someone’s Personal

Budget and what it must achieve.

2. Making MyPlan

3. Getting MyPlan Agreed

1. My Money: FindingOut How Much

6. Living My Life5. Organising MySupport

7. Seeing HowIt's Worked

£

4. Organising MyMoney

£ Agent?

In Control’s seven-step model of Self-Directed Support




The Personal Budget

A Personal Budget is the money made

available to an individual to use for their

support. The money can be held by the person,

their representative, or by the local authority.

The important thing is that the person and

those close to them have control of the money.

Knowing how much money is available and

what outcomes must be achieved, the person

and their family can take control of their

Personal Budget and plan how it is used.

Once the person or those closest to them

has developed a plan, the local authority is

then asked to approve the plan and arrangepayment. This important check provides a

mechanism through which the authority is

able to meet its wider social and nancial

responsibilities.

Benets of the seven-stepapproach

This seven-step approach to social care seems to

have a number o benefts:

✱ The person knows the cost of a support plan

and they have a vested interest in ensuring

that the money is spent well. ✱ Each step can be led by the person or those

in their family, drawing on support from

professionals only if needed and desirable.

This means professional staff are able to

dedicate their time to those who most need

their help. ✱

As the money is determined early on and in atransparent way, people can draw on a range

of other support systems (friends, family,

community) without needing to fear that

the local authority may withdraw its help if

they do. ✱ As people have control over the money, they

are able to choose existing services or design

their own bespoke support. They can avoid

being slotted into services that are not able

to meet their unique needs. This leads to

innovative solutions.

✱ Social workers are not forced to act as‘gatekeepers’ of the public purse, a role that

the current system of social care requires of

them. This is important as social workers are

then able to form trusting relationships and

help people they serve to plan creatively. ✱ As resources are allocated on an individual

basis, it is easier to ensure that people get

resources that match their level of needs.

Social care: a changing system

In 2006, Barnsley became one of 13 local authority

pilot sites testing out Personal Budgets. The

pilots lasted until December 2007 and saw the

introduction of a dedicated Self-Directed Support

Team, created to ensure the implementation of

Personal Budgets in Barnsley. Over the life of the

pilots, IBSEN, a network of academic institutions,

carried out a robust research study examining

work in the 13 sites and provided a report to

government iabout its ndings. This report

provided a comparison between Self-Directed

Support and the traditional approach to care. The

research explored whether Personal Budgets make

people’s lives better, if they are cost effective, and

what impact there is on the informal and formal

role of carers.

The report is available from http://php.york.ac.uk/

inst/spru/research/summs/ibsen.php

Following the completion of the pilots, the

government published Putting PeoPle First, a

commitment to the national transformation

of adult social care. At the heart of this

‘Personalisation’ strategy is the idea of a Personal

Budget for people who need social care support.

Putting PeoPle First set out our main themes:

✱ facilitating access to universal services ✱

building social capital with localcommunities ✱ making a strategic shift to prevention and

early intervention ✱ ensuring people have greater choice and

control over meeting their needs.

In response, in 2007 Barnsley jointly created its

local vision with local health partners, every Adult

MAtters. This visioning document described a way

forward based on a system of Personal Budgets

and Self-Directed Support.

In March 2009, a local Transormation Programme

plan was developed that ocuses on fve key work

streams:




✱ Commissioning and market-shaping ✱ Self-Directed Support systems ✱ Early intervention and prevention✱ Infrastructure (such as information systems

and a skilled and exible workforce) ✱ Universal Information, advice and advocacy.

What we have achieved to dateBeing an Individual Budget pilot site meant that

Barnsley was well prepared to respond to thegovernment’s transformation strategy. The pilot

allowed us to test new ways of working such as

the resource allocation system and to develop local

awareness of new approaches.

Some three years on from the pilots, 1,400 people

now have a Personal Budget in Barnsley but, to

reach this point, we had to do a lot of hard work.

We provided training not just for our own staff, but

also for care providers, partner organisations, local

people who need support and their family carers.

We developed independent advocacy and

brokerage services, and started a provider

development programme for local care agencies.

We have also invested in developing Tele Care (a

range of high-tech equipment to support disabled

and older people to live independently).

At the same time, Barnsley has led the way

nationally, helping to develop a CoMMon AssessMent

FrAMework which will enable Adult Social Services,

NHS Barnsley and local people to have one viewof their needs and goals. All this work is changing

the very culture of the Council’s social care

department.

Taking these developments

forward inevitably brings

with it a range of challenges.

We have always tried to

meet these with a belief

that we need to test outdifferent approaches

– ensuring that we are

listening and learning along

the way. This helps to make

sure that we nally arrive at

a sustainable, exible and

person-centred approach.

Throughout these changes

some of our learning has

come from listening to our

own staff and colleagues in

local partner organisations

but we have also learned

much from the people of Barnsley, their families

and communities.

The Big Conversation – talking aboutPersonalisationThe Big Conversation event was held on the

5th June 2009 at Barnsley Football Ground.

There was an open invitation to all parties

interested in Personalisation and Self-Directed

Support. The event was well attended by arange of stakeholders and included: people

who use services, carers, Health and Social Care

professionals, as well as representatives from

voluntary, community, statutory and independent

providers.

People had a chance to hear about the changes

and to have their say. A series of small group

sessions were held to consider Personalisation

within Barnsley. Information from these sessions

formed the basis of further Personalisation work.

On September 5th 2007, The Rt. Hon. Alan Johnson - Secretary of State for Health met a group

of individuals from Barnsley to discuss Self Directed Support and Individual Budgets.

The Big Conversation 2009.




Ray Ann’s story

Beore having a Personal Budget, Ray Ann rarely

let her amily home and depended increasingly

on care provided by her 78 year-old husband and

her daughter Julie.

Not only was Ray Ann’s health deteriorating, so was

the health of her carers. Julie describes the time by saying ‘things were really bad. Not only was I caring

for mum but I had my own young family and a

full-time job’.

Ray Ann felt that her mobility problems prevented

her from venturing out of her home and this had

left her feeling extremely secluded for a number

of years. Then, by chance, Julie met up with an old

friend who told her about Personal Budgets and

suggested that she nd out if her mum was entitled

to one. With her mum’s agreement, Julie wasted

no time in contacting the local authority whicharranged for Ray Ann to be visited at home.

With the help of a support broker, Ray Ann

drew up her own Support Plan and identied that

she needed two personal assistants, the second

one being her daughter Julie, who would provide

support at pre-arranged times each week. Julie now

has more time with her own family and can call on

her mum for a chat and a cuppa without having

to attend to her care needs at each visit. Ray Ann’s

primary personal assistant, Tracy, provides support

on a daily basis and is ‘not only a carer but a good

companion’. Tracy has supported Ray Ann to makesome changes to her usual daily routine and takes

her out to local luncheon clubs, shops and the

theatre.

The Support Broker helped the family to

complete the necessary paperwork required for

Ray Ann to employ personal assistants and her

granddaughter now acts as the agent and employer,

dealing with the monthly nancial returns on her

behalf.Ray Ann had never wanted to depend on her

family for her support. She now feels that she has

rediscovered her independence as well as improving

her mental well-being and condence, achieved

largely through her personal assistant encouraging

her to go out and try new things. Ray Ann’s family

have noticed the improvements in her well-being.

Her Personal Budget offers her husband, Alan,

peace of mind in knowing that she is happy and

cared for by personal assistants that they know and

trust.

Personal Budgets are not restricted to one per

household. Recently, Alan has been awarded a

budget in his own right. Now, both of Julie’s parents

have Personal Budgets, too. Julie says ‘it will be the

rst year I can go on holiday knowing mum and

dad are being well looked after’.

Adrian’s story

Beore receiving his Personal Budget, Adrian, who

is 46 and has physical disabilities ollowing a brainhaemorrhage 12 years ago, had little confdence or

opportunity to leave his home.

Before his haemorrhage, Adrian had always been

active and healthy. He worked as a miner and

enjoyed both the physical and social aspects of the

work. His illness and disability changed Adrian’s

life completely and for several years he felt unable

to leave the connes of his ‘four walls’, which led to

him being depressed.

With his sister Beverley’s support and

encouragement, Adrian made the decision to apply for a Personal Budget to spend on services that

were right for him and enabled him to lead his own

life again, get out and about and socialise. Adrian,

Stories




Beverley and their Support Broker mapped out a

support plan detailing how Adrian wanted to spend

his Personal Budget.

Adrian wanted to feel more motivated, condent

and independent in addition to having some of

his care needs met. After changing his care agency to one that suited his needs better and creating

a support plan that enabled him to get out and

about, Adrian is starting to achieve what he wants

in life. He now regularly uses local transport to

the town centre with his support worker and

enjoys swimming and bowling. Adrian particularly

appreciates the control having a Personal Budget

gives him because it enables him to get back

out into the community and socialise with his

increasing number of friends. Another plus for

Adrian is having a browse around the shops with his

support worker and being able to plan and choose

what to buy rather than having someone else collect

his shopping for him.

Adrian is getting the support he needs in the

way he wants it. He gets on well with his support

workers from the care agency and has built

some really positive relationships with them. He

particularly likes the freedom of having a Personal

Budget and his support plan means that he has

things to look forward to doing each day. Adrian’s

condence is growing along with his independence

and he wants to share the message that PersonalBudgets can and do help people to achieve the most

from their life.

A Support Broker inBarnsley

Shelley Gill, Support Broker

I have been workingfull-time as a Support

Broker in the Self-

Directed Support Team

since October 2007.

I help anyone who is

eligible for a Personal

Budget to choose the

services that suit them

best. This means I work

with people with all

kinds of needs, from

young people leaving school to older people.In my experience, Personal Budgets work because

the support planning process is very individual. The

person is always at the centre of the plan because

they know and understand their own needs more

than anyone else. The planning encourages people

to think about what support they would like to

have, what is working for them now, what they want

to change, what is important to them, and their

future hopes and dreams. The planning also detailsinformation about how the person will manage

their Personal Budget and the support that they

choose. The plan also sets out how the support will

be monitored and how people plan to stay healthy,

safe and well.

The support planning process takes as long as it

needs to take. Some people have a rm vision about

what they want to achieve from their Personal

Budget. Others prefer to have time to think about

different options and do some research. Support

plans can be revisited as often as needed. Some

people have many updated versions of their plan.

Personal Budgets seem to have a positive snowball

effect – the more positive and in control a person

feels, the more their lives may change, which in

turn changes the support they need.

I think people simply like to have a choice – I

know I do. Having a Support Broker to help with

support planning is just one of many options

available to people when completing their support

plan. I have helped well over a hundred people

create their support plans and start their Personal

Budgets. People value having someone who willlisten to them and offer advice and information

about how they can create a support package that

best suits them. I’ve planned with fantastic people

and families and most know exactly what they want.

Every day is different and very rewarding. I love

meeting new people, listening to them and helping

them create their own support plans. It’s a great job

and it’s excellent to hear that things we have put in

place are working well for them. Through talking to

people that I have planned with in the past, it seems

to me that Personal Budgets give much more thansocial care support – people say it has changed their

lives and, as a Support Broker, you can’t get much

more job satisfaction than hearing that!

A Care Manager inBarnsley

Lorraine Campbell, Assistant Care Manager

I am an Assistant Care Manager for Adult Services. Ihave been involved with Self-Directed Support from

the beginning when Barnsley rst piloted it. I have

always believed in what Self-Directed Support was




‘More control in

employing who you

want and when you want them.’

‘It’s good or me because it allowsme to go out more than I would

have normally. I have a personal

car driver who takes me out.’

‘I do not use an agency any more.

I have now got my own regular

carers. I have no more stress. I

have no more strangers coming

into my home. I have my privacy.’

‘I have been able to use adult

learning courses and get help withkeeping ft. And I eel part o my

community.’

‘[My Personal Budget] gave me

the opportunity to choose what

sort o care I wanted.’

‘It has given me independence

and carers that know me very

well, and a good outlook on lie.’

‘It is more personal.’

‘The exibility is good. I have

more independence and can alter

the care as my illness varies.’

‘I’ve got more choice and reedom

to spend the money within the

parameters it is intended or. I

don’t have to ask about any little

change – more control.’

‘There is more exibility. My

daughter has a physical disability

plus cystic fbrosis and a mild

learning disability. The budget

is more appropriate to meet all

her complex needs. My daughter

likes routine and consistency o

carers and this is achieved more

with an Individual Budget than a

conventional care package.’

‘It gives me a better standard o

lie and I have control over my

carers. It gives me more dignity. I

have more control in my home.’

‘It helps people to get on with

their lives and provides support

and respite or amilies.’

‘Being ully in control o support,

and exibility.’

‘Gave us the chance to look at a wider spectrum than oered

beore and we can now say “we

want that” and decide where

Mark can go.’

‘More exibility. Better or social

awareness and sel-esteem.’

‘It has been a lieline and has

allowed me to do lots more things

and go out more.’

‘Gives control over your own

destiny.’

‘My son now has more choice o

how to live his lie day to day.’

‘Opened my eyes to new things –

I didn’t know what was availablebeore. Puts my mind at rest that

I am not taking advantage o my

amily or looking ater me.’

‘It has taken care duties away

rom my wie which benefts her as

she also works. I am more happy

mysel, as it makes it easier or

her.’

‘I can take control over the

services provided and the

people providing support, and

can change things i

required.’

What people in Barnsley said about their experience

setting out to

achieve.

What it means

to me is that

we are now

here to enableindividuals to

make their own

choices and

have a say in

what services

they will use

to meet their

individual needs. Moving away from trying to make

the individual t the service, we are now able to

encourage and assist individuals to think ‘outside

the box’ and to be able to choose the right service

for them.

Self-Directed Support also gives individuals a

budget right at the start so they can choose where

they want to spend their money and shop around

for the most effective service, tailored to their needs

and their budget.

My role is now more of a supportive one to the

individual and their family. It is about working as

a team. The lead is the individual. Social Servicesact as the navigator for the person, ensuring that

information on services is available and people have

the knowledge and guidance to keep control of their

lives.

In my role as an Assistant Care Manager, I have

helped individuals with support planning and I have

seen at rst hand how having choice and control

has improved people’s lives – from people with

a low level need for support to those with a high

level of needs. People nd being in control of who

assists them gives them back some of their dignity.

As a worker, it is very rewarding to be able to help

individuals get choice and control over their lives

and see their lives improve.




To understand i we had succeeded in making a

real dierence to people’s lives in Barnsley, wesurveyed a variety o people involved in the Sel-

Directed Support programme.

The evaluation considered the eect o Personal

Budgets on three key stakeholder groups:

✱ disabled and older people controlling

Personal Budgets (100 people) ✱ family carers providing support to those

who had control over a Personal Budget (10

carers) ✱ staff working directly with people taking

control of Personal Budgets (35 staff).

For all groups, the evaluation took the form of a

short multiple-choice questionnaire. The questions

were tailored to each group.

The evaluation took place over the summer

of 2009. Some data (for 16 Personal Budget

recipients) were drawn from earlier work.

How people were selectedSamples of Personal Budget recipients and family

carers were randomly taken from the database

held by Barnsley Council of people using Personal

Budgets in the Borough until the desired number

of responses had been achieved (100 people

using Personal Budgets; 10 family carers).

The staff survey was sent to all staff who had been

involved in Self-Directed Support via their team

manager, and 35 staff returned the questionnaire.

Personal Budget holdersWhen the evaluation was carried out, there were

755 people in Barnsley who had been allocated a

Personal Budget to meet their social care needs.

The evaluation aimed to seek the views and

experiences of 100 of these.

About half of the group (56%) had previously had

social care support from the local authority. The

remainder were receiving social care support for

the rst time.

The vast majority (98%) had help to plan how to

spend their Personal Budget.

The questionnaire asked people to identiy how

their lie had changed in a number o domainssince having a Personal Budget, using simple

three-point scales:

✱ got worse✱ stayed the same

✱ got better.

AgeOf the 100 people in the survey, date of birth

was available for 78 people. This showed an

even distribution across the adult age range. The

youngest respondent was 18 and the oldest was

97. The average (mean) age was 55.

GenderThere were slightly more women (53) than men

(47) in the group.

Social care groupsPeople from all social care groups have Personal

Budgets in Barnsley. By far the biggest single

group to hold Personal Budgets in the Borough

is older people (64%). This group was relativelyunderrepresented in the evaluation group.

FIG.1 WHO TOOK UP PERSONAL BUDGETS

Knowing the outcomesNearly all (92) people said they knew the things

the Council expected them to achieve with their

Personal Budget.

Making changes

Just over half of the group (56) said they had hadsocial care support prior to having a Personal

Budget. Of this group most people (65%) made

changes to their support.

Is Self-Directed Support working in Barnsley?

Physical Disability Learning Disability Older People Mental Health

PB Holders 50 91 471 46

Evaluation 48 21 17 17

0

100

200

300

400

500

600




Length of time Personal Budgets had beenheldPersonal Budgets are a relatively new approach

and most research and evaluation of their

effectiveness has involved groups of people who

have held their Personal Budgets for very short

periods of time. This evaluation is notable because

many of the respondents had held their Personal

Budget for relatively long periods.

Length o time Respondents

Less than six months 24

Six months to a year 21

Over a year 55

Help to planAll but two of the group (98) said they had help to

make their support plan.

Control over the Personal BudgetThe vast majority of the group (89) said they

could control how their Personal Budget was

spent.

Completing the evaluation questionnaireAlmost half of the people (49) reported completing

the questionnaire themselves. A further 21 people

completed the questionnaires with some help and,

in the case of 30 people, the questionnaire was

reported to have been completed by someone else.

How people took control of their PersonalBudget

In order that as many people as possible couldbenet from having a Personal Budget it was

necessary to ensure that people could have their

money held in different ways.

FIG.2 WHO MANAGED THE PERSONAL BUDGET

Learning Disability Volunteers working in the Barnsley Carers’ Garden.

Direct PaymentsDirect Payments

(agent)

Individual Service

FundCare Manager

People 211 206 6 498

0

100

200

300

400

500

600




How people spent their moneyWe reviewed various support plans to identify how

people spent their money. Most were using their

Personal Budget to buy support directly from a

personal assistant or from a care agency.

As well as buying on-going support, people spent

their money on a range o other interesting things,

including:

✱ poetry lessons ✱ writing lessons ✱ gym membership ✱ golf lessons and games ✱ workshop sessions on specialist subjects ✱ keyboard and computer skills training.

FIG.3 HOW PEOPLE USED THEIR PERSONAL BUDGET

Outcomes for Personal Budget holdersThe evaluation questionnaire asked people to say

how their life had changed in a range of areas

since having a Personal Budget.

Large numbers o Personal Budget holders

reported improvements across all areas:

✱ Your health✱ Being with people you want

✱ Quality of life ✱ Taking part in your local community ✱ Choice and control over important things ✱ Feeling safe ✱ Dignity from those who support you ✱ Standard of living.

FIG.4 REPORTED OUTCOMES

Although the number of people in some

groups is quite small for statistical analysis,

we explored whether there were any obvious

statistical differences in outcomes (p<0.05) for

Personal Budget holders according to: people’s

age or gender; whether or not they had beenusing social care support before using Personal

Budgets; their social care group; the length of

time they had been using Personal Budgets; and

who completed the questionnaire.

We found no differences in outcomes according

to age, whether they had been using social care

support before using Personal Budgets, the

length of time they had been using Personal

Budgets, or who completed the questionnaire.

In terms of gender, men were more likely than

women to report improvements in their quality

of life and their standard of living.

With regard to social care group, people with

learning disabilities and people with mental

health problems were more likely than older

people and people with physical disabilities to

report improvements in their health and whether

they took an active part in the community.

The views and experiences of social work

staff The evaluation also gathered views from

staff who had helped people take control of a

Personal Budget. Staff were asked to complete

a questionnaire that considered aspects of their

working life. 35 staff took part in the survey.

Signicant numbers of social workers reported

improvements across all areas of the survey.

FIG.5 THE VIEWS AND EXPERIENCES OF SOCIAL WORK STAFF

The views of family carers

A small number (10) of family carers alsoresponded to a survey asking how they had

experienced the Personal Budget process and how

having a Personal Budget had affected their life.

Personal Assistant Agency Mixture Other

People 250 419 40 212

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

400

450

Quality of Life

Choice andControl

Be withPeople you

want

FeelingSafe

Dignity insupport

HealthTake Part inCommunity

Standard Of Living

Improved 60 56 53 48 45 44 43 21

Same 38 39 45 51 55 40 46 70

Worse 2 5 2 1 0 16 9 8

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

Control &choices

about their

lives

Support

tailored toindividual.

Positive

differenceto lives

Plancreatively

Active part

in their community.

Maintainexistingsupport

networks

Rightamount of

help to

people

Your ownskills and

knowledge

Help topeople in atimely way

Allocatingresources

fairly

ManagingRisks

Stayingmotivatedin work

29 26 25 24 21 19 18 16 14 10 10 10

9 9 12 9 15 17 16 18 9 13 21 11

Improved Same Worse

0 1 2 1 1 0 1 2 10 3 2 12

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35




Partner inplanning

Support toContinueCaring

Finance WellebingRelationshipwith person

Other signifecent

relationships

Leisure &social life

Quality Of Life

Choice andcontrol

Work

Improved 9 6 5 5 5 5 4 3 3 2

Same 1 4 5 5 5 5 5 7 7 4

Worse 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 4

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

The areas o enquiry in the questionnaire were

drawn rom the national strategy or carers:

✱ Support to continue caring ✱ Your quality of life ✱ Your general health and well being

✱ Your leisure opportunities ✱ Your capacity to work ✱ Relationship with person you care for ✱ Your relationship with signicant others ✱ Choice and control over your life ✱ Being an equal partner in planning. FIG 6. VIEWS AND EXPERIENCES OF FAMILY CARERS

Looking aheadIt is very important to us that, in developing our

approach to Sel-Directed Support, we continue to

listen and learn.

This evaluation is a part o this learning. It helped

us understand a number o important issues:

✱ What do people buy with their budgets and

what might their buying choices mean for

existing providers? ✱ Were there things people wanted to buy but

couldn’t nd? ✱ Was the process easy for people to use? ✱ Did people nd the information and advice

they received helpful or confusing? ✱ Is the approach to support planning

working consistently well irrespective of

who does the planning? ✱ Are we doing enough to support people

who live alone and feel isolated?

During our next phase, we will offer Personal

Budgets to all people who have ongoing supportneeds when they rst approach us and all people

whose care arrangements are due to be reviewed.

In addition, we are working on specifc projects:

✱ Offering Personal Budgets to people with a

learning disability who receive support during

the day from the Council’s Day Opportunities

service. This will help us to think about what

Self-Directed Support will mean for this group,

their families and the provider.

✱ Further piloting in Supported Housing,

working with KeyRing, South Yorkshire

Housing Association and other providers. ✱ Further testing of Self-Directed Support

within Mental Health. ✱ Developing our approach to Personal

Budgets for family carers.

We also know that in continuing this work

improving access to information, advice and

advocacy is crucial, as is continuing to developan improved approach to supporting people into

employment. Our recent success in becoming a

right toControlTrailblazer site should help us to

improve in these areas.

We also need to continue work that will ensure

that universal services such as housing, health,

leisure and transport enable those people with

care and support needs (and their carers) to gain

equal access. We want to continue to demystify

Self-Directed Support and develop a body of knowledge within local communities so local

people can advise and guide each other.

Barnsley Council and NHS Barnsley are committed

to ensuring that everyone who needs ongoing

support has an opportunity to direct their own

arrangements with a Personal Budget. We will

continue to work with Barnsley people, the

communities in which they live, and partners to

ensure a successful and meaningful personalised

care and support system.




Barnsley Council | In Control Scotland 13

Barnsley Arena members at the In Control Conference 2010 finding out about and contributing to the conversation about Self Directed Support




in Control Partnerships

Tel: 01564 821650

Email: [email protected]

Website: www.in-control.org.uk

In Control Support Centre

Carillon House, Chapel Lane

Wythall, West Midlands

B47 6JX

About this report

This report is an account o our work and

the things we believe we have learned while

implementing Sel-Directed Support in Barnsley.

The ndings are not intended to represent the

results of an academic study. Rather, they are a

critical self-evaluation of our progress to date. The

ndings represent our best attempt to understand

and report the things people have said to us about

their experience of taking control of a Personal

Budget.

If you would like a printed copy of this booklet please contact In Control

Contact Details

Tel: (01226) 772425

Email: [email protected]

Website: www.barnsley.gov.uk

Self-Directed Support Team

Wellington House

36 Wellington Street

Barnsley, South Yorkshire, S70 1WA

Documents

Finding Our Way Barnsley Report