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Independent Living Quarterly - your direct payments newsletter.
Autumn 2016.
Information from Diverse Cymru about direct payments for users in Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire
Introduction
We hope that in the short time you have known us that your experiences have been positive. We look forward to working together in the future. 2016 has started in a busy fashion with the transfer as well as the ever increasing challenges of providing high quality support at a time when budgets are being squashed. Our aim at the outset of the year was to raise our profile in West Wales by doing our bit to help increase referrals across the three Counties by providing training to the Local authorities, giving talks and presentations to carers and disability forums/groups.
We believe that it is ever more important to share the knowledge that we have gathered over 14 years of supporting people to live independently while using their direct payment. We are making a continued effort to engage and network more publicly, therefore if you are involved in an access, focus, or disability groups and would like us to provide a talk on direct payments then please get in touch with me.
We would like to welcome back Sioned Jones, our Senior ILA for Carmarthen, who returns from maternity leave on the 10th October. Sioned has been enjoying her quality time at home with her beautiful baby boy Elis and we look forward to her return.
Kay Hughes stepped in for Sioned and has done an exceptional job managing the Carmarthen area and the
Independent Living Advisor (ILA) team for the last 9 months. She will soon resume her ILA role on a part-time basis while also becoming our new Personal Assistant Trainer, delivering an Agored Cymru accredited course to our pool of prospective PAs.
A big warm thank you to Kay from the West Wales team!
We have lots of news in this edition, happy reading.
Christina Thomas
Regional Support Service Manager
West Wales Team
Meet the Team
Christina Thomas, Regional Direct Payments Support Services Manager - 07852 229 448
Kay Hughes, Independent Living Advisor/PA Trainer - 07852 228 845
Mai Jennings, Senior Independent Living Advisor - 07852 229 440
Sally Grenfell, Senior Independent Living Advisor - 07852 229 468
Alli Scott, Independent Living Advisor - 07983 252 606
Cathryn Hunt, Independent Living Advisor - 07852 227 837
Emma Rees, Independent Living Advisor - 07852 227 047
Gemma Griffiths, Independent Living Advisor - 07852 228 374
Helen Evans, Direct Payments Payroll and Managed Accounts Officer
Jane Williams, Administration Officer
Karen Bladen, Independent Living Advisor - 07495 899 277
Karen James, Independent Living Advisor - 07852 228 566
Leila Morris, Independent Living Advisor - 07852 228 972
Llinos Maher, Independent Living Advisor - 07852 228 926
Mark Phillips, Independent Living Advisor - 07852 227 569
Megan Griffith-Salter, Independent Living Advisor - 07852 228 388
Richard Truscott, Independent Living Advisor - 07852 228 210
Sioned Jones, Senior Independent Living Advisor - 07852 229 413
Terri Nash, Independent Living Advisor - 07852 228 104
Service Update
Diverse Cymru are committed to putting the people who use our services at the heart of everything we do and providing a high quality service. We continue to develop new ways of supporting people and improve our current services by listening to your feedback, views and ideas. Over the past nine months we’ve taken your input on-board and made the following changes:
Payroll is now processed four-weekly, meaning there’s less work for you.
We now have a Senior ILA managing each county area who in turn have a team of dedicated ILAs working in that county.
All of our service users has a dedicated ILA or a contact person.
We now offer a Managed Accounts service, which provides a more stress-free option by managing your direct payments and your contact with HMRC on your behalf. We’re delighted to see more and more of our service users signing up, please speak to your ILA if you would like to take advantage of this free service.
We can now manage your PAs pension contribution payments and, if you use a Managed Account, we can even set you up with a pension scheme.
We’ve established separate peer support groups for Carmarthenshire, Pembrokeshire and Ceredigion.
We will soon be offering an Agored Cymru accredited Personal Assistant training course to our pool of prospective PAs.
We have added an additional telephone line to our Carmarthen office to help us answer more calls during busy periods. You can now call us on 01267 245 579 and 01267 245 580. We also have a new email address, [email protected], to give you an additional way to contact us.
In this edition of the newsletter we have included more features, including good news stories, and we welcome any feedback and input around what you’d like to see in future editions.
FAQ
Q. What is my PA’s holiday entitlement?
A. We have an annual leave breakdown on page 7 but your ILA can also provide you with an annual leave calculator.
Q. Can I give my PA a wage increase?
A. Our best advice is to contact your ILA who can help you with a budget review to ensure that you have enough money in your account to do so.
Q. My PA’s DBS has passed three years; do they need to have another one?
A. Yes, the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) guidance recommends that this should be renewed after 3 years. Please contact your ILA who will advise you of the DBS contact person in your area.
Q. Who can help me with financial returns?
A. We no longer have Account Support Workers but your ILA can provide training for you to complete them yourself if you are able, or if you sign up to our Managed Accounts there will be no need for you to complete these.
News
Two of our Senior ILAs, Mai Jennings and Sally Grenfell, represented Diverse Cymru at the Alzheimer’s Memory Walk in Llanelli.
Mai said:
”The sun did break through once or twice and everyone was in great spirits and enjoyed the walk and encouraged each other. Thanks to everyone in West Wales who sponsored us, between all of us we managed to raise around £300”.
Employer’s Responsibilities
Staff Holidays and Payments
As of April 2009, all employers are required by law to allow their employees to have 5.6 weeks paid holiday per year (pro rata for part time staff). For employees who work 5 days per week this is the equivalent of 28 days per year and includes bank holidays and public holidays. This is the statutory minimum requirement.
Below is a quick guide to calculating holiday entitlements:
Full-time (5 days a week) - 28 days. Part-time (4 days a week) - 22.4 days. Part-time (3 days a week) - 16.8 days. 6 day week - 28 days (Maximum statutory
entitlement). Compressed hours (e.g. 36 hours in 4 days) - 201
hours per year (36 hours x 5.6 weeks). Annualised hours (e.g. 1,600 hours at an average of
33.5 hours a week.) - 187.6 hours (33.5 hours x 5.6 weeks).
In April 2016 the Government’s new National Living Wage become law. If a PA is aged 25 or over and not in the first year of an apprenticeship, they’ll be legally entitled to at least £7.20 per hour.
As an employer, you’ll need to make sure you’re paying your staff correctly as the National Living Wage will be
enforced as strongly as the previous National Minimum Wage.
From October 2016 the new rates will be:
£7.20 per hour - 25 yrs old and over £6.95 per hour - 21-24 yrs old £5.55 per hour 18-20 yrs old £4 per hour - 16-17 yrs old £3.40 for apprentices under 19 or 19 or over who
are in the first year of apprenticeship.
DBS update service
We are currently increasing our pool of people looking for work as a Personal Assistant (PA). Once a prospective PA signs up to our matching service they are able to view, and apply for, our service users’ vacancies. Ideally we would like to be able to provide our service users with immediate cover from our pool, but unless a prospective PA has an updated Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check, which allows transfer from one job to another, then we cannot offer that facility.
If you have a PA that would like extra hours then please ask them to join our matching service on our website and advise that the best chance to increase their chances of immediate work is to have an updated DBS.
NB - DBS checks used to be called Criminal Record Bureau, or CRB, checks.
Benefits
The online DBS update service allows applicants to keep their DBS certificates up to date and employers to check a DBS certificate.
Applicants
You need to register to use the update service, which costs £13 per year payable by debit or credit card only. There’s no charge if you’re a volunteer.
How to register
If you’ve not yet applied for a DBS check, you can register for the update service using the application reference number. DBS must receive your application form within 28 days.
If you’ve already applied, you can register for the update service using your DBS certificate number. You must do this within 19 days of the certificate being issued.
You can use the DBS tracking service to check the progress of your DBS certificate.
Once you’ve registered, you can use the update service to:
view your details take your certificate from one job to the next give employers permission to check your certificate see who’s checked your certificate add or remove a certificate
For more information please visit www.gov.uk/dbs-update-service
Payroll Information and Updates
We receive a number of queries relating to the new payroll dates: When to send us a PA’s hours, when PAs are paid, etc.
The next PA pay date will be Monday 31st October 2016, and every 4 weeks after that.
You need to call in with hours if varied one week before each of these pay dates, the next being Monday 24th October 2016.
Each payment will cover the four-weekly period ending the day before the pay date. For example, on 31st October your PAs will be paid for the period from 3rd – 30th October.
Please call your ILA if you would like any more details on this.
Payslips
The Diverse Cymru payroll system produces slightly different payslips to those you may have received previously. The two copies you receive are slightly different: the employer’s copy of the payslip has the employer’s address and the PA copy does not.
In order to reduce waste and to help protect the environment we would encourage you to sign up to paperless payslips, where copies are sent via email.
HMRC
The quarterly window in which to pay your HMRC tax bill is after the 5th October 2016 but no later than the 19th October 2016.
We are aware that some people might have not been sent their white paying-in book from HMRC; if you have yet to receive yours could you please ring the Carmarthen office on 01267 245 579 or, alternatively, email [email protected] so we can order one on your behalf.
HMRC also offers and encourages online payment of quarterly tax bills.
HMRC Tax Code
We get quite a few requests from our service users asking us to change their tax code. Unfortunately we are not able to contact the HMRC on your behalf for this matter, but we can advise you how to go about this. Once you have requested this change with HMRC, they will be in touch with us and we will be able to proceed.
Automatic Enrolment
This applies to all employers who have at least one member of staff and it doesn’t just apply to businesses; if you employ someone directly to work for you, such as a PA, you are an employer and will need to ensure that any eligible employees are enrolled into a workplace pension.
The Pension Regulator is currently sending out letters advising people of what is known as the “staging date”. It is essential that you respond to any correspondence you receive from the Regulator as ignoring information being sent out could result in a fine.
Diverse Cymru has set up a Pensions Administration Service available to anyone who uses Diverse Cymru payroll, so please send any regulator letters to the Carmarthen office or email to [email protected] where we will input he information on your behalf and advise you if your PA is eligible for a pension scheme.
The National Employment Savings Trust (NEST) has been set up by the Government especially for auto-enrolment. They are in place to make sure that every employer has access to a workplace pension scheme that meets the requirements of the new pension rules
For further information on NEST: nestpensions.org.uk or 0300 020 0090
Peer Support Groups - Summer 2016
The Benefits of a Peer Support Group
Peer support groups offer many benefits; they can empower people to support each other on a positive equal basis and offer something based on shared experiences.
The value of helping others enables people to develop and share their information, skills and experiences. Service users on direct payments have always provided invaluable support to each other through peer support groups.
Pembrokeshire
We had a great morning at the Hilton Court Gardens enjoying the stunning views and gardens.
We received lots of useful feedback about our direct payments service and our Director of Operations, Leonie Wallace, talked to the group about the wider work that Diverse Cymru does.
We ended the session with free cake and refreshments and free entry to the grounds.
Ceredigion
We met at Aberaeron Rugby Club, in the conservatory overlooking the beach and coastline.
Our Director of Influencing and Partnerships, Michael Flynn, gave a talk on our range of services and gathered ideas on how we can increase our footprint in the area.
We shared ideas and experiences on direct payments and our forum members were treated to scones with jam and cream.
Carmarthenshire
The sun was shining at the National Botanic Gardens on a beautiful summers day.
The group received a talk from Consultancy Manager Adele Goodwin on the new Diverse Cymru accredited training for Personal Assistants (PA). We are aiming to train many new prospective PAs to help fill your vacancies.
We shared direct payment experiences and looked at ways to generate new members. Our service users had free entry in to the Gardens and were treated with cake and refreshments.
Paralympics Rio 2016
Proud to be Welsh
Wow! I’m sure you will all agree what a great show the Rio 2016 Paralympics was and the Welsh Athletes were welcomed home to a ceremony at the Senedd in Cardiff.
The Paralympics is always full of amazing, inspirational stories and this year was no different. Our Team GB athletes proved that nothing can hold them back and showed the value of dedication and hard work, as many do not have sponsorship to be full time athletes and have to work to pay their own way in between competitions.
There are dedicated disability sports clubs all over Wales, and it’s never too late to get involved - www.disabilitysportwales.com
News
Winter Fuel Grants
Winter is nearing, the nights are getting darker and the weather is getting colder, so it’s a good time to remind people that there are a number of government funded schemes across the UK which provide help with heating. You could get £140 off your electricity bill through the Warm Home Discount scheme. You may also be eligible to get cold and winter fuel payments.
For more information see: www.gov.uk/browse/benefits/heating
You can also get up to £1,000 towards the replacement of your boiler.
See www.government-grants.co.uk/boiler-grants
In Wales there is a fuel poverty programme called NEST. Through NEST, home improvements are available to people in Wales who are in receipt of a means tasted benefit and living in a hard to heat home.
For more information call 0808 808 2244 or go to www.nestwales.org
CEA Card (Cinema Association)
The CEA Card is a national card scheme developed for UK cinemas by the UK Cinema Association (UKCA), formerly the Cinema Exhibitors' Association (CEA). The scheme was introduced in 2004 and is one of the ways
for participating cinemas to ensure they make reasonable adjustments for disabled guests when they go to the cinema; in particular, it ensures a complimentary ticket for someone to go with them.
You pay an annual fee of £6 and you are then entitled for someone to go to the cinema with you for free. Most cinemas accept it, including the larger Odeons and Vues. It’s available to people who currently claim one of the following benefits:
Disability Living Allowance (DLA); Attendance Allowance (AA); Blind Persons Registration; Personal Independence Payment (PIP); and Armed Forces Independence Payment (AFIP).
For further information please visit www.ceacard.co.uk
Direct Payments for Carers – Did you know?
Statistics showed that in March 2015 that there were around 4,600 disabled people in Wales in receipt of direct payments.
There are over 60,000 people in Wales in receipt of Community Care services and potentially every one of those people could access direct payments. These figures are very low in comparison to England and Scotland. Direct Payments have been around for 20 years, and it’s disappointing to see figures so low when we know the massive positive difference it can make to people’s lives.
At Diverse Cymru we support nearly 2,000 individuals in West Wales and Cardiff to help use their direct payments package, which makes us the largest provider of Direct Payments support in Wales with extensive years of experience and knowledge in the field.
In line with the new Social Services Health & Well-being Act (Wales) 2014, we have been busy prompting the new principles of the Act by providing training to local authorities and carers groups/forums on the new changes for direct payment listed in the Act. Carers in particular can now have a direct payment within their own right.
The first step in this process is always to start with a carers assessment. The assessment will look at how caring affects the carers life, including for example,
physical, mental and emotional needs, and whether the carer is able or willing to carry on caring. The local authority should inform the carer of the outcome of the assessment and, if eligible outcomes are identified the carer should have the option of choosing between services arranged directly for them or receiving a direct payment to purchase their own services.
What could a carer use direct payments for?
taxi fares mobile phones computers gym club membership leisure classes training courses counselling driving lessons help with housework or gardening
Help Diverse Cymru to promote direct payments in West Wales and spread the word to family, friends, a friend or a neighbour. Please signpost to our info email address [email protected] or contact the Carmarthen office on 01267 245 579.
Carmarthenshire News
Carmarthenshire Direct Payments Peer Support Event
Tuesday 15th November 10:45am-3pm
Llanelli Fire Station, Corporation Ave, Llanelli SA15 3PF
Free tea and cake will be available, plus a talk on fire safety from MAWW Fire and Rescue Service. Fire safety checks can also be arranged. This will be followed by a craft session in the afternoon being delivered by Trysordy Treasure House.
Come and meet others using direct payments, share your experiences, and tell us what you think.
Booking essential! For more information please contact:
01267 245579 or [email protected]
Carmarthenshire Learning and Development Team provide funded training and support to social care professionals working within Carmarthenshire.
If your Personal Assistant is interested in free training then please visit their website to see what is available.
www.workforcedevelopmentcarmarthenshire.co.uk
Courses include:
Meaningful Engagement with Dementia Essential awareness (safeguarding)
Sensory Disability training Mental Health First Aid
Crossroads Care Sir Gâr
Crossroads Care Sir Gâr is a registered charity with offices in Carmarthen and Llanelli. They are a network partner of the Carers Trust, the major national charity offering practical and emotional help to carers.
Their services are tailored to meet the needs of the individual Carer and their family, working alongside other local community services.
Crossroads Care Sir Gâr provides a range of services to help carers and the people you care for, including:
Adults and Children Replacement Care Adults and Children Domiciliary Care Adults Continuing Care and Palliative care Care for children with life limiting conditions Weekend day centres (generic) – Llanelli Town and
Gwendraeth Valley Specialist mental health (moderate to severe
dementia) day care facility – Hafan Glyd, Carmarthen on 5 weekdays.
Luncheon club – Llangennech Community Centre every Wednesday
Support when caring comes to an end
Intervention service for urgent and unplanned events
Carmarthenshire Carers Information Services
Carers Support Group
The next meetings are planned for 26th October, 16th November and 21st December from 1-3pm in the Llanelli Office.
For more information, please contact the Carers Information Service on 0300 0200 002 or please visit www.carmarthenshirecarers.org.uk
Pembrokeshire News
Pembrokeshire Direct Payments Peer Support Event
Wednesday 2nd November 11am
The Wickedly Welsh Chocolate Farm, 13 Withybush Trading Estate, Withybush Rd, Haverfordwest SA62 4BS
You will be able to visit the ‘Have a Go’ zone before the ‘Chocolate Demonstration Experience’!
Come and meet others using direct payments, share your experiences, and tell us what you think.
Booking essential! For more information please contact:
01267 245579 or [email protected]
Pembrokeshire Access Group is an independent charity which aims to promote improved access to services and facilities for disabled people and encourage councils, developers and businesses to subscribe to the social model of disability and the principles of inclusive design so that everyone, including disabled people, can enjoy the same facilities equally. The group has been involved in many community developments supporting disabled individuals in Pembrokeshire.
Next year they are planning a conference called the “Big Access Talk” to be held at the County Showground Pavilion, Haverfordwest on 18 May 2017. It will be
question and answer session with key council and NHS officers responsible for delivering services.
For more information about the Pembrokeshire Access Group contact:
Alan Hunt, Access Officer
Tel: 01437 775148
Pembrokeshire Carers
You are a carer if you provide or intend to provide care for an adult or a disabled child. They could be a relative, friend or neighbour who is unable to manage at home without help because of sickness, age or disability.
You may feel that you are providing care as part of your relationship with them and not see yourself as a carer. However, it is very important you find out what your rights are to see if there is any extra support you could get.
For more information please call 01437 764551
Or email: [email protected]
Pembrokeshire Social Care Workforce Development Partnership (SCWDP) Training Courses
The aim of the partnership is to contribute to the development of the social care workforce, to promote working in care and increase the number of qualified staff providing care in Pembrokeshire.
Who is SCWDP training for?
SCWDP provides training and development opportunities for people employed in social care. You must be a paid care worker or work for a voluntary organisation caring for people in Pembrokeshire to be eligible for our training.
Dates of their training courses, as well as other information, are sent out monthly. If you think you are eligible for this training and would like to be added to our email distribution list please contact: [email protected]
For further details of any of the courses please contact:
SCWDP Administrator Tel: 01437 776 195
Dean Rowlands (SCWDP Administration Assistant)
Tel: 01437 776 052
Ceredigion News
Ceredigion Direct Payments Peer Support Event
Wednesday 9th November 12:30-2:30pm
Morlan Centre, North Parade, Aberystwyth, SY23 2HH
There will be a talk and video on fire safety, and also the opportunity to book a home visit by the Fire Safety Officer.
Come and meet others using direct payments, share your experiences, and tell us what you think.
Booking essential! For more information please contact:
01267 245579 or [email protected]
Carers Forum
The Ceredigion Carers Forum aims to provide an opportunity for carers to come together for information and support for one another.
The Ceredigion Carers Forum is in the early stages of development whereby we are seeking to find out from carers in Ceredigion what information and support they need from such a forum and how that can best meet their needs. During this development process, it is being facilitated by the Ceredigion Carers Unit.
The next Forum meeting date is 16th November 2016, 10:30-12:30.
If you would like to become a member of the Ceredigion Carers Forum or even if you would just like to find out more please contact Catherine Moyle, Carers Unit Support Officer on 01970 633564 or email [email protected].
Personal Assistant Courses
Ceredigion Council provide Personal Assistant training. If you are interested in finding out more please email [email protected].
Come and Sing @ Maes Mwldan Restaurant
Come and have a sing-along to popular and well known songs every Wednesday from 2-3pm until 14th December, in the Maes Mwldan Restaurant, Cardigan.
Tea and biscuits provided, and anyone can attend free of charge. Singing in a group is a great way to relax, socialise and connect with others.
For more information contact Cat.
Phone: 01239 571 121 or email: [email protected]
Funded by the CFW and run by Singing Village to create opportunities for inclusive singing
Ceredigion County Council seeks to promote and enhance the health and well-being of the county for the benefit of current and future generations.
Ceredigion Actif and other local providers of sporting and physical activity opportunities have a key role to play in successful achievement of these aims and the
development of skills for a life in sport by following a community focused sport and activity pathway.
Find out what events and activities are going on in your area. For more information please visit ceredigionactif.org.uk/follow
Final Page, Information.Diverse Cymru is a unique Welsh charity committed to supporting people faced with inequality and discrimination because of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation.
www.directpaymentscymru.org.uk
www.diversecymru.org.uk
01267 245 779 / 245 780
© Diverse Cymru, 2016
Diverse Cymru is a registered charity (1142159) and a company registered in England and Wales (07058600).
Registered office: 307-315 Cowbridge Road East, Canton, Cardiff, CF5 1JD.
