carers and direct payments

[justlikeawoman]

i just wondered what others think of this.
i dont know if any of you get direct payments for care. i do and considering the events at Westminster at the end of last week about mps employing family members and it being a topic of conversation-
can i ask what your opinions are about people who receive direct payments not being allowed to employ family members to do their care work.
it seems to me to be a form of discrimination that if i was an mp that i could employ my husband to be my secretary but if i retired due to ill health and claimed direct payments to employ somebody to do my care that i couldnt employ my husband to do it. i think there is something wrong in this. while it could possibly be seen that corruption could occur it somehow isnt so if he was my secretary.

 

[Isobel]

I agree completely. It seems to me that whoever actually DOES the job should get paid the going rate for it. Employing a member of your family to care for you doesn't strike me as nepotism because you are NOT abusing a position of power. Caring is hardly a sort-after profession anyhow. Another advantage is that a family member will know your needs better than anyone else. A disadvantage is that they will not have had training. Are there any potential problems with health & safety, national insurance etc? But then, nobody gives a stuff if an UNPAID family member does the caring and has no legal protection.
How do direct payments work in practice?

 

[Dollit]

I looked into direct payments for college fees. It has to be approved by a social worker, paid into a dedicated bank account and every penny has to be accounted for by receipts from the place you're spending the money. So if you buy a book you have to have a receipt from a book shop. I think the problem with employing family as carers is that they would have to register as self-employed and prove records. And then how do you prove what you do if you live in the same house and would it be considered normal family practice? Not fair but open to exploitation and not everyone is honest.

 

[justlikeawoman]

direct payments

this is in reply to the posts to the above thread.

i get direct payments for my care. this isnt so much for my mental health but for my physical disabilities. i have a medical condition which makes me very unwell most of the time.

i have a carer. my carer works for me. i get paid direct payments from my local council to help me with some (and i mean some, and it is a very small some) of my care. my carer puts in much more time (an unbelievable amount of time)then they are paid for.

whilst my carer isnt a family member, my carer is a very close friend. in fact my very bestest friend.

so what it is i am an employee, my carer is employed by me. my council pay me "X" amount of money. this is paid into a set bank account each month. i have employers insurance, which has to be paid for out of that account. i have to pay my carer by cheque. i have to keep receipts and do all the necessary calculations for keeping everything in order and up to date. my carer pays tax. i dont have to work out the wages calculations as that is done for me by a particular agent. i have to provide receipts for any outgoings. i also have to keep any bank statements information relating to the direct payments. so i have a file. there is quite a bit of paper work. but by doing this i can choose my own carer. my alternative would be to use an agency and they send in a home care worker. at the moment it works for me to employ my friend. my friend knows me well.
while my friend is "employed" for this amount of work - the amount of time and energy put into caring for me far exceeds what carers allowance or these direct payments give. for instance my carer came with me today while i went to see my psychiatrist.
in this time alone there was at least four hours given to going to the hospital, hanging around, supporting me through my meeting with the doctor and then coming home again.
i know that people think it is open to corruption when family members receive direct payments but it is scrutinized carefully and every so often the file/files have to be sent into the council to be checked and every bit of paper has to be kept for 7 years.

it is a lot of work.

but when i think of the way members of the public are always treated with an attitude of "they are blagging it, faking it, or any other it" that those in authority think we are always up to, it makes me cross to think that mps can employ family members and it is accepted. we all know there are always perks with the job - like for instance, not just the wages but opportunities for claiming expenses.

i do think this is something that needs altering and it is discrimination against those of us who are unwell. i think what was said about family members will understand and know our needs better than a stranger is absolutely true. i would rather have a family member care for if it were possible. bearing that in mind we must also be aware that carers need caring for too. they need lots of tlc and support through all of this.

these were just some of my thoughts and opinions.

 

[Dollit]

but when i think of the way members of the public are always treated with an attitude of "they are blagging it, faking it, or any other it" that those in authority think we are always up to, it makes me cross to think that mps can employ family members and it is accepted. we all know there are always perks with the job - like for instance, not just the wages but opportunities for claiming expenses.

There does seem to be one law for the rich and one law for the poor. Unfortunately those who do exploit the system spoil it for the people who would never exploit the system under any circumstances.

 

[JIBBAJABBA]

Hi

Ive just joined the site last night and noticed your post about Direct Payments tonight. I am about to start employing my PA as they are now apparently called and through the Direct Payments system. I am slightly familiar with is as i was employed by my dad through DP and I found it a nightmare after he passed away with taxes etc but it eventually sorted itself out and to be fair it was only just being piloted then and now its much more commonlyused. I too think we should be allowed to employ a famliy member who actually lives with us! My Husband works full time, and cares for me full time too along with my daughter whos 14. I dont see why I cant pay him but thats the rules isnt it!!

However im deversing....i am also looking to employ my best friend but was concerned that this set up may in some way threaten our relationship.....have you had any probs with your friend being your carer?

I am in a wheelchair and thats why I need a carer etc.

Jibba xx

 

[Dollit]

Why not try it and put a time limit on a review date say six weeks ahead. Then if either of you want to pull out you can and your friendship is still intact.

 

[JIBBAJABBA]

Hmmm yes never thought of that!!

Its just Im not keen on having a stranger for a carer...theres times when im totally wiped out I need assistance in the shower etc so Im fine with my friend (we regularly get our kit off at bike rally's lol) to get changed etc and I have no prob her helping me etc, just not happy with a stranger doing it!!!

But yes I will certainly discuss this with her and see what happens...im sure it will all be fine of course but younever know when it comes to friends etc....

Thanks x

 

[maudikie]

Direct payments.

You can alway pay "in kind" - a new jumer, new suit, materials for the work they do etc. A treat as a present. It can work out. And you can pay them up to £20 permitted earnings p.w. (I think)
Life is very unfair. They lose their Benefits if they have ove £3000 in savings.Make sure he is getting credits for his Pension.

 

[ramboghettouk]

Paying in kind is not direct payments, direct payments are money given you by the council to buy yhour own care.

I've been refused after going to a lot of trouble opening a bank account, a no of demeaning assessments, told it's my care co ordinator so called, haven't heard from him since a cpa in early feb, i did leave a message on his answerphone about a disability pass 3 weeks ago, he never phoned back.

My disability pass i've finally received a renewal form, used to be you just went to the post office, they're now reassessing everyone, the form is basically worded learning difficulties plus physical disability, there is a section about mental ilness where it depends on whether you can drive, i've got a license for driving a moped, the gp must have supported it i can't see him perjoring himself, it's more hasssle getting the form processed by an proffessional.

Asked the mentally ill women upstairs about it, she said she fiilled in her name and address and took the form to Wembley where a women who wouldn't give her name tore it up, she's now waiting for a new form, guess nothing personal to get paranoid about

It's just they told me as long as i took the meds there was nothing wrong with me, i find it upsetting putting incapacity and illness on these forms and the forms seem to be multiplying

 

[Dollit]

Each form begets another form, which begets another. I thought we were supposed to be trying to reduce the paper we use?

 

[ramboghettouk]

Alll this form processing keeps the benefit people off the street

 

[maudikie]

To Rambo-----

Have you tried opening an account at the Post Office? I think they now act as a bank. That's if they haven't closed!

 

[Dollit]

Maudikie - why the comment about post offices? It doesn't seem to match with anything on this thread!

 

[maudikie]

Rambo-----

Thhe Post Offices now act as banks as well as the High Streets. If you can't get an account at the proper banks try the P.O.! You can get you money paid strainght in I should think.