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Main Content: Choice or chore for carers?
Local councils are being urged to provide better support to carers managing direct payments, rather than saddling them with the burden of unnecessary administration and worry in the Government’s drive towards personalisation of care services.
Research launched by Carers UK shows the scheme, introduced in 1997, has been very successful for many families, but highlights a number of concerns.
Direct payments, part of the government’s ‘Personalisation Agenda’ - a major programme to change the way social care is delivered to disabled people, older people and carers – gives cash directly to families to pay for their own care arrangements. But the cash brings new responsibilities, such as organising payroll and these often fall to the carer.
More than half of those carers questioned (53%) reported their overall experience of the scheme was positive, with almost three quarters (73%) stating that the care they are able to purchase is better at meeting their family’s needs than the previous service. One carer said "Before we had direct payments I had no life. I was a dog’s body and I was invisible. Now six years down the line we have seven personal assistants and we all have a wonderful life.”
However, nearly one in ten reported a negative experience of the scheme. Key for many was the lack of support available to help them manage the money, causing added stress, worry and feelings of being overwhelmed. Indeed, a worrying 21% say they have less free time since taking on a direct payment because of the time needed every week to deal with insurance, tax, NI, training and all the other aspects of employing someone. Another respondent to the survey told us "Direct payments just gave me more work. I'm doing Social Services job for them. Life is hard enough as it is without added responsibility and work."
Carers UK’s research highlights how the success of direct payments is heavily reliant on local authorities and their ability to support carers. Indeed, local councils can ‘make or break’ direct payments, according to the charity. The amount of paperwork involved can be highly ‘off-putting’ for carers and more than three quarters of those surveyed (79%) have no contingency plans in place should something go wrong. In addition, in some areas there simply aren’t suitable services available for carers to purchase with direct payments.
Imelda Redmond, Chief Executive of Carers UK, says: “Our survey shows direct payments have enormous potential to improve carers’ lives, offering more freedom, control and choice.”
“However, for the scheme to truly work, carers need adequate support to ensure direct payments do not simply become an additional administrative burden, on top of the existing ‘workload’ of their caring responsibilities. Our survey demonstrates that for some families, becoming a ‘small business can be overwhelming. Without support, problems arise and instead of transforming lives, direct payments can cause added stress, work and make the situation worse.”
“However, ultimately we believe that direct payments can work, but local authorities have a duty to provide carers with the right support, to ensure it is truly a choice, not a chore, for carers.”