leaving home - package of support?

[Penny]

At last my daughter and her boyfriend have been offered a flat! It is not exactly where we hoped for and has no garden but it is very spacious and light and is on a bus route and she can walk to shops etc.

We don’t have an allocated social worker now and due to lockdown etc haven’t seen or heard from anybody since last March. I do seem to recall them mentioning a package of support when people with LD start living independently. Can anybody confirm this please or point me in the right direction.

The flat is a housing association one and needs completely decorating and carpeting throughout. The Association apparently provide paint packs, brushes etc. But flooring will be a big expense as they are large rooms.

[bowlingbun]

Hi Penny,

That's good news. Contact the LD Team at Social Services for a Needs Assessment and Care Plan. Having the flat redecorated may count as a Disability Related Expenditure, check with SSD and get this in writing first!!

[Penny]

Hi Penny,

That's good news. Contact the LD Team at Social Services for a Needs Assessment and Care Plan. Having the flat redecorated may count as a Disability Related Expenditure, check with SSD and get this in writing first!!

I did as you suggested Bowlingbun and am still waiting for them to get back to me. Trouble is while they are faffing about we could be getting things done.

[bowlingbun]

In our area there is a team of retired volunteers to help disabled people decorate and do odd jobs.

[Penny]

In our area there is a team of retired volunteers to help disabled people decorate and do odd jobs.

I will look into this thanks.

After nearly 5 years of non stop pestering my daughter and her boyfriend have finally got the keys to a spacious flat and now she is barely interested. I think it’s all too much for her and she can’t handle it at all. I can see this is going to be a long, long process and is going to require a lot of patience on my part. Can’t get a phone assessment with social services until week on Monday. Have ordered all the paint, brushes etc.

[Melly1]

Penny,
the reality it has probably hit! Will her boyfriend move in ASAP - then she has a reason to visit the flat - and may start to enjoy the independence etc.

Melly1

[Penny]

Well, Social services say we can’t get any help from them with carpeting or decorating because that is outside of what the Care Act says.

They suggest I go back to the Housing Association, so have just emailed them.

Lord knows what her Package of Care will consist of then!

[bowlingbun]

Have you asked DWP?

[Penny]

This is so much more involved than I imagined! The SW arranged for the Welfare Rights Dept at the council to ring me which he did this morning. Talk about confusing but he is going to put it all in writing. They will take her ESA off her but she will keep her PIP. They then have to do a joint claim on Universal Credit which he says will include the following elements - personal allowance, housing element, health element and maybe carers element.

No luck with painting help or carpets so that’s down to us.

When we did the affordability check with the Housing Association I said that she was getting ESA and PIP and they didn’t say anything about her losing the ESA.

We will also have to sort out electric, council tax, water etc too.

I have a phone meeting with OT in a little while and a zoom assessment next week with my daughter, myself, OT and social workers.

My head is like a washing machine on spin today!

[Londonbound]

We too in our area have a handyman do jobs team, some employed workers and volunteers, they help with household tasks, painting houses, transport going shopping or to the doctors surgery.

Is there nothing like that in your area?

Often as well there are schemes through the courts, if a person is given say 100 hours community service and they do a trade, painter decorator, gardener etc, they are sent to paint peoples houses or do the gardening.

These obviously are not major criminals, minor offences, speeding and such like.