Personalisation
‘Personalisation’ is all about giving people choice and control over their lives and the support they are entitled to.
Now, and in the years to come, this will mean big changes in many areas of social care and, in particular, in the way funding is delivered. This new way of working is often called ‘self directed support’.
No two people are the same...therefore no two solutions will be the same either. It’s our job at Making Space to make service users aware of what support is available towards getting well, and staying well. Support in terms of people, services, resources and money.
As for how we do it, one of our support workers will explain what money is available for ongoing care and welfare, help draw up a budget, then show exactly how to access any or all of the services or activities required.
Download our guide to 'personalisation' here
At the end of 2007, an agreement was made between government departments which was called ‘Putting People First’. This talked about changing adult social care and said that people who use services, their carers and front line workers should see a difference in the future.
This difference is going to be made by people having personal budgets, individual budgets, direct payments and person centred planning, with support from strong self-advocacy and family carer support. Some of these new words are described later in this factsheet.
The idea of giving people choice and control is to help people who are entitled to get support to make the best use of public money and use it in a way that suits them.
People who receive services, their families, carers and lots of professionals want to see big changes to make sure people live the lives they want and to have a big say and take charge of the support and care they need.
It is a target for the government to make social care and other public services more modern, putting choice firmly in the hands of individuals and their families.
Making Space embraces personalisation. We're committed to service users and carers taking a full and active role in the co-design, co-production and direction of their own care and support. Our processes and systems are geared to accommodate each individual's needs.
Making Space supports the idea that people who use social care support or services and their families and carers should have a bigger say in how their support is provided. We are committed to working in partnership and making this change happen. In this way Making Space is working with people from as early a stage in their condition as possible to help them achieve their aspirations.
Personal budgets – this is money for support that comes from social services. This is either adult social care or children’s services.
Individual budgets – this is money that comes from more than one place. For example, if you have money from social services and the Independent Living Fund (ILF).
Direct payments – you can get the money paid in a number of different ways. A direct payment is where the council pays the money into your bank account and you organise it.
There are 7 steps to being in control of your support -
1. My money. Making Space will help find out if you if you can get money for support, and how much.
2. Making my support plan. Making Space will also help you to plan the best way to use the money to get the life you want.
3. Getting my plan agreed. Social Services will assess the plan that you submit and say if it is okay.
4. Organising my money. You can have the money paid to your or to someone who can look after it for you (a person, a Trust, an organisation or the care manager).
5. Organising my support. You can organise the support in a way that suits you. Making Space can help to find and organise your support.
6. Living life. You can use services but you can also spend your money on local people who you know - or even buy things that will help you in your life.
7. Seeing how it worked. Making Space will help you to show that you have used the money properly.
People’s stories
Joe
‘Self directed support has enabled us to be an ordinary family again. Joe has started to live a life that is comparative with his peers, if not in some instances he is in a far better position. He now has his own personal assistants who assist him to do ordinary things like go to college, support him with his micro-enterprise, go to the gym, have a bath, and eat his meals. He has his own car which enables him to get out and about and more recently he has bought his own home next door to us. In fact, using the concept of Joe having his own individual budget has enabled him to design his support in a way that makes sense to him. He hasn’t taken any more money from the State, he has just utilised it in a far better way’. Caroline Tomlinson, Joe’s Mum.
Paul
Paul really wanted a girlfriend to go out with and ‘do new things and have nice meals with friends like my brother does’. At his person centred review he told people he could not get a girlfriend because he could not go out on his own. Paul talked about Joan who was a woman he loved to spend time with at the Gateway Club. One of the actions from his person centred review was that Paul would work with his key worker, Sam at the group home, to develop Paul’s relationship circle and think about his community connections. Paul and Sam used the relationship circle to think about who the important people were in his life, and this led to actions to support Joan and Paul to meet at other times as well as at the gateway Club. As a result of this review Paul now has a girlfriend and Paul and Sam are now members of the local drama group. Paul said: ‘dating Joan is the best thing that ever happened to me and all cos of my review’.
(Taken from ‘Valuing People Now, 2009)
Where can I get more information?
Making Space – customer services at customer.service@makingspace.co.uk
In Control - www.in-control.org.uk/, telephone 01564 821650