Direct Payments

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The Direct Payments scheme is an initiative of the British government in the field of social services, whereby the user receives money directly to pay for his care, instead of the usual procedure of care by the local authority (in Germany: personal budget ). The Cabinet Office Strategy Unit calls direct payments: "The most successful policy in the field of social care.

Direct payments are seen as an important contribution to the independence, well-being and quality of life of people with disabilities, as a victory for the rights of disabled people.

development

Direct payments were established with the Community Care (Direct Payments) Act (1996), which came into force in April 1997, and were initially only available for certain sub-areas, for social care. The law gave local authorities in the UK and Northern Ireland the power to make direct payments to people with disabilities. Originally, this was limited to people under the age of 65 with physical and sensory impairments, learning difficulties and mental health problems. It was later amended to include the elderly, 16 and 17 year olds, parents of disabled children and carers in England, Wales and Northern Ireland . The law gave local agencies and health authorities the option to make direct payments or to retain existing models of service delivery. This led to an uneven trend in direct payments across the UK, with particularly poor acceptance in Scotland.

The Carers and Disabled Children Act (2000) allows parents of disabled children and eligible 16 and 17 year olds in England and Wales to receive direct payments.

In Health and Social Care Act (2001), which entered into force in 2003, changes have been set. All local authorities were required to offer direct payments to all eligible people.

Direct payments in practice

Direct payments are intended to empower users of the service by choosing the services they use according to their needs and by being in control of them. Anyone who receives an amount of money through this scheme manages it themselves, possibly with the help of others, such as the family or an external interest group. Any service can be purchased with this money, depending on the needs. As soon as the money has been handed over, the person takes the place of the local authority that previously assigned the care. The money remains public money of the local authority that initiates the payments, so the recipients must document their expenditure individually so that the local authority can fulfill its control obligations.

However, there is no obligation for a person to receive direct payments for all of their care needs; people are free to mix the direct payments with traditional methods of care for some of their needs. Direct payments can be used to employ a personal assistant directly (in which case the recipient of the direct payments may be classified as an employer under UK law with all associated obligations) or to hire caregivers from a private home care agency . As an alternative, the recipient can choose to pay for other local services in order to maintain their independence within their home and the community, such as: B. Meals on wheels , taxis and social clubs.

literature

  • J. Leece, J. Bornat: Developments in Direct Payments . The Policy Press, Bristol 2006, ISBN 978-1-86134-653-7 (English).
  • C. Pearson: Direct Payments and Personalization of Care . Dunedin Academic Press, Edinburgh 2006, ISBN 1-903765-62-5 (English).

Web links

  • Direct payments. Department of Health, 2007, archived from the original on March 12, 2007 ; accessed on November 11, 2015 (English, original website no longer available).

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Improving the life chances of disabled people - Report 2005. (PDF (2.8 MB)) Prime Minister's Strategy Unit, 2005, archived from the original on October 6, 2007 ; accessed on November 11, 2015 (English, original website no longer available).
  2. ^ A b c C. Pearson: Direct Payments and Personalization of Care . 2006.
  3. ↑ Community Care (Direct Payments) Act 1996. (PDF (98 kB)) The National Archives - UK Government, accessed on November 11, 2015 .
  4. ↑ Carers and Disabled Children Act 2000. (PDF (63 kB)) The National Archives - UK Government, accessed on November 11, 2015 .
  5. ^ Health and Social Care Act 2001. (PDF (6.3 MB)) The National Archives - UK Government, accessed on November 11, 2015 (English).