Direct Payments

Direct Payments

The Direct Payments scheme is a UK Government initiative in the field of Social Services that gives users money directly to pay for their own care, rather than the traditional route of a Local Government Authority providing care for them. The Cabinet Office Strategy Unit calls direct payments "the most successful public policy in the area of social care".[1]

Direct Payments are seen as making an important contribution to the independence, well being and quality of life of people with disabilities. When introduced, they were seen as a victory for the rights of disabled people.[2]

Contents

Development

Direct Payments were set up with the Community Care (Direct Payments) Act (1996)[3] which came into force in April 1997 and was initially available only to a specific subsection of people qualifying for social care. The Act gave local authorities in Britain and Northern Ireland, the powers to make cash payments to disabled people. Initially, this was confined to people under age 65 years with physical and sensory impairments, learning difficulties and mental health problems. It was later amended to include older people, 16 and 17 year olds, parents of disabled children and in England, Wales and Northern Ireland only, carers caregivers. This gave local authorities and health and social services trusts, the option of whether to allocate direct payments or maintain existing models of service provision. This led to an uneven development of direct payments across the UK with particularly poor uptake in Scotland.[2]

The Carers and Disabled Children Act (2000))[4] allowed parents of disabled children in England and Wales to receive direct payments, and 16 and 17 year olds to receive them in their own right. Changes set out in the Health and Social Care Act (2001) [5] which came into effect in 2003, sought to challenge this pattern by setting in place a mandatory duty on all local authorities to offer direct payments to all eligibile people requesting one.


Direct Payments in Practice

Direct Payments are intended to empower service users by allowing them control and choice over the services they use to meet their needs.[2] Each person on the scheme is given an amount of money to be managed by themselves, possibly with the aid of others such as family or an external advocacy organisation. This money can be used to purchase any service or services that meet the person's assessed needs. As the money given to the person is given in lieu of the local authority providing the care, the money remains public money belonging to the local government who makes the payments. Users must, therefore, account for the money every step of the way so the local government can maintain its auditing requirements.

There is however, no requirement for a person to receive the entirety of their care needs through direct payments, people are free to mix direct payments for some of their needs with traditional methods of care provision. Direct Payments can be used to directly employ a personal assistant (in this case the Direct Payments recipient may legally be classed as an employer with all the responsibilities this entails under UK law) or hire care workers from a private domiciliary care agency. As an alternative to care services, the recipient may be able to use his or her Direct Payments to fund other local services that enable their independence within their own home and community, such as 'meals on wheels', taxi cabs and social clubs.

References

Notes

  1. ^ CabinetOffice.gov.uk pdf
  2. ^ a b c Pearson, C. (ed) (2006) Direct Payments and Personalisation of Care, Edinburgh, Dunedin Academic Press, ISBN 1903765625
  3. ^ Community Care (Direct Payments) Act 1996 (c. 30)
  4. ^ Carers And Disabled Children Act 2000
  5. ^ Health and Social Care Act 2001 (c. 15)

Bibliography

  • Leece, J. and Bornat, J. (eds) (2006) Developments in Direct Payments, Bristol: The Policy Press, ISBN 9781861346537
  • Pearson, C. (ed) (2006) Direct Payments and Personalisation of Care, Edinburgh, Dunedin Academic Press, ISBN 1903765625

External links


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужно сделать НИР?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • direct payments — England, Wales Cash payments given to service users to purchase community care services they have been assessed as requiring. They are intended to give service users greater choice and flexibility in their care. Like community care, they are… …   Law dictionary

  • Direct and Counter-Cyclical Program — The Direct and Counter cyclical Payment Program (DCP) of the USDA provides payments to eligible producers on farms enrolled for the 2002 through 2007 crop years. There are two types of DCP payments – direct payments and counter cyclical payments …   Wikipedia

  • Direct corporate access — (DCA) is part of the Faster Payments Service which provides a same day clearing payment service to UK member banks. Direct Corporate Access (DCA) will provide Banks business customers with direct access to the Faster Payments Service (FPS)… …   Wikipedia

  • Direct Agents — Direct Agents, Inc. Type Private Industry Internet marketing Online advertising Affiliate marketing Founded New York, NY (2003) Headquarters New York, NY …   Wikipedia

  • Direct debit dividend contributions — also known as 3DC are payments made towards shareholders for shares which have been issued on credit. Issuing stock on credit is considered appropriate when a Stakeholder (such as company s founder or other key person) wishes to retain… …   Wikipedia

  • Direct debit — A direct debit or direct withdrawal is an instruction that a bank account holder gives to his or her bank to collect an amount directly from another account. It is similar to a direct deposit but initiated by the beneficiary. It is also called… …   Wikipedia

  • Direct primary care — In the USA Direct Primary Care (DPC) is primary care offered direct to the consumer, without insurance intervention. It is an umbrella term which incorporates various health care delivery systems that involve direct financial relationships… …   Wikipedia

  • Direct Action (trade union) — Part of a series on Organized labour …   Wikipedia

  • direct deposit — a plan in which salaries or other payments are transferred by the paying agency directly to the accounts of the recipients. * * * noun [noncount] US : a way of paying someone so that the money is sent directly into the person s bank account… …   Useful english dictionary

  • direct deposit — a plan in which salaries or other payments are transferred by the paying agency directly to the accounts of the recipients. * * * …   Universalium

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
… Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”