Freedom of information response
Direct Payments for disabled children
1. What is the standard hourly rate paid by your local authority for a direct payment for disabled child assessed as requiring personal care support under the Children Act 1989 Part 3?
2. Is the figure stated in answer to question 1 a net figure or a gross figure? A net figure means that the council will make additional payments to cover the costs of employing the personal care worker (ie Employers National Insurance liability, employers’ liability insurance costs, holiday and sickness pay etc). A gross figure means that the recipient of the direct payment must pay all the costs of employing the personal care worker from the figure stated in answer to question 1.
3. What is the number of disabled children currently receiving direct payments as a result of being assessed as requiring support under the Children Act 1989 Part 3?
4. Does your council have a policy for increasing the sum specified in answer 1 above in cases where the cost of meeting the disabled child’s assessed needs cannot reasonably be met by a payment at the hourly rate specified in answer to question 1?
5. If the answer to question 4 is yes, please provide a copy of that policy or explain why providing a copy of the policy is not possible.
6. How many of the disabled children referenced in question 3 currently receive an increased hourly rate of direct payment as per question 4, ie how often is an increased rate felt to be required?
- What is the standard hourly rate paid by your local authority for a direct payment for disabled child assessed as requiring personal care support under the Children Act 1989 Part 3?
£13
- Is the figure stated in answer to question 1 a net figure or a gross figure? A net figure means that the council will make additional payments to cover the costs of employing the personal care worker (ie Employers National Insurance liability, employers’ liability insurance costs, holiday and sickness pay etc). A gross figure means that the recipient of the direct payment must pay all the costs of employing the personal care worker from the figure stated in answer to question 1.
Gross
- What is the number of disabled children currently receiving direct payments as a result of being assessed as requiring support under the Children Act 1989 Part 3?
110
- Does your council have a policy for increasing the sum specified in answer 1 above in cases where the cost of meeting the disabled child’s assessed needs cannot reasonably be met by a payment at the hourly rate specified in answer to question 1?
No
- If the answer to question 4 is yes, please provide a copy of that policy or explain why providing a copy of the policy is not possible.
This is not written into a formal policy. The usual process would be for a commissioned service to be used for those cases opposed to a direct payment unless there are extenuating circumstances.
- How many of the disabled children referenced in question 3 currently receive an increased hourly rate of direct payment as per question 4, ie how often is an increased rate felt to be required?
Fewer than 5
We are unable to provide an exact number for question 6 above as:
- There is a low number involved.
- The release of this information could identify individuals which would constitute their personal data under the Data Protection Act
- There is no prior expectation on the part of these individuals that their personal information would be published in the wider public domain under the FOI Act
- Personal data of any other person is exempt under section 40 (2) of the Data Protection Act.
However in the interests of transparency we are able to provide this information to you categorised as fewer than 5 to give you an indication of the figures