Staffordshire County Council has separate schemes for Children & Families and for Adult service users. The schemes run quite differently & require different levels of record keeping.

The Adults' Direct Payments Scheme

The Direct Payments rate is currently paid at £10.37 per hour. This rate includes the cost of Employers Liability Insurance, a Payroll Service, Employers National Insurance, PA wages & annual leave.

Your Rowan Independent Living Advisor (ILA) is able to support you with setting an hourly rate for your PA whilst calculating and making allowances for any additional costs. The hourly rate that they suggest is assessed on an individual basis and calculated over an entire year. We would not recommend just setting a rate that someone else uses as this may not be appropriate for that individual's circumstances.

Direct Payments for adult service users is means tested by the Fairer Charging team from Staffordshire County Council (SCC).

The Direct Payments recipient would need to arrange to have a separate bank account for their direct payment. Payments are made from SCC every two weeks directly into the account. They would be expected to keep records on how money is spent. However, the Staffordshire scheme does not currently require service users to submit audits or quarterly returns like other local authorities. The Joint Finance Unit (JFU) conduct audits at the end of the financial year.

For further information on the Staffordshire Adults Direct Payment Scheme please see links below or contact The Rowan Organisation's Information Service on 0800 7831755. Alternatively you can contact us by email or via the Feedback Form on this website.

If you need help you can contact SCC by phone, letter or by visiting the nearest Area Office to your home. Their contact details are:

Social Care and Health Directorate Self Directed Support Team

Phone: 01785 854493/94

Fax: 01785 854497

Website: http://www.staffordshire.gov.uk/health/care/directpayments/

Email: social.services@staffordshire.gov.uk

The Children's Direct Payments Scheme

The Children's Scheme is a reimbursement scheme. This means that Staffordshire County Council (SCC) would require a completed reimbursement form from the service user to identify the amount spent. The service user is not expected to pay for anything themselves upfront, as SCC would pay an initial amount of 11 weeks money into the account. The family would make payments out of this "buffer" money then claim it back using the reimbursement form. It may sound complicated but, believe me, it really isn't. Your ILA will show you exactly how to do it.

Under the Children's Scheme, the current Direct Payments rate given by SCC is £8.46 per hour. Additional payments can currently be made for Employer's Liability Insurance, protective clothing, P.A.'s training & cost of a Payroll Service. In some cases, activity fund or P.A. expenses money can be claimed. However, not all recipients receive this money; the panel will decide if it will be allocated or not.

You can access additional information on the Children's Direct Payments Scheme on SCC's website.

Again, your Rowan ILA will advise you how to use this money and of what records should be kept.