Draft Charging Policy for Social Care Services
In this section
- Managing property and finances
- Advocacy
- Deferred payments
- Invoicing for charges
- Non-payment of charges and debt
- Deprivation of Assets
- Additional costs (AC) for permanent / temporary admissions to a care home
- Additional costs (AC) for respite/short-term admissions to a care home
- Application of the rules to individual cases
- Reviews and methods of appeal
- Appendix 1 - Variations/adjustments to charges for financially assessed services
- Appendix 2 - Operational rules for commencement and termination of packages of care and support
Service charges
6. Services where no charges are made
Carmarthenshire will not charge for the following:
- Care and Support Services for a child under 18 years of age.
- Care and Support provided to those with Creutzfeldt Jacob Disease where that disease has been clinically diagnosed by a registered medical practitioner.
- Care and Support Services offered, arranged, or provided for a person as part of a package of aftercare services in accordance with Section 117 of the Mental Health Act 1983
- The provision of transport to a day service where the transport is provided as part of meeting a person’s assessed needs.
- To undertake an assessment of needs, care planning and care plans and Information and Advice for these functions
- Undertaking a financial assessment, provision of a statement of charge and undertaking a review of a determination of charge and Information and Advice for these functions under the legislation.
- Reablement/Community Assessment Service for service users for up to 6 weeks, (e.g. Reablement at home, in a care home, etc.) with provision for extended periods where the assessment of needs supports an extension.
- Independent Professional Advocacy where a local authority has arranged for this in accordance with the legislation.
Carmarthenshire will also not charge for:
- Equipment/aids to daily living
- Services not included in the care and support plan. Exceptions are where services are in place pending completion of the care and support plan, when long term care needs have been identified following a period of assessment (usually Reablement in a care home, or in the community, or a Community Assessment Service). In these cases, a charge will be applied from the Monday following the point that long term care needs were identified.
- Unplanned services.
- Employment and Training Services – attending a centre for employment training, and/or personal development and support to gain employment.
- Supported Employment – providing care and /or support to a disabled person in a workplace.
- Support in an educational setting – providing care and/or support to a disabled person whilst in a recognised educational setting, and whilst attending a recognised educational course.
- Services delivered solely by volunteers.
7. Services for which a charge is made
Carmarthenshire will charge for the following services which it arranges or provides:
- Services provided in a Care Home – Any services provided to a resident whether the placement is permanent or temporary e.g. Residential Care, Nursing Care, Short-term care, and Respite care (excluding residential reablement for up to 6 weeks)
- Domiciliary Care and Support, including extra care – provision of personal care, non-personal care, and support at home.
- Direct Payments – a payment made to a person to enable him/her to purchase their own care.
- Day Care – covers a range of services whilst attending a centre or any other setting outside of a person’s own home.
- Supported Living – Care and support for a person from paid carers within a person’s own home (other than Home Care).
- Shared Lives – where an adult lives with an approved carer who is paid to support them.
- Replacement Care – where the informal carer is temporarily replaced by a care worker to provide care and/or support to a person in their own home.
- Community Support – bespoke services for individuals (other than Domiciliary Care or Day Care).
- Specialist Assistive Technology which supports independent living.
8. Flat rate charges
Carmarthenshire will also charge for the following services which are a substitute for ordinary daily living costs or would be considered as preventative services. These services will be charged at a flat rate and the charge will not be subject to a financial assessment.
- Meals at an establishment
- Laundry
- Deputyship
- Appointeeship to deal with Department for Works and Pensions’ benefits.
- Protection of Property management
Financial assessments will not ordinarily be undertaken on the above services, but where the council has reason to believe that the cumulative effect of flat rate charges is or may be unaffordable, then it will offer a financial assessment.
The charge for these services will not be included in the maximum weekly charge (Cap) in determining how much someone pay for services.
