Can you help me please? For the past 11 years I have managed my own personal care with the help of the Independent Living (extension) Fund money. I recently applied for a reassessment as my caring needs have increased . get now looks as though they ate in the pen that living fund will pay me the maximum amount they can but in order to ensure that I have spreadable caring arrangements have asked me to apply for direct payments from my local Social Work Department. The problem is that the council is saying it wants to have a major say in who I can employ as a carer But I have been employing my own carers for the past 11 years and want to keep the arrangements that I am the one doing the hiring and firing . Can you tell me if I receive direct payments money can the social work department tell me who I have to have as my carer?

Any information you could provide would be helpful.

Thanks very much.

Jamie Wilson (Tillicoultry)

-- Jamie Wilson (jamie05@talk21.com), August 31, 2001

Answers

Try asking your question on the Scottish Disability Information Mailing List - there may be people on the List who can help you.

Get information about the list and how to join here: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/scotdisinfo

-- Jim Byrne (j.byrne@gcal.ac.uk), August 31, 2001.

hi

have you any other advocacy like the princess royal trust carers centre or disability rights commissioner. as far as i know it is next june/july before the direct payments are available to people with a disability to receive and say how they want a service provided like private carers against voluntary providers or private providers even statuary (social services)please try it is all about choice so they say

my brother has a learning disability i have been his carer for a long time however private carers were my responsibility and it really became to much for me with a full time job and teenage children and my own health problems the voluntary providers offered the best services they know how to get things going and many create interests best suited to there service users tailor made care plans

your choice

right now social workers hold the purse they have a legal say but it is going to change next year some councils may be quicker than others.

good luck janice

-- (janice123@blueyonder.co.uk), September 17, 2002.