Finding Self-Funded Care in Kent

I recently was approached by a good friend of mine who has a son with quite a complex learning disability.  Her son had been in a residential setting for five years, but she felt he needed more opportunities than the home could offer.  It was not that the home was not good or providing good care, but more that she felt he had more potential than he was reaching within the environment.

Her question was ‘how do I go about finding a service to meet his needs who are also innovative, caring and he likes them?’

Even for those of us that work in the business, this can be a daunting task.  My advice was, start with what you need, the must haves’ if you like, the non-negotiables.  Then what you want and desire and dream of.

Knowing where to start was the hardest bit she said, so we sat down with a pen and paper and her son. It was very important that he told us his thoughts and what he wants. My friend was all too conscious that she would not be here forever and wanted her son to have the best support, enabling him to live his best life. The reassurance he would be safe and looked after.

We started to make a list.

Trust was really important.  They needed to trust that the staff were checked, vetted and trained appropriately, that they would do their job or even over and above, that their son was in good hands.

They must have staff that he liked and had similar interests, a match if you like.

Flexibility. Like all of us, some days we don’t want to do anything but be left to our own company. Other days we want to party until dawn. Staff should be flexible enough to understand this and willing to join in. 

Innovative. Sometimes you need to think outside the box.  What if he wants to do something people think he cannot do?  Drive a car for example. Can they think of a way to get this experience for him, remove or negotiate the barriers?

He wants to live in his own flat. Can this be achieved and if so, how will it work.

Costs- It should not be the main concern but sadly we live in a time where we have to consider this as an essential.  It needs to be affordable.

Skills- They must be able to cook, support to plan to run the flat, budget and support him how to do as much of this as possible himself. 

Allow and support him to make decisions about his life.

Health- He has a number of health concerns. Staff need to be trained and understand these and support him to manage them. Staff need to understand risks and mitigate them but not use them as a reason to not do things he wants to do, as far as reasonably practicable.

The list went on a bit more and the more we talked, the longer it got it but enabled my friend to form a list of questions they needed to ask.  None of these are unanswerable and all of it is achievable.

How are you going to fund this? I asked.  Our young man is under social services but there have been discussions about a Personal Budget.  This gives him the control to employ staff that suit his needs.  My friend asked about companies overseeing the Direct Payment and I explained that companies will usually manage a personal budget.  She didn’t want to become an employer with all the responsibilities this involved.

There are lists of providers you can get from the local authority. There are signposting agencies out there who will help you find a provider. Be careful if they are linked to the provider and still ask your questions.

My advice is talk to the registered manager if you can. Ask to see their service user guide. Ask questions, as many as you want answers to.  Ask to meet staff if you want. See if someone who already uses the service will speak to you. This is a big decision and any social care company worth its salt will appreciate this and facilitate the answers.

If you want advice on any of these issues, feel free to contact me.

Jane.wilson@primcurahealthcare.co.uk