Community care
Charges for services to adults
What you will have to pay
Calderdale Council has set its charges in line with the Government guidance 'Fairer Charging Policies for Home Care and other non-residential social services'. Fair access to care services|
The Council has agreed that no matter how much care a service user needs they will not have to pay more than £204 per week (from April 2012). If you have capital of more than £23,250 you will be asked to pay the full subsidised cost of your care or the maximum charge, whichever is the lowest amount. If not, you may be asked to pay less or no charge at all. To ensure your charge is at a minimum we will arrange to visit you at your home and offer you a benefits check and financial assessment.
Calculation of charges explains how allowances and expenses are taken into account to ensure that you still have money to live on even if you do have to pay a charge for your package of care.
Direct Payments
If you receive a Direct Payment to pay for all your care and support needs your assessed contribution towards the cost of your service will be deducted from the direct payment before it is paid to you. You will, however, need to arrange for payment of the amount of your assessed contribution into your direct payment account to ensure that you have sufficient funds to pay for your care and support.
If, however, you receive a direct payment but also continue to access other social care services provided by the Council you will pay your assessed contribution as described in the paragraph How to pay.
What the Charges are for
The charges are for the services set out in your Care Plan, given to you after you have had a community care assessment. If you have a number of services this is called your 'package of care'.
Services charged for are:
- home care
- day care and day support
- day sitting
- night sitting
- transport
- adult placement schemes.
The charges also include Housing Support services provided through the Supporting People Programme, such as a Support Officer in sheltered or extra care housing.
Charges will still apply if you use Direct Payments to purchase your care.
People who will not be charged for services
Anyone whose services are provided under Section 117 of the Mental Health Act 1983 and anyone with Creuzfeldt Jacob Disease will not be charged for these services.
How to pay
You can use the payment card we supply to pay at:
- Calderdale Council cash offices by calling in or by post
- Any retail outlet where you see the PayZone sign
- any Post Office.
You can also pay by standing order from your bank every week, every four weeks, or every month.
You can also pay by going to the Online payments for community care charges section, using the information from your care payment card.
Working out the charges
Soon after it has been identified that care services are required, a financial assessment will be requested. This assessment will be carried out by the Charging Assessment Team and an officer from the team may need to visit you to obtain your financial details in order to calculate your charge. You may wish to have someone with you when the officer visits.
Financial assessors
The visiting officer will ask to see details of your income and expenditure. They will also offer you advice on claiming any welfare benefits you may be entitled to. It will help if you have ready; benefit/pension award letters, bank books, statements, savings documents, rent books and evidence of any expenses you have because of an illness or disability.
Some important points:
- If you do not want to disclose your financial details: you will be asked to pay either the subsidised cost or the maximum charge, whichever is the least.
- Payment for your care services: payment will be due from the Monday following contact from the Charging Assessment Team.
- If you do not have some of your services during a week: you may be entitled to a refund, depending on how your charge was set; please contact the Care Charges Officer on 01422 264616.
Review of charges
You can ask for a review at any time if your circumstances have changed. If your care plan changes, this may change the amount you have to pay: we will tell you if this happens.
The Charging Assessment Team will make an appointment with you to review your financial assessment every 2 years or sooner if necessary.
If you think your charge has not been correctly set
If you want to discuss the details of your charge please contact the Charging Assessments Team, at Princess Buildings, Halifax, HX1 1TP. Tel: 01422 393660.
We can arrange for the assessment of your charge to be looked at again by a different financial assessor.
If you are still not happy there is an Appeals Procedure. You can also make a complaint to the Complaints and Compliments Manager.
- Contact:
- Complaints and Compliments Manager
- Address:
- Adults, Health and Social Care Headquarters
1 Park Road
Halifax HX1 2TU - Telephone:
- 01422 393882.
Supporting People Service
If you receive a Supporting People Service, for example you live in sheltered accommodation and have a Support Officer, the charge for this service is included in the subsidised cost.
If you have not applied for a Supporting People Grant, you can apply for an assessment to see if you may be entitled to pay a reduced Support Service Charge - you will need to fill in a form called SPG1 available from your Support Officer, or you can contact the Supporting People Team on 01422 392645.
If you have had an assessment and are required to pay a contribution, it should be paid to your landlord.
- Contact:
- Revenues and Benefits
- Address:
- Princess Buildings
Halifax HX1 1TP - Telephone:
- 01422 393660.
