The Self-Directed Support Team based within Sefton Council at Magdalen House in Bootle are now responsible for all the financial aspects of Direct Payments
The Council requires you to account for the money that you spend from your Direct Payments account as detailed in your Direct Payments agreement.
The aim of auditing your direct payment account is to ensure that you receive a payment on a regular basis and that payments made from your account are for services agreed in the Support Plan. You will receive a copy of your audit form once this has been completed and you will be notified of any outstanding paperwork or outcomes that need to be completed.
Your responsibilities are
- To ensure that your needs are being met, and the money is being spent appropriately and cost effectively.
- To remain accountable for the way the money is spent, even if you are receiving support in managing the account.
- To pay your assessed client contribution into the account on a regular basis
- To return all the information when requested.
- To remain within your budget taking in account that Sefton make payment 4 weeks in advance, therefore your Direct Payments account should be in credit of between 4-8 weeks monies.
Your direct Payment could be suspended if you breach the conditions of your Direct Payments Agreement and alternative support will be arranged with a service commissioned directly with the Council. Breaches in the agreement are as follows:
- Mismanagement of the account
- Unauthorised withdrawals from the account
- Failure to meet your Employer responsibilities, for example, non-payment of Inland Revenue, Insurance not purchased
- Failure to provide documentation as requested through audit
- Non completion of outcomes identified in your audit report
You can contact the Team on
Selfdirectedsupport@sefton.gov.uk
Duty 0151 934 3888
All paperwork for the audit and monitoring of the Direct Payment bank accounts should be returned to:
Self-Directed Support Team
1st Floor, Magdalen House
Trinity Road
Bootle
L20 3NJ
Alternatively, you can email your paperwork to selfdirectedsupport@sefton.gov.uk
The Self-Directed Support Team must be notified immediately if the service is no longer required. All future payments into the account will be cancelled and we will start the final audit process to recover any advanced payment and unused funds.
The following information will be needed to complete the reconciliation:
- Bank statements up to the date the final payment was made into the account
- Invoices and receipts for any care support provided
We cannot take into account expenditure that does not relate to the assessed care support plan of the service user, for example, personal contributions for nursing home, funeral costs
We will notify you of:
- Any outstanding payments due to your Personal Assistant(s)
- The final payment due to HM Revenue and Customs
- The amount to be returned to the Local Authority
If you do not spend your Direct Payment on the services for which it has been provided, or if you have spent it in a way which does not meet any of the conditions that the Council has set, then you will be required to return such amount within 14 days.
It is important that you keep details of your Direct Payment account separate from your own personal accounts to avoid confusion.
Once you have identified that money has been taken out of the account incorrectly, then you must notify your Direct Payments Advisor or email selfdirectedsupport@sefton.gov.uk
Any balance of your Direct Payments monies that has not been spent on assessed care needs will be reviewed annually and returned to the Council. You will be notified in writing of any recovery, as per your Direct Payments agreement, before you receive an invoice from the Council.
You must provide the Self-Directed Support Team with the following paperwork in order to reconcile your account:
- Copies of invoices paid for care support
- Copy of Insurance certificate / premium
All paperwork can be either uploaded directly onto the Prepaid Card website or sent to the Self-Directed Support Team.
You must provide the Self Directed Support Team with the following paperwork in order to reconcile your account:
- Bank statements for the specified period
- Monitoring declaration sheet
- A Timesheet for each of your employees
- Copies of invoices paid for care support
- Copy of Insurance certificate / premium