Blog Archives

May 15th, 2018

15/5/2018

Congratulations to our very own Volunteer Mrs. Shona Ronney for being nominated and shortlisted for the Inspirational Volunteer Award. We hope you enjoy the awards night hosted by Fife Voluntary Action on the 7th June. We are very proud of you and pleased your efforts have been recognised. It's well deserved!

Mrs. Shona Ronney is a very kind, caring and lovely soul. She has 4 grown up children of her own along with grandchildren too. Although Shona has suffered with various health issues over the years, and continues to do so, - she still feels passionate about Self Directed Support and doing what it takes to help others. Shona had her own, and her husband’s support packages to arrange and put in place before turning her attention to helping her daughter who also needed assistance with Self-Directed Support. Shona, therefore came to us with a lot of experience of self directed support that has helped others.

Shona began her volunteer journey with the Self Directed Support project at Disabled Persons Housing Service (Fife) in April 2016. Since then she has produced a large amount of video content, taken part in national surveys, attended events, been part of focus groups, peer groups and regular meetings. Whilst doing all of this Shona attends her husband’s Alzheimer’s class every Friday with him and continues to help others become aware of, and apply for, Self Directed Support.

Shona’s ability to share with others has helped others know the difference directing their own support can make and has made such a huge difference at the beginning of a brand new project, and a message, which was new to the public. It has been wonderful to have Shona support us with her volunteering as she knows first hand what it is really like - we couldn’t have done this without her, and we’d be honoured for Shona to be acknowledged for this.

“I look back and the difference to my life is fantastic. The best thing of all is
I’m in control and it gave me the confidence to become a Mentor myself”

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Crossroads Experiences - Mr & Mrs Gardiners story

9/5/2018

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Questions & Answers

1) How does SDS work for yourselves and Abbie?

Abbie loves the ladies from Crossroads. We have three hrs a week with it being a Saturday one week and a Sunday the next. Abbie goes out with them to parks so Abbie can run around and to places like The Yard in Kirkcaldy. They used to take Abbie to soft plays but she seems to be getting too old for them and she prefers to be outside.

2) What do they do at The Yard with Abbie?

It's a charity in the Argos Centre for disabled children. They have lots of outdoor activities and a park area.

3)Who deals with the payments?

We do all the payments ourselves including the invoices, email and record keeping. I have a procurement background so I don’t see it as money. I view the funds and services as I would in business.

4) Do Crossroads recruit specifically for Abbie?

I would say they look for people in their current pool who would be a good match for Abbie. We have had Elaine from the start and a few changes with other staff. Two ladies have a fantastic relationship wit Abbie. Heather's son has autism so she is very experienced in dealing with Abbie.

5) Has SDS made a positive difference to yours and Abbie's life?

Yes a huge difference to Abbie and also to us. We can do things around the house that we can't do when Abbie is here. People don’t realise how much we can't do things because it's not safe for Abbie like going into the loft or using the hoover because she hates the noise.

Are you an agency who would like to work collaboratively with us or would you like to share your SDS lived experience? Feel free to contact Victoria on 01592 803 280 or email [email protected].

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Scottish Living Wage Increase April 2018 - what does it mean for PA Employers?

8/5/2018

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The Scottish Living Wage has Increased:
In May 2017, the Living Wage went up to £8.45 per hour. Today the Living Wage is: £8.75

Why has the Living Wage increased?
A new Living Wage is announced each year and the Living Wage rates are independently calculated and based on the real cost of living. The Scottish Government made a commitment to increase the minimum hourly earnings of Social Care staff in Scotland to enable people to be paid the Living Wage for each hour that they work. This commitment was reflected in the financial settlement that the Scottish Government agreed with Local Authorities for 2018 – 2019,  which includes provision for the increase in the Scottish Living Wage.

Who does the Living Wage apply to?
The Scottish Government has clearly stated that they see the Living Wage as applying to all ‘Adult Social Care Workers’, that are providing direct care and support to adults in care homes, care at home services and housing support. In addition, the funding to Local Authorities was awarded on the basis that it was to go to Providers of Care and Support services and Direct Payment recipients who complied with Scottish Living Wage rates. This means that PA Employers should also be covered by the increase in the Living Wage.

If I am a PA Employer, do I have to pay my PA the Living Wage?
The Scottish Government and Local Government have jointly committed to enabling the Living Wage to be paid to all adult social care workers in Scotland, including Personal Assistants. The financial settlement has provided the funds to enable this to happen. Therefore, there is now the opportunity for PA Employers to receive an increase in their SDS budget, to enable them to pay the Living Wage. However, there is no legal requirement for a PA Employer to pay the Living Wage – but it may make it harder to recruit Personal Assistants in the future if they are not being paid at least the Living Wage.

Will I receive an increase in my SDS budget from today?
Before there are any changes to people’s SDS budgets to reflect the increase in Living Wage, each Health and Social Care Partnership across Scotland will have to decide how it is implementing the increase to the Living Wage. In practice, this means that each Integrated Joint Board (IJB) will be looking at this question now – so this may not have been agreed yet.

What can I do to find out about how the Living Wage is being implemented in my area?
There are 3 things you could do:
1.    If you receive less that the Living Wage currently to pay for your support, you could speak to your Social Worker to ask how the Living Wage will be being increased in your SDS budget
2.    Speak to the SDS Lead in your area to ask how the Living Wage is being implemented locally
3.    Contact the Integration Joint Board in your area to find out how they are implementing the Living Wage in your area

What about Sleepovers?
The Scottish Government made a commitment to support the payment of sleepovers at the Living Wage rate. However, whilst this is an aim, it is not required in law. The case law that was created last year means that anyone providing sleeping night support should be paid at a rate that is equal to the National Minimum Wage (NMW). However, different Local Authorities are developing their own policies regarding the payment levels for sleepovers, which may include a commitment to the Living Wage for sleepovers. You will therefore need to check what the policy for sleepovers is in your area.

What are different Local Authorities doing?
Each Local Authority is developing their own policy regarding the implementation of the Living Wage for Care Workers and Personal Assistants. Therefore, it is important to know what is happening in your area. To give you some examples of the differences, we have copies of Reports that are being considered by 2 different Integrated Joint Boards. These are:
Glasgow: Glasgow City Integrated Joint Board – Scottish Living Wage Settlement (9th May 2018)
Dumfries and Galloway: Scottish Living Wage Implications for Delegated Social Work Budgets 2018/19

Backdating of SDS Budgets:
As it may take time to agree a local policy, there is a possibility that any increase in a person’s budget to enable them as an employer to pay the Living Wage, may come later than 1st May. Therefore, it may be possible to ask for the extra payment to be backdated, to at least 1st May. However, some Local Authorities may be looking at backdated payments to an earlier date (eg Glasgow are considering backdating to 9th April 2018).
We would be very keen to hear about what is happening in your Local Authority area, so please feel free to post comments to this blog and let us know what is happening locally here.

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Office Closed Holiday Monday 7th May - open again Tuesday!

4/5/2018

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