Oldham Council provides support to people to manage their Direct Payment by providing a support brokerage service.
The service works with people to set up their services, this could include recruiting a Personal Assistant to finding a service which meets their identified social care needs.
What is a support broker?
Our support brokers will work with you to support you to set up your care and support services. This could include finding out information about services, recruiting staff and setting up payments for wages and services.
As the support broker works with you, sourcing and setting up services, it makes the process easier for you to manage your Direct Payment.
What services does support brokerage offer?
Support brokerage can offer you a range of different services, depending on what you would like support with. Your support can include:
- Advice and assistance complete your support plan
- Support to cost the services identified in your support plan
- Support to identify and recruit your personal assistant
- Support to set up a pre-payment card
- Supporting and setting up payments to HMRC if you employ a personal assistant
- Providing you with and completing template contracts and other employment forms for your personal assistant
- Supporting with employment checks and training
- Setting up Public Liability / Employers Liability Insurance
- Recording all transactions you make to make it easier to manage your direct payment
- Providing payroll services and payslips for your personal assistant
- Managing payments from your account to for services and personal assistant wages
- Liaising with you to maintain your support and services which are in place
- Managing, maintaining and submitting all paperwork and payments for any personal assistants which you employ
Support to manage your direct payment
Our support brokerage is also an alternative for those people who are struggling to manage their existing direct payment.
Your social worker may refer you to our support brokerage service if they feel it means that you can continue to have the flexibility of a Direct Payment but without the hassle of recording how you have used the money.
Referals
If you think support brokerage would support you then please speak to your Social Worker who can refer you.