Yorkshire and Humberside Region
Sam Newman
Director - Personalisation
Programme
OLM Group
This Morning
 General Introduction
 More detailed introduction to framework
 Round table discussion
 Questions
 More detailed introduction to practical tools
 Round table discussion
 Questions
Common RAS Framework
• Sponsored and commissioned by ADASS
• 9 month programme – Jan 09 – Sep 09
• Three phases
•Design
•Test
•Publish
• We have just completed final products
• National launch – October 2nd
Common RAS Framework
Process
•Partnership:
•Sam
•David Todd – symmetric sd
•Tony Bennett – citizen leader
•Advice from in Control
•Co-production – 18 councils, 8 citizen leaders
•Consensus
Common RAS Framework: Products
• Principles and Policy Advice - including best
practice solutions to key issues, and legal
advice
• Set of Practical Tools:
•Questionnaire
•Scoring framework
•Financial Framework
•System map
Common RAS Framework
• Ambition of the programme is to offer value to all
councils
• Councils early in their process can take the
products ‘out of the box’ and use them
• More experienced councils can bring coherence to
solution to key issues like:
•Informal social capital and family support
•Legal issues
•People with high support needs
Common RAS Framework
• Not mandatory!!
• Please extract as much value as possible out of this
work
• Some councils are using tools out of the box – best
place to start
• Some are using tools to improve their existing RAS
• Some are using the framework document to
benchmark practice
• Can we all do with a bit more consistency and
coherence?
Principles and Policy Advice
•Principles and values:
•Social model of disability, citizenship
•Solutions to key issues:
•Assessment
•FACS
•Future proofing
•High support needs
•Informal support
•Family carers
•Equalities
•Legal Issues
Principles and Policy Advice
The framework is based on an important set of
principles
•the social model of disability,
•the idea of citizenship
•a focus on outcomes.
Principles and Policy Advice
It shows how to develop a RAS applying the
principles of:
•Co-production
•Equitability
•Transparency
•Sustainability
•The use of appropriate language
Principles and Policy Advice
It shows how to develop a RAS that is:
•Simple
•Rational
•Works out how much money someone is likely to
need for their support
•Not precise but sufficiently accurate
•Gives an indicative allocation / upfront allocation
(Final allocation needs to be agreed between
person and council)
Seven key issues
1. Duty to offer an assessment
In a personalised system an assessment is
•A Needs based resource allocation methodology –
with help to complete if needed
•A support planning process – with appropriate levels
of help to complete
•A proportionate sign off by the responsible council
In these circumstances a duplicate conventional
community care assessment is not required. The
same holds for reviews and re-assessments.
Seven key issues
2.
FACS
•Eligibility under FACS must be established as a
result of an assessment – (not screening?).
• The decision on eligibility should be separate from
the process to decide the indicative allocation.
•Before agreeing the support plan, the council should
check that the plan will ensure all eligible needs are
going to being met.
Seven key issues
3. Equalities
•RAS is potentially a useful tool in helping identify
and reduce unfairness
•It must be operated in a way that challenges rather
than maintains the existing patterns of spending.
•Single RAS recommended – universal identification
of need
•Can make transitional financial adjustment to
indicative allocations to reflect current market costs
•Must be linked to a strategy for reducing these cost
differences over time.
Seven key issues
4. People with high support needs
•The RAS should be applied comprehensively.
•Everyone who goes on to need an on-going support
package should have been given an indicative allocation
•People with high support needs should not be excluded
•Councils should avoid applying a “cost ceiling” to the RAS.
•Some people will have very specific needs – interpreter,
specialist advice. Discretion required when fixing final
budget.
Seven key issues
5. Future-proofing
•The RAS is part of council policy
•Most appropriate methods for inflation are ok
•Councils can change policy
•Any changes to a person’s allocation will require
new assessment (RAS, Plan and agreement)
•It is unlikely that a council could justify a reduction
in resources following an individual review, unless
the person’s needs had reduced, or eligibility criteria
had changed.
Seven key issues
6. Informal support
•Must take full account of the role of carers in
providing ongoing support.
•RAS must identify persons overall support needs,
and what proportion of these needs are being met
through informal support
•It must identify the impact on informal carers of
continuing to provide this support.
•The indicative allocation is adjusted for level of
informal support.
•Informal support must be ‘willing and able’.
•The adjustment should take account of both the
level of informal support being provided AND the
impact on the informal carer.
Seven key issues
7. Needs of Family Carers
•Assessment process to include (or leads on to) a full
carer’s assessment (unless refused)
•May result in a direct payment to the carer, provision
of services, or access to advice and information.
•This can be non means-tested and available in
situations where a person does not meet the council’s
eligibility criteria.
•The aim of this support is to make sustainable the
contribution of an informal carer to the support needs
of a disabled person.
•No policy requirement to extend personal budgets to
include support for carers.
Resource Allocation and the Law:
Indicative Allocation
•Indicative allocation – approximate.
•Only agreed after plan.
•Councils should agree the amount of money
after understanding needs and risks.
•Final figure requires a judgment by the
council. Therefore less important that the RAS
is a very accurate predictor.
•Relatively crude RAS’s can work so long as
checks in place
Resource Allocation and the Law: Duty to
Assess Need
•What constitutes an assessment is not prescribed by
statute or case law.
•Fair Access to Care Services: assessment must be
proportionate. Must include a decision by the council
about eligibility.
•An assessment incorporates both the decision about
eligibility and the appropriate support – the whole process.
•In SDS – people are given more control over identifying
needs and support.
•Together with council decision this = completed
community care assessment.
•It is not necessary to carry out another form of
community care assessment
Resource Allocation and the Law:
FACS
•Transparency
•No cost ceilings
•Must meet eligible need – but can
choose cost effective option
Resource Allocation and the Law
•Informal Support
•Discharge of Community Care
Responsibilities
•Decision making processes
•Challenge
•Review – ok to change mind
•Equalities
•Mental capacity
Resource Allocation Framework
•Is it clear
•Is it helpful
•What is the most helpful component
•What could it have included that it
doesn't
•What’s good – what could be better
3 comments/questions from each table
please
Practical Tool One : Questionnaire
• Simple, easy to use, based on citizenship,
respectful language
• 9 domains:
• Meeting personal care needs
• Keeping myself safe
• Eating and drinking
• Making decisions and organising my life
• Being part of my community
• My role as a parent or carer
• Running and maintaining my home
• Having work and learning opportunities
• Managing my actions
Questionnaire
• Domain 10 = informal support
• Domain 11 = needs of family carers
• Doesn’t attempt a scientifically correct answer –
would be weak legally
• Ensures culture change
• Ensures shift in power and decision-making
• Allows for real change – support planning
• Tested with more than 400 people in 18 councils
Practical Tool 2: Scoring
Framework
• Constructed through consensus
• Tested using ‘1,000 minds technology’
• A good starting point
• This is a key part of an overall ‘policy’ position
of each council
Practical Tool 3: Financial
Framework
• 9 Steps
• Works anywhere
• Concept of contingency built in
• Supports key principles of RAS
Practical Tool 4: System
Map
• Places RAS in context
• It must be part of an overall system change
• Incorporates FACS
• Before support planning
• RAS = personal budget
calculator/assessment?
• Crucial in relation to legal duty to offer
assessment
Practical Tool 4. :System Map
Key Steps
• Contact
• Reablement
• Upfront Allocation – RAS
• Support Planning
• Agreement
• Organising support
• Review
Common Resource Allocation:
Practical Tools
•Are they good enough to use out of
the box if you don’t have a RAS?
•Can they help in
benchmarking/improving your RAS if
you have one
•What is helpful
•What could be better
•3 comments/questions from each
table please
What happened since
• National Briefing Event – 2nd October London:
130 councils attended.
• Strong support for regional and national
collaborative learning
• 12 councils participated in recent planning event
for national learning set.
• Common RAS formally launched at national
NCAS conference in Harrogate end Oct 2009