Learning from the Individual Budgets for Families with Disabled Children Pilots and looking to the SEND Pathfinders

Graham Thom and Meera Prabhakar7th November 2011

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Introduction

The IB pilotsEmerging findingsWhat next for the pilotsWider implications and challenges

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The IB pilots

Six Councils involved in the pilotLed by social careStarted April 2009First budgets went live early 2010Each area has around 30 families in the pilotGuided by the Common Delivery Model

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What is an IB?

An approach based on

Greater choice and control to families with disabled children…

through the drawing together of a series of funding streams

and use of an outcomes-based approach…to enable the

development and delivery of a holistic and family-led support

plan …whose associated funding can be managed in a

variety of ways

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Key family journey stages

Assessment

Resource allocation

Plan

Review

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Key family journey stages

Assessment

Resource allocation

Plan

Review

But can change the sequence, or iterate between

stages

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Key family journey stages

Assessment

Resource allocation

Plan

Review

Single assessment / plan

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Key family journey stages

Assessment

Resource allocation

Plan

Review

Single assessment / plan

The additional individual / personal budget part

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What have we learned from the pilots (1)

Successful recruitment of a good range of families Across social classes But best done through personal approaches and explanation

The requirement of dedicated staff resources to drive activity and to engage wider professionals and families in the process

Social care budgets have been the largest contributor to the IB package Engagement from PCT and education colleagues limited

The resource allocation process was a learning experience for all People got very different budgets to what they had before Work in progress and needing further refinement

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What have we learned from the pilots (2)

Pilot site% change in average

package value% change in median

package value

1-40% -41%

2-3% 82%

361% 109%

438% 58%

53% -3%

69% -1%

All sites 0% 17%

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What have we learned from the pilots (3)

… but also wider resource implications around the offer of choice to participate

Support planning was highly valued It’s the place where families get to exercise their choice

Good progress in engaging parents in the process, practice is less developed around how best to engage young people

Families changing their packages of support quite significantly (and maybe more to come) More use of PAs and community / mainstream services

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What did the families tell us

Two waves of survey in their homesCovered parents and young peopleAugmented by focus groups in each areaWanted to test

If IBs gave better choice and control .. And if so did this lead to improved well-being

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What did the families tell us (1)

Issues % reporting improved

position

% reporting worse

position

Net change

Parents are involved in decisions

33 9 24

Parents are kept informed about decisions

38 15 23

Control over services 60 9 51

Satisfaction with support received

57 17 40

Control over daily lives 40 9 31

Access to social care services 64 11 54

Staff appear joined up 47 21 26

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What did the families tell us (2)

Be healthy % reporting improved

position

% reporting worse position

Net change

Home is calm 33 22 11

Home is disorganised 32 20 12

Be safe

Concern over child’s safety - in home

45 23 22

Concern over child’s safety – outside home

41 11 30

Enjoy and achieve

Attainment at school 29 13 16

Enjoyment at school 19 13 6

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What did the families tell us (3)

Making a positive contribution

% reporting improved

position

% reporting worse position

Net change

Childs social life 58 17 41

Childs self confidence 34 15 19

Parents social life 43 19 24

Achieve economic wellbeing

Childs quality of life 35 13 22

Parents quality of life 37 19 18

Family strength 44 22 22

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In summary

Good progress on getting set up and recruitment familiesStill a lot of fine tuning required around

Process Partners

Positive feedback from families Support planning Choice and control Satisfaction

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Expectations of the Green Paper

Green Paper signalled a wider set of pilots and extended the pilot in the six areas for another12 months to: Understand more of the impact on family wellbeing through

tracking those with a live IB Explore how education and health based funding could be

incorporated into an IB for families with disabled children during 2011-12

… which will help to inform the scope of the Pathfinders envisaged in the Green Paper

20 Pathfinders selected and announced Scope to offer Personal Budgets

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Expectations of the Green Paper (2)

Give parents more choice and controlLocal authorities to communicate a clear local offerA single assessment process and ‘Education, Health and

Care Plan’ by 2014Parents to have option of personalised funding by 2014

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Contact

Graham Thom

Associate Director

SQW

t. 07716 916897

e. gthom@sqw.co.uk

w. www.sqw.co.uk

Meera Prabhakar

Senior Consultant

SQW

t. 020 7307 7151

e. mprabhakar@sqw.co.uk

w. www.sqw.co.uk