Direct payments for Care Act services
Case reference FOI2024/01442
Received 27 August 2024
Published 19 September 2024
Request
1) How many of your authority's customers are in receipt of a direct payment for Care Act services, please?
2) What was the combined value of all Care Act budgets (Adult & Children) delivered through direct payments made in 2023 and 2022, please?
3) What is the median amount of a gross direct payment made on behalf of your organisation?
4) How frequently are direct payments made (i.e., weekly, fortnightly, 28 days or calendar month). Please provide a breakdown, thank you.
5) How many of your direct payment clients receive their payment into a prepaid card or managed account? Please provide a breakdown of the numbers, thank you.
6) What is the applicable contract length with these providers and when do these arrangements come up for renewal?
7) Does your authority use prepaid cards to disburse funds to other people (i.e., asylum seekers, refugees, homeless). If so, please can you provide a breakdown of the median amount, recipient category, frequency of funds disbursed and the total value of funds made in 2023 and 2022, please?
Response
1) How many of your authority's customers are in receipt of a direct payment for Care Act services, please?
Answer: The Service Area have advised as of 12th September 2024 there were:
543 adult direct payments (44 pending closure)
150 children's direct payments (26 pending closure)
2 carers direct payments
2) What was the combined value of all Care Act budgets (Adult & Children) delivered through direct payments made in 2023 and 2022, please?
Answer: The Service Area have advised the combined value of all Care Act budgets (for Adult’s and Children’s Services) were as follows:
2022/23 = 11,371,265
2023/24 = 12,597,306
3) What is the median amount of a gross direct payment made on behalf of your organisation?
Answer: The Service Area have advised the median payments made for Adult’s and Children’s Services over the 2 years were as follows:
Adult’s Services = £901.40
Children’s Services = £7,000
4) How frequently are direct payments made (i.e., weekly, fortnightly, 28 days or calendar month)? Please provide a breakdown, thank you.
Answer: The Service Area have advised Adult and Carers direct payments are paid every four weeks in advance, and the last main-run payment cleared on 06/09/2024 for the period 09/09/2024 - 06/10/2024.
5) How many of your direct payment clients receive their payment into a prepaid card or managed account? Please provide a breakdown of the numbers, thank you.
Answer: The Service Area have advised as of 12th September 2024 there were:
254 adult managed accounts
198 adult prepaid card accounts
130 children's managed accounts
6 children's prepaid card accounts
2 carers prepaid card accounts
6) What is the applicable contract length with these providers and when do these arrangements come up for renewal?
Answer: The Service Area have advised we do not have a contract with our managed account providers. Our prepaid card account provider contract is due for renewal on 31st March 2027, following a 3-year contract with the option to extend by 24 months.
7) Does your authority use prepaid cards to disburse funds to other people (i.e., asylum seekers, refugees, homeless)? If so, please can you provide a breakdown of the median amount, recipient category, frequency of funds disbursed and the total value of funds made in 2023 and 2022, please?
Answer: The Service Area have advised Herefordshire Council do not use prepaid cards to distribute funds to other people.
Documents
This is Herefordshire Council's response to a freedom of information (FOI) or environmental information regulations (EIR) request.
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