Omnipotent? = authority, control, mastery, all powerful.
"Direct payments are the Government’s preferred mechanism for paying for personalised care and support as they promote independence, choice, control and flexibility over how needs are met."
But the Clique that runs Solihull Social Services doesn't like the Government mechanism - and so discourages its implementation in Solihull – The Clique frightens people away from Direct Payments.
Why?
Because it deprives the person in need of their ‘independence, choice, control and flexibility over how needs are met’ and reverts it to the control of the Clique – The exact opposite of what the legislation stands for.
In an effort to uncover the reasons for the decline in Direct Payments here is the record of an exchange with a Local Government Councillor.
Why?
Because it deprives the person in need of their ‘independence, choice, control and flexibility over how needs are met’ and reverts it to the control of the Clique – The exact opposite of what the legislation stands for.
In an effort to uncover the reasons for the decline in Direct Payments here is the record of an exchange with a Local Government Councillor.
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However,as can be seen below this newly elected Local Councillor, Sally Tomlinson is slow at coming forward on Social Services issues and then it turns out that ger company Age UK Solihull Ltd runs contracts value in excess of £million for Solihull Social Services - Learn More
The First Email
Re:Reduction in Social Services Direct Payments
Dear Cllr Tomlinson, Jul 10, 2024, 2:28 PM Firstly I should congratulate, a little belatedly, you on your election as a new representative for Dorridge and Bentley Heath Before that, I have had, and do have ongoing disputes with SMBC Social Services which I am happy to elaborate upon should you wish. However, in the meantime, I attached a copy of a Freedom of Information request to which I received a response on 7 June. The information includes a coving response letter, a report detailing the number of Direct Payment recipients over the past ten years and I have added a copy of SMBC’s Direct Payment Policy. The introduction to the policy acknowledges the government's policy as is made clear in the 2014 Care Act thus- |
The Care Act 2014 defines a person who has care and support needs as an adult or individual. Consequently, where these terms are used within this policy the person referred to is the individual receiving the service due to their own care and support needs as defined within the Act, or their representative. Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council (the Council) is committed to promoting individual wellbeing and to supporting independence through preventing, reducing or delaying the need for care and support. |
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The 2014 Act achieved legal status on 1 April 2015 and the number of recipients, as would be expected steadily increased from five hundred and twenty-six (526) to a peak of six hundred and forty-five (645) in 2017, an increase of 23%.
However, since 2017, and the appointment of the current Social Care Director the number has steadily declined to a low of four hundred and twenty-six (426) in 2023 a decline since 2017 of 34%. The number of recipients is therefore now lower than the number before the 2014 Act. In line with government preferences the figure should have by now, surely, be somewhere close to a thousand recipients. I would be grateful if therefore you could enquire on my behalf, perhaps with Cllr Dicicco or the Director herself, what the reason is for such a dramatic reduction which one would expect those, before your election, who are responsible for policy implementation and scrutiny would have initiated some sort of inquiry or investigation. I look forward to hearing from you shortly. Yours sincerely |