5.13 Volume, Purpose and
Monitoring of Grants
Could the Department provide details of the
volume of specific or special grants made available, by the Department,
to social services departments for the years 1997-98 to 2001-02?
Could the Department provide a full explanation of any changes,
introduced this year, to the volume, the purpose or the monitoring
arrangements for any of the grants?
1. Table 5.13.1 shows the volume of local
authority PSS grants for the years requested.
Table 5.13.1
GRANTS AVAILABLE FOR PERSONAL SOCIAL SERVICES
1997-98 TO 2001-02
Note—figures may not sum due to rounding.
AIDS SUPPORT PROGRAMME
2. Volume: The only change in 2001-02
is that £16.5 million is being made available to councils,
a 3 per cent increase on the 2000-01 amount of £16 million.
DRUGS AND
ALCOHOL GRANT
3. Volume: The only change in 2001-02
is that the grant increased by £2.1 million to £8.9
million, an increase of 31 per cent.
MENTAL HEALTH
GRANT
4. Volume: A total of £149.4m
is available in 2001-02 for social care services for people with
mental illness, including dementia, an increase of £20 million
over the 2000-01 grant level. Of this, £1 million is being
provided to support two telephone helplines and £1 million
is being transferred to DTLR for the Rough Sleepers Unit to allocate
for mental health social care services for homeless people in
central London. Therefore, the mental health grant available to
local councils is £147.4 million. The Mental Health Social
Care Partnership and Target Funds ceased on 31 March 2001 and
the funds have been put back into the core grant of £130.9
million. The grant for Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services
has been increased in 2001-02 by £5 million, an extra 50
per cent, to £15 million.
5. Purpose: This is broadly the
same, to support implementation of the Mental Health National
Service Framework standards in line with local milestones set
out in local implementation plans but in addition, to deliver
the Department's NHS Plan commitments. Councils have been asked
to give emphasis to services for looked after children in using
the additional £5 million funding for Child and Adolescent
Mental Health Services.
6. There are no changes to monitoring arrangements.
TRAINING SUPPORT
PROGRAMME
7. Volume: The grant for 2001-02
was increased from £42.5 million to £47.5 million, an
increase of 12 per cent.
8. Purpose: This remains the same
but with some additions. £2 million of the extra funding
is being used to increase the numbers of staff being trained in
the new Post Qualifying Child Care Award. The remainder of the
increase, £3 million, has been ring-fenced for supporting
those social care workers who undertake study for the Diploma
in Social Work.
9. Effectiveness: The number of
ring-fenced amounts within the grant have been reduced for 2001-02.
Funds previously set aside in sub-programmes for training domiciliary
care workers, registered managers of adults' homes and for safety
of social care workers training have been returned to the Main
Programme.
10. There are no changes to monitoring arrangements.
ASYLUM SEEKERS'
GRANTS
11. Responsibility for the Unaccompanied
Asylum-Seeking Children's grant was transferred to the Home Office
from 1 April 2000.
PROMOTING INDEPENDENCE
GRANT
12. Legislation: Section 93 of the
Local Government Act 2000.
13. Volume: From 2001-02, the Promoting
Independence grant replaced the previous Partnership and Prevention
grants. It also incorporates an additional £100 million for
social services announced on 27 November 2000, to help councils
respond to last year's winter pressures. The total Grant in 2001-02
is £296 million.
14. Purpose: The purpose of the
grant is to foster partnership between health and social services
in promoting independence. The grant should be used to promote
new patterns of service providing care closer to home, in particular
through the prevention of unnecessary hospital admission and improved
discharge arrangements. The grant should also be used to develop
services that enable people to live independently, promoting social
inclusion and enabling people to enter or re-enter employment.
A condition of the grant is that it should be spent on "additional",
new or improved services; these may be continuing services funded
in previous years through the Partnership or Prevention Grants.
The condition excludes 1.5 per cent of the Grant (£4.4m)
and the additional £100m announced in November 2000.
15. Monitoring: By 30 June 2001
each council will provide a written plan setting out how they
will use grant monies. This plan should be submitted to Social
Care Regions, to NHS Regional Offices and to Social Care Branch
5. The plan must be agreed with the NHS in the council's area.
By 31 May 2002 councils must provide a report that sets out what
actions they have taken to implement their plan including details
of progress using the indicators set out in the plan.
16. Effectiveness: The plan must
state expected performance against a number of Personal Social
Services Performance Assessment Framework Indicators for 2001-02.
CARERS' GRANT
17. Legislation: Section 93 of the
Local Government Act 2000.
18. Volume: The grant has been increased
in 2001-02 by £20 million to £70 million, an increase
of 40 per cent.
19. Purpose: This remains largely
the same but in addition, councils may spend up to 7.5 per cent
of their allocation on services under the Carers and Disabled
Children Act 2000 for carers who cannot take advantage of any
type of breaks services. This is generally because the cared for
person is not willing to receive services which would enable the
carer to have a break.
20. Effectiveness: These remain
as before but in addition, outputs will be assessed against Personal
Social Services Performance Assessment Framework Indicators for
2001-02.
21. There are no changes to monitoring arrangements.
CHILDREN'S
SERVICES (QUALITY
PROTECTS) GRANT
22. Legislation: A Special Grant
Report will be laid under the powers contained in Section 88B(5)
of the Local Government Finance Act 1988, as substituted by paragraph
18 of Schedule 10 to the Local Government Finance Act 1992. Section
93 of the Local Government Act 2000 is also used.
23. Volume: In 2001-02 the grant
is being increased to £291.8 million.
24. Purpose: In addition to existing
priority areas, £15 million has been ring-fenced within the
total grant for improving services to disabled children and their
families. Funding of £128 million has also been ring-fenced
for the implementation of the Children (Leaving Care) Act 2000
from October 2001 (young people aged 16 or over in and leaving
care was already a priority area for the grant.)
25. There are no changes to monitoring arrangements
and the measures of effectiveness.
INVEST TO
SAVE GRANTS
26. Volume: The only change is that
funding of £1.3 million is being made available to seven
councils in 2001-02. Of this £0.095 million is for capital
and £1.2 million is for revenue expenditure.
CARE DIRECT
GRANT
27. Legislation: Section 93 of the
Local Government Act 2000
28. Volume: In 2000-01 a grant of
£72,500 was paid to each of six local councils (total £435,000)
to meet the costs of setting up the Care Direct service. Further
grants amounting to £0.9 million will be made available to
the same councils in 2001-02 to meet the residual set up costs
and the revenue costs of the service during 2001/02. The remainder
of the 2001-02 grant (£1.1m) will be used to fund the IT
equipment required to run the pilots.
29. Purpose: Care Direct will be
a single gateway for older people to get information about social
care, health, housing and social security benefits. Its purpose
is to help older people stay independent and to help them make
informed decisions about their own care and support needs. Care
Direct will help users and carers know where to go for information
and advice, get the information and advice they need when they
need it, get the support they need when they need it—delivered
in an integrated way, and to consistent standards.
30. The key elements of Care Direct are:
— one telephone number which will route
callers to local helpdesks, based in LAs, that provide face to
face access for people who do not wish to, or cannot, use the
telephone;
— the Care Direct service will be accessible
out of hours; and
— the local helpdesks will all provide
the same level of service and core information about health, social
care, housing and social security benefits. They will also provide
practical assistance to help people access services and social
security benefits.
31. Monitoring: The Department has
drawn up a specification for the Care Direct service that will
be delivered by each of the pilot councils. This specification
forms the basis of the service agreement between the Department
and each council. Service activity will be monitored by the Department
and the pilot councils with outputs and outcomes being evaluated
by an independent body during the first six months of live running
(from October 2001).
32. Effectiveness: This will be
measured by an independent body in terms of improved outcomes
for older people. The expected outcomes and benefits of Care Direct
are:
— a "one-stop shop" facility,
open out of hours, for the provision of consistent, comprehensive
information about health, housing, social care and social security;
— the provision of a means of self-care
and prevention that is easy to access;
— the availability of information and
advice close to home (through locally based help-desks and out-reach
facilities); and
— the facilitating and promotion of
sharing of information between agencies.
DEFERRED PAYMENT
SCHEME
33. Legislation: Section 93 of the
Local Government Act 2000.
34. Volume: In 2001-02 the grant
is £15 million and will be available to councils from 1 October.
This is the first year of the grant.
35. Purpose: The NHS Plan announced
three changes to the system for residential care charges to make
it fairer and less stressful for residents who own a home. Two
changes were implemented in April 2001, the 12 weeks property
disregard and an increase in the capital limits. These changes
will allow people to keep more of their savings if they enter
permanent residential care. The 12-weeks property disregard gives
residents breathing space between entering a care home and deciding
how best to meet fees. The third change, deferred payments, will
be implemented from October 2001. This scheme will enable councils
to place a charge on someone's home on admission to permanent
residential care. While the resident will contribute assessed
income to meet care costs, the council will make up the difference
between this and the actual fees. The resident or their estate
repays the council when the home is eventually sold. Deferred
payments will enable people who cannot sell their home, or do
not wish to do so, to enter residential care without worry or
pressure to sell. It will give residents a valuable option in
deciding how best to meet care home fees.
36. Deferred payments are a power not a
duty. The grant is time limited and will help councils get deferred
payments off the ground. Eventually, repayments from former residents
will offset the money that councils pay out by making deferred
payments for current residents.
37. Monitoring: Proposals for monitoring
the grant and the scheme are being finalised. The routine audit
of expenditure will give the principal piece of monitoring data,
namely, the take-up of the grant. It is expected that routine
monitoring will be carried out by Social Care Regional Offices.
38. Effectiveness: The principal
measure of effectiveness will be the take-up of the grant, and
the number of residents for whom councils agree to defer payments.
IMPROVING INFORMATION
MANAGEMENT GRANT
39. Legislation: Section 93 of the
Local Government Act 2000.
40. Volume: The grant available
to councils in 2001-02 is £3 million. This is the first year
of the grant.
41. Purpose: The grant is available
for the development, improvement or acquisition of systems for
improving information management as part of the effective implementation
of the "Information for Social Care" initiative and
improving the quality of welfare services. The 2001-02 grant has
two component parts. £2.5 million has been divided equally
between councils to help them produce a Local Information Plan
setting out their information strategy for the next two or three
years and the capital investment plan to support their strategy.
The balance of £0.5 million will be paid to six councils
that have been selected to run demonstrator projects which address
issues relating to the improvement of the quality of social services
through better use of information and information technology.
42. Monitoring: Councils are required
to send their Local Information Plans to the Department by 1 October
2001 and each will be evaluated. The capital investment plans
will be used to inform the allocation of further grant proposed
for the next two years. The demonstrator projects are each contracted
to produce outputs at key dates and a Project Board monitors their
performance.
43. Effectiveness: Compliance with
the requirements set out in paragraph 41 above are the measure
of grant effectiveness.
YOUNG PEOPLE'S
SUBSTANCE MISUSE
PLANNING GRANT
44. Legislation: Section 93 of the
Local Government Act 2000.
45. Volume: The grant available
to councils in 2001-02 is £4.5 million. This is the first
year of the grant.
46. Purpose: to support the implementation
of an integrated local plan for young people's substance misuse
services. The funding must be spent in support of the Young People's
Substance Misuse Plan, and in particular the objectives outlined
at paragraph 1.6 of the Drug Action Team guidance issued on 23
February 2001. Specifically it should be used to support:
— the development of protocols for
referrals between different tiers of service and between different
providers in order to support the delivery of an integrated package
of care;
— the development of screening and
assessment protocols for young people. (This work should take
into account the Department's "Framework for the Assessment
of Children in Need and their Families");
— staff training to support the implementation
of new protocols;
— costs associated with the completion
of local assessments of young people's drug-related needs and
current service provision;
— costs associated with the production
of drug-related service development plans; and
— additionally to meet any staffing
costs incurred in overseeing the use of this grant.
47. Monitoring: Councils are required
to report on how the money has been used as part of their contribution
to the Drug Action Team Annual Report covering the period 2001-02.
A copy of this report should be sent to the Department by 30 June
2002.
48. Effectiveness: The Young People's
Substance Misuse Plans are performance-managed at Regional level
by the Department's Social Care Regions together with the Home
Office.
