Supported Living: Who pays?

Funding for social support and care can come from many different sources

Currently JMC generally contracts with and is paid by local authorities or clinical commissioning groups. However, as individual budgets become more widespread, increasing autonomy will be given to people who use our services to organize their own care package using individual budgets and direct payments.

Purchasers and Commissioners

JM Care works closely with local authority adult care services and NHS clinical commissioning groups.

Because of our extensive experience, we are well versed with working within these organisations’ own policy frameworks and with other relevant agencies to ensure the needs of people who use our services are met.

Families and Carers

JMC can help families and carers with their queries about funding and housing made on behalf of people who use our services.

Individual Budgets

Individual budgets are being introduced for many people, giving them choice about how they receive and manage their care package.

Understanding the different sources of funding available for social care can be quite confusing. At JM Care, we are committed to simplifying the process, ensuring that people have full information at their fingertips.

With the Government planning to personalize adult social care services even further, many people across the country can now access individual budgets, personal budgets, direct payments and independent living fund payments.

Individual budgets – sometimes called individualised budgets – differ in that they cover a multitude of funding streams, beside adult social care, eg Supporting People, Disabled Facility Grant, Independent Living Funds, Access to Work and Community Equipment Services.

Similar to Personal Budgets, an Individual Budget can be taken as a Direct Payment or left with the council to administer. It can also be given to another organization to be managed on behalf of the user, or any combination of the above methods, giving the person choice about how they receive and manage their care package.

Benefits Team

JM Care has its own specialist in-house benefits team, who can advise on all aspects of income and expenditure.

We appreciate how difficult it can be for people to find their way around the benefits system, which can be extremely complex. As a result, we have created a dedicated in-house Benefits Team who can help people apply for DWP benefits, Housing Benefit and other available income streams. We can also advise on Individual Budgets, Personal Budgets, Personal Budgets and Direct Payments.

We work closely with Social Services and NHS clinical commissioning groups as well as Supported Living teams, in order to consolidate funding arrangements for Purchasers and Commissioners.

We also work closely with housing providers in order to ensure the best accommodation is provided for those who use our services and, in line with good practice, keep the role of housing and social care completely separate.

When it comes to making a house a home, we are always delighted to help. Whether family members or carers are helping to choose paint colours or furniture, or require other levels of advice and assistance, our aim is to work with everyone who uses our services to ensure their needs, as outlined in their person-centred plan, are met.

Providing value for money

We recognize that those purchasing and commissioning social care services have to work to budgets, and local authorities can be assured that the services they purchase from JMC are economic, effective and efficient.

We also aim to be innovative, providing the people who use our services with the best opportunities for choice and citizenship, giving purchasers and commissioners reassurance that they are investing in a reliable specialist provider.

Administrative Support

We will always meet purchasers’ administrative requirements, for example the provision of tailored reports which fulfil a specific need. We maintain a regular dialogue with commissioners and value feedback from them, an important driver to maintaining and improving quality.

Personal Budgets

Personal Budgets are an allocation of funding to meet assessed needs. This allows a person to have control and choice over how their care needs are met and by whom. It can either be taken as a Direct Payment or left with councils to commission services, or a combination of both. There is, therefore, a choice for people who do not want to take on the responsibility of Direct Payment themselves. Personal Budgets are being introduced by councils over the next three years.

Wide range of expertise

Our expertise covers all aspects of Social Security Benefits, housing Benefits, Supporting People Grants and Independent Living Funds in order to help people pay for their services. We can also help with Direct Payments, Personal Budgets and Individual Budgets.