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Equalities Impact Assessment - Financial Contributions for Social Care
Equalities Impact Assessment - Financial Contributions for Social Care
Full Equalities Impact Assessment Form B
Function being assessed:
Financial Contributions Policy For Social Care
Is this a new function or a review of an existing function?
This is a review of an existing function.
The Council’s existing policy is at:
On 29 September 2010 the Council’s Executive agreed a report, which initiated a three months consultation process, which was extended until 31st January 2011.
What are the aims/purpose of the function?
The aim of the policy is to calculate a contribution to the costs of adult social care in line with the Department of health guidance and ensure that the process is fair and transparent. The policy sets out how RBK assesses the level of contribution or charge the Council makes on individuals.
The Council last reviewed the Financial contributions policy for Adult Social care in 2004.Due to the financial climate of the country and the Council, the way that adult social care support is and will be provided in the future need to be looked at, along with every other Council area of activity, and issues addressed now. This will enable the Council to continue to provide a range of essential social care and support services.
Council’s which charge for non residential Adult Social care must follow two sets of guidance:
From 2001
and from 2010.
Is the function designed to meet specific needs such as the needs of minority ethnic groups, older people, disabled people etc?
This function is designed to meet the needs of residents who are eligible for non residential social care support from the Council. This will be applied universally to all residents so it will have an impact on all equality strands. The contribution policy will also be applied universally.
What information has been gathered on this function? (Indicate the type of information gathered e.g. statistics, consultation, and other monitoring information)? Attach a summary or refer to where the evidence can be found.
As indicated above the two sets of guidance.
Please see attached data set regarding Adult Social Care
The existing policy is referenced above.
Prior to making a decision there was extensive consultation. The process of this consultation is summarized
at:
This sets out the consultation process and responses.
Benchmarking across London Councils was also completed please see below.
Included is some financial modelling.
The Council also looked at some of the challenges made on a national consultation on Charging: Coalition on Charging (2009) Still not fair enough. This document contains many of the comments that were made during this consultation.
http://www.disabilityalliance.org/coc3.htm
Does your analysis of the information show different outcomes for different groups (higher or lower uptake/failure to access/receive a poorer or inferior service)? If yes, indicate which groups and which aspects of the policy or function contribute to inequality?
The focus of this EQIA is to consider the impact of the changes on that could be agreed by the Executive
The changes to the policy alter the basis on which people are assessed for their contribution. This is applied to all eligible users, so there will be no differentiation of impact between different equality strands arising through the change in policy.
Analysis of the impact of the changes suggests that 30% of people will see now change at all from our current understanding
Gender
There are more women than men who have been as assessed as eligible for non –residential Adult Social Care services, but this arises from the demographic fact that women live longer than men.
These proposals may well have a disproportionate impact on women, as women generally are the main carers caring for family members. Women could therefore be more affected by disabled and older relatives no longer receiving support if it becomes uneconomic for them to do so.
Race
Any differential impact can be addressed through ensuring appropriate communication format e.g. on the Disability Related Expenditure (DRE)
Disability & Age
The scope of the service means that the impact will fall on people with disabilities and older people, as they are the people who are eligible for the service. Any disproportionate impact will only arise due to an individual’s financial circumstances.
We recognise that although the charges will be applied universally to all users with eligible needs the changes will have a greater impact on people with high cost packages. This offset by the calculation of their ability to pay. However, from the consultation there was concern about the impact on the lives of users of services that an increase in the level of contributions they will be required to make will have.
There could be a differential impact on children and young people who care for their parents who are disabled and this need to be monitored and addressed accordingly.
Each provision of support will be based on an individual assessment of need.
The changes to the policy bring Kingston into line with the majority of other London Councils,, which can be seen from the table, which was part of the scrutiny process:
Furthermore the Government guidance from the 2001 Local Authority circular states that people should be left with the Income support (or Pension Credit) level plus 25% after any charge is levied. Kingston is following this guidance and has offered and has offered a provision within the guidelines.
Are these differences justified (e.g. are there legislative or other constraints)? If they are, explain in what way.
The Council’s financial position requires the Council to review income from fees and charges across all Council services. The benchmarking with other council’s shows that Kingston takes a lower level of contributions than most Council’s in London.
The changes are within the guidance, which councils must follow if they charge for services.
The application of this policy is based purely on an individual’s ability to pay and is applied to all eligible service users, irrespective of all equality strands.
What action needs to be taken as a result of this Equality Impact Assessment to address any detrimental impacts or meet previously unidentified need? Include here any reasonable adjustments for access by disabled people. Include dates by which action will be taken. Attach an action plan if necessary.
Whilst the change in council policy will apply equally to all eligible users of Adult Social care the impact on individuals was a cause for concern in the consultation process.
There are a number of options that the Council will consider to mitigate and support service users. This will include:
- Ensuring maximum take up of all Welfare Benefits.
- Action: In partnership with Kingston Information Partnership, two staff are co located and will continue to offer welfare benefits checks to those in contact with Adult social care services.
- Reviewing the process for people to identify and claim Disability Related Expenditure. This issue was raised in the consultation. The guidance allows Council’s to discount Disability related expenditure. RBK will, with third sector colleagues to look at how this is presented in the assessment form; it is a question in the existing form, but we may be able to improve to wording and offer some further examples.
- Action: Transitional Service Manager for Home care, Communications and Engagement Manager and Finance Manager are currently drafting a list of disability related expenditure in partnership with the Transformation Engagement Group. This will be finalised on the 18th March.
- Ensuring that information on DRE will be available in appropriate formats to meet the needs of individual’s.
Action. The Communication and Engagement Manager, leads on communication and will monitor all communications to service users and carers, to ensure that appropriate formats are used to meet individual needs.
- Monitoring the implementation of the new policy and any potential “drop off” rate, which arises. People choosing to arrange their own services is not in itself a risk, but RBK will monitor to ensure that people who cancel or turn down services are making appropriate provision where ever possible.
- Action Adult social care services will do its best to identify drop off trends through analysis of those in contact with social services at different points along the customer journey for instance at point of contact ,end of reablement and long term support set up. This will be monitored through a quarterly audit and a random survey of those choosing to arrange, cancel or turn down services.
- Monitoring the impact on all carers especially women and children
Action Adult social care services will undertake regular bi annual audit and analysis of carer’s assessments to identify any impact on carers. In addition to this, feedback will be gathered from the Carers Lead from her regular contact with carers groups such as the Kingston Carers Network and other carers groups to help inform and further identify any impact.
- Ensuring that service users have an appropriate mechanism to raise their concerns
Action Complaints will be audited and analysed quarterly to identify any concerns and will be fed back to Divisional Management Team. Service user forums and service user feedback will continue to take place on a regular basis and any identified concerns analysed.
- Monitoring the consistency of application of the Disability Related Expenditure
Action Transitional Service Manager for Home care with Finance Manager are currently working on an agreed review process which will audit the consistency and equity of Disability Related Expenditure decisions.
When will you evaluate the impact of action taken? Give review dates.
Quarterly from 1st April, through Adult Social Care management structure, with an update to the Lead Member.
Assessment completed by:
NAME Simon Pearce
SERVICE Adult Social Care
DATE 18th January 2011 revised 7th March 2011
EQIA Stats
Homecare - currently 860 service users
Gender
Male: 287
Female: 573
Groups
Physical Disability/Frailty/ Sensory Impairment: 700
Learning Disability: 9
Mental Health: 117
Other: 34
Age
18-50: 27
51-65: 53
66-75: 114
76+: 666
Ethnicity
White: 790
Mixed: 5
Asian: 35
Black: 10
Chinese: 1
Other: 6
Not recorded: 13
Refused: 1
Sexuality
Lesbian: 0
Gay: 0
Bisexual: 0
Heterosexual: 23
Not recorded: 837
Religion:
Christian: 318
Buddhist: 0
Hindu: 11
Sikh: 0
Jewish: 6
Muslim: 12
Atheist: 1
Agnostic: 3
None: 9
Other: 8
Not recorded: 492