Paying for home care, day care and other services

Most people will have to pay something towards the cost of the social care they receive. This page is for people who are using a personal budget to buy their own support and for people who have asked us to arrange support for them.

• Why do we charge for homecare support and day care?
• How will the charge for my support be worked out?
• Can someone tell me how much my charge might be before I start receiving support?
• Who will calculate my charge?
• What will happen when the charging assessor visits me?
• What will the charging assessor need to see?
• How can I pay the charge?
• What happens after the visit?
• What is the minimum and maximum I can be charged?
• What happens if I don't receive my support temporarily, for some reason?
• What if I disagree with the charge?
• What if my circumstances change?
• What happens if I am part of a couple?
• What if I also have to pay for other support?

How do we work out the charges?

There are two main ways that we charge people:

• Set charges - for example, the laundry service costs £3.10 for each wash
• Charging policy - we work out how much you will have to contribute based on your income, captial and disability related spending. Some services for people with mental health problems are free

Why do we charge for homecare support and day care?

Salford charges for this support because we could not afford to provide some social services unless we were able to charge.

How will the charge for my support be worked out?

The system can be difficult to understand. If you would like the more detailed explanation, please read the detailed explanation leaflet at the bottom of this page or ask the social worker.

The simple explanation is that we look at most of your income and capital and work out how much of it you have available to pay towards the cost of your support.

Can someone tell me how much my charge might be before I start receiving support?

It is impossible to estimate how much your charge will be (even if we know the cost of your support) because we need to know your full individual circumstances.

Who will calculate my charge?

Your contact details will be passed to our team of charging assessors. We will then write to you to let you know when a charging assessor will visit you at home.

You should be asked by the person arranging your support if you would like someone else (a partner, carer or friend) to be there when we visit. It is often helpful for you and the charging assessor to have someone else there.

What will happen when the charging assessor visits me?

The charging assessor will do two things when they visit:

• Make sure you and your family (and your carer if you have one) are receiving all your social security and local authority benefit entitlements
• Work out your contribution to the cost of the support you are getting. There are five stages to working out your contribution. These are explained in the detailed explanation leaflet

What will the charging assessor need to see?

They will need to see full details of your income and capital. This includes things like your benefit award letters, building society pass books, bank statements, share certificates and other income or capital.

They will also need evidence of work or occupational pensions and details of any housing costs like rent, council tax or a mortgage. This will help them calculate your charge and identify any missing benefits you should be claiming.

It will help if you make sure that these things are ready for when the charging assessor visits. The charging assessor will usually agree with you what your charge will be and how you will pay it.

How can I pay the charge?

You can pay by:

• Cheque (you will need to send these in with a payment card we will give you)
• Standing order
• Stamps from the Post Office, which you stick on a payment card we will give you

What happens after the visit?

A finance officer will write to you to confirm your charge and to give you a detailed explanation of the calculation. You will start paying from the first Monday after a charging assessor has visited. If your visit falls on a Monday, your charge will start from that day.

What is the minimum and maximum I can be charged?

If we assess you to pay something, then the smallest amount we will ask you to contribute towards the cost of your support is £3 per week. We cannot charge you more than the cost of your support.

If you do not tell us full details of your income and capital, or do not want us to visit, then we will charge you the full cost of the support you are getting.

What happens if I don’t receive my support temporarily, for some reason?

• If you do not receive your support for a week or more then you will not be charged for that week
• If you are paying the full cost of your support you will not have to pay for any day that we do not supply support. Any support that you cancel with less than 24 hours notice can still be charged for

What if I disagree with the charge?

You can appeal against the amount we have asked you to pay. Details about how to do this are in the letter you will get from a finance officer, once the charging assessor has visited.

What if my circumstances change?

Certain changes may reduce or increase your charge. If your income, capital or the amount of money you spend because of your disability change, you must contact a finance officer and let them know. If there is less than £1 per week difference between your old and new charge, then your charge will not change.

What happens if I am part of a couple?

If you are married, living together or in a same sex relationship you may pay less by being assessed as a couple (where we look at the income and capital of both of you). You must give us permission to do this.

What if I also have to pay for other support?

If you get Supporting People support, we include these in the cost when we work out your charge. Some services have a separate charge. You must still pay these.

This page was last updated on 26 April 2011