Support for direct payments
This section has information on the following:
During a social care assessment the practitioner may discuss direct payments as a possible outcome for you if you are eligible.
During this discussion you should be informed that Staffordshire Cares is able to offer information, advice and guidance about direct payments.
Who are Staffordshire Cares? Back to top
Staffordshire Cares is part of our customer service team. They are skilled call handlers who process requests on behalf of the adult social care team.
They are responsible for providing information, advice and guidance to people who are interested in accessing social care services. The team will also provide signposting to relevant services.
You will find all contact details on our contact page.
Examples of information, advice and guidance which can be provided by Staffordshire Cares are (but not limited to):
- How do I apply for a direct payment?
- Would a direct payment work for me?
- What type of support can I spend a direct payment on?
- How will I pay for my care?
- What is a pre-paid card?
- What are my responsibilities as an employer?
- I don’t know how to recruit, what do I do?
- How do I arrange payroll?
- Will I have to contribute towards the cost of my care?
- What if I decided I don’t want a direct payment anymore?
They will use information that is available online, on partner sites and in guidance documents to resolve queries and to assist people with decision making.
They will provide you with the route to access information online or will send via the post, if requested.
How will Staffordshire Cares assist the finance teams? Back to top
All enquiries go through to the Staffordshire Cares customer service team.
The team will assist with all initial enquiries. Through agreement with the finance team, they escalate calls directly as appropriate.
The direct payments finance team helps with training. They provide guides for the customer service team to use.
Staffordshire Cares meets with the direct payments finance team on a regular basis. These meetings help to ensure more enquiries can be handled by the team.
Pre-paid card advice and statements Back to top
Staffordshire Cares will have access to download and provide copies of account statements for both practitioners and citizens.
Practitioners can make requests for these by emailing staffordshirecares@staffordshire.gov.uk
These will be processed within 5 working days. You can also request these via email or by phone.
These statements will then be uploaded and saved in attachments on your record. If a practitioner has requested this, an activity will then be sent to you to let you know it has been uploaded.
There are many organisations that are able to provide support or services to people as part of the direct payment process.
When Staffordshire Cares identify that there is an organisation that is able to assist, this information will be shared with you.
You can also check our Staffordshire Connects directory for details on many organisations and groups that can help support you.