Planning and reviewing carer support arrangements

10.1   When the council has agreed to meet needs, we will support carers to be as actively involved as they can be in planning and reviewing their support arrangements. We will involve any suitable adult the carer wishes to involve and anyone necessary to support the carer’s involvement, for example an independent advocate.

10.2   Planning and review will be appropriate and proportionate to the carer’s needs and circumstances.  

Planning

10.3   We will on a case by case basis take all circumstances into account and make every effort to reach agreement with the carer about how they wish their needs to be met.

10.4   We will record arrangements agreed with the carer in the carer’s support plan and provide a copy to the carer and / or their representative and others as appropriate.  

10.5   Carers may prepare their own support plan if they wish but the council must be satisfied that the plan will appropriately meet unmet eligible needs.

10.6   We will record any services that the adult consents to receive in order to meet / reduce their carer’s needs in the adult’s support plan. Charging and financial assessment will apply to any services provided directly to the adult. 

10.7   If the council cannot reach agreement with the carer about how needs will be met, we will: 

• explain the reason why the council will not agree to their preferred arrangements  and what must happen before we can agree the support plan  
• make arrangements to meet needs while matters are resolved 
• provide information about how to use the  Adult Social Care Complaints about adult social care procedure 

 Reviewing arrangements

10.8   In most cases, the council will review support arrangements within 6 to 8 weeks of signing off a support plan to check that arrangements are meeting needs.

10.9   The council will then review arrangements at regular intervals. We may align a review with the annual review of direct payments (see section 11) if the carer chose this option for meeting needs.

10.10   The council will also review support arrangements:

• on a reasonable request by or on behalf of a carer 
• when it believes that a support plan is no longer effective or appropriate
• if needs and desired outcomes can be met and risks managed more cost effectively 
• if a top up is / is to be discontinued  - see paragraph 9.4

10.11   Where a review indicates that arrangements are no longer effectively meeting needs, we will work with the carer to amend or revise their plan. In some instances, it may be necessary to re-assess needs and agree a new plan.