Home Local News Social care funding policy set to be approved

Social care funding policy set to be approved

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county hall

A new county council policy for Individual Service Funds, which give adults greater choice and flexibility about care and support they receive, is set to be approved.

An Individual Service Fund (ISF) is an arrangement where the council transfers the money agreed for a person’s care and support to an organisation of their choice, such as their current care provider.

These ISFs ensure people receiving support are in control of how their care is designed and delivered. The provider works with the person to plan care and support services and activities.

The main difference between Personal Service Funds and other care budget options, such as Direct Payments, is that the fund is managed by a separate organisation on behalf of the person receiving the care support.

This makes them ideal for anyone who wants to manage their budget, but cannot do this by themselves, or does not have anyone to help them with this.

Lancashire County Council ran a six-week consultation giving care providers who manage funding agreements, and the public, the opportunity to share their views on a proposed new Individual Service Fund policy. 

Several changes have been made following the consultation and the final policy will be considered for approval by the county council’s cabinet on Thursday 8 September.

County Councillor Graham Gooch, cabinet member for adult services, said: “Individual Service Funds are an important way for people to tailor the support they receive using their personal social care budget, giving them greater choice and flexibility about how their care needs are met.

“The funds are typically managed by approved care providers, which means people receiving support have choice over their care and help to make the budget arrangements. They are an ideal option for people who struggle to manage their care budget by themselves.

“Thank you to everyone who took part in the consultation. We have listened to their views and made improvements to the proposed Individual Service Fund Policy.

“The new policy would mean we can put a better framework in place so the system will work more effectively and the funds could be monitored more easily. Cabinet will decide whether to approve the policy at its next meeting.”

Find out more about the new Individual Service Fund policy by selecting this link to the Cabinet report.

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