Senior Direct Payments Support Officer

Implementation projects and priorities that are relevant to direct payments and provide a lead role for the service regarding policy, procedure, and knowledge in those areas.

To provide line management support to staff employed within the direct payment support service. To co-ordinate a range of information and performance data to enable effective reporting of key performance indicators for the service. To take a lead co-ordination role in facilitating the growth of the local supply of personal assistants by promoting care as a career.

Work within a wider service to provide a range of advice, support, and guidance to TH residents in receipt of social care and/or health funding including direct payments and personal health budgets. This will include supporting residents to develop skills to manage their own social care and/or health funding via the use of a direct payment or personal health budget, and promote living independently in the community.

To co-ordinate a duty Direct Payments service, ensuring advice, information, and support is available to residents, practitioners, and other stakeholders

To carry out all duties in a flexible manner, this may involve occasional evenings, weekends and public holidays in order to meet service requirements

Knowledge

Thorough understanding of the impact of key Health and Social Care Legislation/Initiatives i.e. Community Care (Direct Payments) Act 1996, Care Act 2014, Children and Families Act Ability to analyse and interpret legislation and guidance relevant to the service Understands the strengths and weaknesses of the social care market in the Borough, in the context of personalisation and Transformation, and how to develop capability and capacity in this market Understands the commissioning requirements of the Local Authority and NHS locally when operating in a Lead Commissioning capacity and effectively manages contracts on their behalf in the context of Direct Payments Has a clear understanding of safeguarding for adults and children and is aware of their, and the teams, role within these frameworks Is aware of market trends and behaviours, and shows knowledge of and acts where required on current gaps in the market to provide residents with an increased choice of solutions and suppliers Understanding of legislative policy in relation to the employment of Personal Assistant in the context of direct payments and personal health budgets