How social workers can make personal budgets work for people with dementia
There isn't a tradition of support planning with older people, which is a challenge for social workers, says Martin Routledge, operations manager at In Control, who is leading on Think Local Act Personal's review on improving personal budgets for older people.Routledge says this means that it is important for social workers to be able to draw on external sources of support planning, using their own skills where relevant, for instance to ensure that the support plan keeps the person healthy and safe. Routledge suggests local branches of organisations like the Alzheimer's Society and Age UK expand their offer to include help with support planning.
"Social workers who are stretched for time need that local assistance and it would mean they could signpost clients to a trusted source."
A good support plan includes evidencing decisions to manage risks. "Good social work is about understanding and managing risks," says Hicks. "I see a lot of support plans for personal budgets which don't include the nitty gritty of what the law requires us to do. [Social workers] need to evidence any risks and explain why options have been chosen. No social worker will be crucified for having good risk management in a support plan.
"Social workers need to make sure that everything is safeguarded, the social worker as well as the person with dementia."