My wife has received a grant from Essex County Council and has submitted a Support Plan through a charity called ECDP, as per their instructions,which has been rejected in part as per ECDP’s email below:
Hi Steve,
As you will see from the email string below, unfortunately Angela’s support plan has not been agreed, therefore we need to discuss and try to amend the plan as appropriate.
The main points made by the panel are made in black and my comments on how we move forward are in blue!:
The diary for 4 hours PA support would be agreed, as meets substantial needs – This can remain and will be agreed
Consideration for buying a Laptop could be made (would support internet shopping and reduce care needs) - This can remain and may be agreed
However, we would not fund the internet connection (husband already has this from his employer, and would be within SU’s remit to fund) – We can either remove this from the plan as it is unlikely to be agreed or we can provide further evidence explaining that your employer connection cannot be used for personal use?
nor would we fund a new TV or a Sky package – This will need to be removed from the plan as they have deemed this as not an eligible need, therefore will not fund it
The respite request is also questionable. ECC does not support holidays and we could not fund travelling costs for the family to go away, the husband would not be obtaining respite from this. Even if an argument could be made that extended family would be providing the respite whilst they are away - £150 for petrol costs sounds excessive? – we can wither remove this from the plan or provide further evidence as to why £150 is required e.g. distances you will be travelling, cost of mileage etc and provide more detailed reasons why this does provide respite and the support that extended family will provide
Apologies about this and I know you will be disappointed; however all I can do is advise you on how to proceed and re-submit a plan with changes for the panel to review again
I have attached Angela’s original support plan for your reference and to work from
ecdp’s vision is to enhance the everyday lives of disabled people in Essex and beyond - www.ecdp.org.uk
Ivan Peck House, 1 Russell Way, Chelmsford, Essex, CM1 3AA
t: 01245 392300 e: info@ecdp.co.uk
Their email trail has includes all sorts of comments from ECC employees which are very obtuse and there is no simple answer to each part of the support plan.
My wife and I filled out the support plan after reading the ECC policy on direct grants.
Does anyone have any experience with supports plans that may help us to understand how to appeal the rejection and find out in plain english what their answers actually mean.
Hi Steve - I don’t know about your situation but I would say that it sounds like quite a reasonable plan to me. You should resubmit on the basis of what you are advised above. The rejections are probably valid so rather than lose out on the whole lot you can reapply on the bits you stand a chance of having approved.
Regarding the rejections: Does your work already provide or mean you already have broadband at home? If so, then the government would not need to provide it.
Sky TV is a luxury for anyone - there is plenty of free tv.
Respite is not a holiday together where you are still doing the care - respite is giving you a break so you can recuperate and continue the care afterwards,so this also makes sense - it may be a matter of clever wording/request.
Disregard the rest of the e-mail trail, which has only been included for background info.
The chap has helpfully already summarised the main parts of the plan that were either rejected or questioned, so you don’t have to try to work it yourself!
He’s also suggested (in blue in your version, though the blue hasn’d come out in your copy-and-paste) what changes you might make, that would make the plan more likely to be acceptable.
So as one of the objections was that they would in no way fund the TV package, the recommendation is that you remove it. There’s no point resubmitting a plan that includes elements you KNOW they won’t pay for.
But they sound open to persuasion on some of the other elements, IF you can put more of an argument together about exactly why you need them. For example, if you’re asking for the broadband to be paid, you need to show not only how it would assist Angela, but why the existing arrangements (broadband they claim is provided by your employer) aren’t sufficient. If you can show clearly (e.g. terms of use from your employer) that Angela isn’t allowed to use “your” broadband, you may be able to make the case for why she needs her own.
It seems fairly clear they won’t fund the family holiday in any circumstances. But it seems possible they might consider the petrol to get to it. But you need to show how you arrived at the figure for petrol, and that you haven’t just pulled it out of the air - so where you would be going, how far that is, and approx mileage per gallon of the car, for example. Then they can see whether your suggested figure of £150 is reasonable and realistic. You also need to show what benefit the holiday would provide. You can’t use, as part of your argument, that you (Angela’s carer) would get a break, if you’d still be doing the caring while you’re away. Proper “respite” would mean you getting a break from the carer’s role for a while - not that you were still doing it, but in a different place!
They’re not going to fund it just because “everybody likes a holiday” - lots of people who don’t have MS can’t afford to go away either. You need to show how it would particularly benefit you - such as if someone else were looking after Angela during that time, to give you a rest.