Drive

Who would pay for the services?

Once the service has been awarded to Drive, the service would be paid for by the local authority and/or the Independent living fund.

Yes, all service users will have a statement of aims/ care plan/ support plan. These document the needs, aims and aspirations of the person and are reviewed regularly with the multi disciplinary team and family and of course, with the service user at the centre.

Will I be able to visit, will we be welcome?

Drive recognises the importance of family and family relationships and Drive staff will encourage family members to visit as often as they and the service users wish.

Can we arrange days out together?

Yes, this can be arranged with or without staff support, depending on the needs of the service user and the nature of the trip.

Will I be seen as a hindrance?

You will not be seen as a hindrance; you will be made to feel welcome by the Drive staff that will support the service user during your visit if necessary, or given space to visit if the service user does not require support.

Can I phone whenever I want to?

Yes, you can phone whenever you want to, although your call may not get answered straight away as the staff may be supporting the service users in their local community.

Can he/she have say in who supports them?

Yes, service users in drive are supported and encouraged to participate in interviews for support staff, these views are taken into account when employing staff. Drive has also run successful courses in interview skills with service users which have been accredited with the open college network

How will we know staff can be trusted?

Once someone has been offered a position with drive, they are not able to start work until Drive has receives a positive character reference and a positive employment reference and an enhanced Criminal records bureau check, this check is a check of the nationwide police database and checks all known names and addresses of the applicant and gives a full report of any convictions spent or current. All staff are under a 38 week probation period, during which they have to meet recognised levels of quality, only after this probation period is completed are staff offered a permanent contract with Drive.

How will Drive meet the needs of my child/ relative?

Once Drive has been awarded the tender for the service to support your child/relative, detailed plans will be written involving the multi disciplinary team, family and of course the service user to document the service users needs, these plans will form the basis of the support the service user needs and staff will work closely to these to support the service users needs in all area of their life.

What do tenants pay for?

Tenants pay for all the usual costs associated with running a home, food, utility bills etc. Drive staff will support service users with financial budgeting if needed; this would be written into a service users support plan after their financial support needs had been assessed. Service users may also need to pay for any additional support over and above their assessed need e.g. if they require extra staff for holidays.

Who decides what activities my child can access?

Drive is a person centred organisation and believes the person has the ultimate choice over how and where they spend their time, an activity plan would be drawn up with the service user, family and multi-disciplinary team to decide how to best meet the service users needs and maximise opportunities in their local area.

Who decides how many hours support my child needs?

The local authority decides how many hours of support a service user needs, following a needs assessment, this information forms the basis of the tendering process. If service users needs change dramatically, Drive would work closely with the local authority to agree an increase in hours to meet the individuals increased needs. Also, as serve users become more independent and develop they may not need as much support as was first thought, in this case also Drive would work closely with the local authority to ensure that the service user’s needs are met.

Who monitors that Drive are doing what they say they are doing?

Drive Operational services managers visit and monitor each of the services they are responsible for a minimum of once every three months, Drive also has Internal monitoring of its services annually from the internal monitoring officer. The local authority externally monitors each of Drives services annually, against the contract to ensure that Drive is doing what it has agreed to do. The Care Standards Inspectorate for Wales also inspects Drive annually to ensure that it is complying with the Domiciliary Care Regulations of the Care Standards Act, this includes visiting the office premises and inspecting staffing and training records as well as records relating to service users