AUTHORS: SAMANTHA LAWSON,

GEOFF PEARMAIN and JOHN WATERS

MAY 2010

Finding Our Way

The story of Self-Directed Support in Barnsley
Welcome Acknowledgements
In this report we see how one local Thanks to all those who have
authority, Barnsley Metropolitan contributed to this report and who
Borough Council, has got to grips with have helped us develop and shape
a major challenge: how to create a the Personalisation agenda within
system of social care that puts the Barnsley.
wishes and needs of ordinary people before the
demands of services and the system itself. In particular:
Barnsley Arena
This is a story of change and it makes inspirational Dial Barnsley
reading. The report shows that change is possible Volunteer Support Brokers
and that local authorities can and are working in Age Concern
innovative ways. For me, the most striking aspect Together Barnsley
of the report is that it is local people themselves NHS Barnsley
who are making a crucial difference. Care Services Direct
Employees of Barnsley Council
Jamie Hanson (Happy Associates).

Thanks too to some key individuals:

Julie Stansfield John Waters from In Control
Chief Executive Sam Lawson, Avril Watson and Julie Moore
(Barnsley Adult Social Services)
Christopher Hatton (Lancaster University)
Frank Burgin (Barnsley Arena).

Most of all, I would like to thank the families and

individuals who have been part of this work and
who have shared with us their learning, their
frustrations, their celebrations and their successes.

Thank you.

Wendy Lowder
Assistant Executive Director – Personalisation

Cover Picture: description required

 The story of Self-Directed Support in Barnsley

Finding Our Way

The story of Self-Directed Support in Barnsley

Foreword
I am particularly delighted to families can draw on when we recognise them as
introduce this report that describes equal partners. We have seen the difference that
our endeavours to implement Self- Self-Directed Support can make to people’s lives.
Directed Support, a new approach We are very proud of our work and we hope to
to social care that allows people to continue to build on it during the coming years.
control their own social care through a
Personal Budget. I would like to extend my personal thanks to the
families and individuals who have worked with us
Self-Directed Support places each and every to help us learn from their experiences.
person who needs our support at the heart of
what we do. As you will see from the report, we
have achieved a great deal during the last few
years and we continue to learn with and for
Barnsley people about the best way to deliver Self-
Directed Support.
Councillor Jenny Platts
This report clearly shows the creativity and Cabinet Spokesperson for
resourcefulness that local people and their Adult Social Services

Barnsley Council | In Control 1

 The story of Self-Directed Support in Barnsley
Introduction
From time to time all of us look to other people
for help – help with everyday things like mending
a broken-down car or fixing a crashed computer,
the things that we don’t have the skills or the time
to do for ourselves. For many of us, the time will
come when we will need to look to others for help
with even more everyday tasks – things that we
now take for granted. As we get older or perhaps
as a result of an accident or injury, we may need
to look to others for help with things like washing,
dressing, preparing meals or getting out and
about. Needing extra help with everyday tasks is,
for a significant number of people, something that
is part of their whole life, from childhood to old
age, perhaps because they are born with a physical
or learning disability.
If we do need help with everyday tasks, for
whatever reason, we tend look for help from
people who are close to us – our family and
friends. Nearly six million people in the United
Kingdom spend some of their time providing help
and assistance to their family members. Also, a
surprisingly large number of people look to the
government for help. Every year, a million and
a half people in England receive some form of
sate-funded social care support. A million and a
half people work in the caring sector. The sector
is made up of some 25,000 different companies,
charities and government organisations.
In 2009 in Barnsley, 10,544 people received
some form of social care support from the local
authority and its partners. The local authority
spent £62.7m on social care. That means the
Council used just over a third of its annual budget
on supporting older and disabled adults. One way
or another, social care affects us all.
Needing help and support is something that is a
fact of life for many people. It is a normal part of
life and not something to be embarassed about or
ashamed of.
However, needing support has traditionally often
meant relying heavily on one of a number of pre-
purchased services, such as place in a residential
care home or a day centre. For some people this
can mean losing out on other important things in
life, things that many of us take for granted, like
having a home of our own or going to work.
2 Barnsley Council | In Control
In 2006, Ipsos MORI conducted a survey that
explored public attitudes to social care. 90% of
respondents said it was important to them to be
able to stay at home if they developed a long-term
health condition or disability. 87 % believed it was
important that they are given the choice of where
they live other than residential care. Two thirds
of respondents believed it was important that
support from social care agencies enabled them to
stay in work.
However, some 42% (635,000 people) of the
social care work force are employed in residential
settings. According to the Shaw Trust, a disability
employment charity, only half of disabled people
of working age are in work, compared with 80% of
non-disabled people.
In acknowledging these issues, the Department of
Health has set an agenda for change in social care.
The Department’s aims are set out below.
Over the next 10 to 15 years, we want to
work with people who use social care to
help them transform their lives by:
✱✱ Ensuring they have more control giving
them more choices and helping them
decide how their needs can best be met
✱✱ Giving them the chance to do the things
that other people take for granted
✱✱ Giving the best quality of support and
protection to those with the highest
levels of need.
Clearly, there is a long way to go. This report
describes an exciting journey that has been
underway in Barnsley for several years now – one
that will transform the everyday experiences
of people who need support and those close to
them.
We have been working to change the way our
whole social care system operates. This report
describes these changes and our learning so far.
In Control
In Control is a social enterprise that has been
working since 2003 to transform the current social
care system. In Control has worked in partnership
with central government, local authorities and
local people who need support to devise a new
way of organising the social care system in the UK.

Agent?
£
1. My Money: Finding 2. Making My 3. Getting My
Out How Much Plan Plan Agreed
In Control’s seven-step model of Self-Directed Support
The intention of the work has been to ensure that
those people who need support are able to lead
lives as full and active citizens. In Control’s work
draws from and supports work undertaken by
disabled people themselves and the Independent
Living Movement. In Control’s learning is shared
openly with central and local government.
A new operating system for
social care
In Control offers a new ‘operating system’ for social
care – a seven-step model of Self-Directed Support.
Unlike the existing system, this new model has
at its heart the individual, their family and their
community, rather than care services (as is the
case now). Self-Directed Support is underpinned
by a belief that disabled people and their families
have both the capacity and the right to control the
support they need to live full and active lives.
Instead of just placing a person into an existing
service, Self-Directed Support is designed to allow
the person and their family as much control over
their support as is possible. To do this, it draws
on some existing good practice, such as person-
centred planning, and introduces some new
ideas, such as a Personal Budget and a resource
allocation system.
Self-Directed Support is broken
down into seven steps
Money. If people are to direct their own support
it is important to be clear early in the process
about how much money is available to use in
a support plan and the outcomes that money
must be used to achieve. To do this, the local
authority must develop a Resource Allocation
System (RAS).
Making a support plan. If people are to have
support that is personal to them, they need a
The story of Self-Directed Support in Barnsley
£
4. Organising My 5. Organising My 6. Living My Life 7. Seeing How
Money Support It's Worked
good plan describing what that support will look
like and what it will achieve. It is important that
the person and those close to them lead this
planning process.
Agreeing the plan. As the local authority is
making money available to fund the support
plan, it is reasonable that it will want to agree
how that money is used. The local authority
also needs to be satisfied that any risks the
person may choose to take have been properly
considered.
Organising money. Once the money and the plan
are agreed, the person needs to be in control
of the funding so they can direct their support.
There are different ways this can be achieved.
Taking the cash directly does not suit everyone.
Organising the support. When the budget is
under the control of the person, they can arrange
how their support is organised. This can involve,
for example, buying equipment or recruiting staff.
Living life. When people are supported in ways
and at times that are right for them, it is possible
to live a full and active life.
Seeing how it worked. It is important to take
time to look at how well the plan has worked
and to show what the money has been used to
achieve.
A resource allocation system (RAS)
The RAS takes the form of a simple self-
assessment questionnaire. This lets people
know early on in the process how much money
is available to them from the local authority
to fund their support. It also clearly states
the intended outcomes of their support plan.
The RAS gives an indication of the amount of
money that should be in someone’s Personal
Budget and what it must achieve.
Barnsley Council | In Control 3
 The story of Self-Directed Support in Barnsley
The Personal Budget
A Personal Budget is the money made
available to an individual to use for their
support. The money can be held by the person,
their representative, or by the local authority.
The important thing is that the person and
those close to them have control of the money.
Knowing how much money is available and
what outcomes must be achieved, the person
and their family can take control of their
Personal Budget and plan how it is used.
Once the person or those closest to them
has developed a plan, the local authority is
then asked to approve the plan and arrange
payment. This important check provides a
mechanism through which the authority is
able to meet its wider social and financial
responsibilities.
Benefits of the seven-step
approach
This seven-step approach to social care seems to
have a number of benefits:
✱✱ The person knows the cost of a support plan
and they have a vested interest in ensuring
that the money is spent well.
✱✱ Each step can be led by the person or those
in their family, drawing on support from
professionals only if needed and desirable.
This means professional staff are able to
dedicate their time to those who most need
their help.
✱✱ As the money is determined early on and in a
transparent way, people can draw on a range
of other support systems (friends, family,
community) without needing to fear that
the local authority may withdraw its help if
they do.
✱✱ As people have control over the money, they
are able to choose existing services or design
their own bespoke support. They can avoid
being slotted into services that are not able
to meet their unique needs. This leads to
innovative solutions.
✱✱ Social workers are not forced to act as
‘gatekeepers’ of the public purse, a role that
the current system of social care requires of
them. This is important as social workers are
4 Barnsley Council | In Control
then able to form trusting relationships and
help people they serve to plan creatively.
✱✱ As resources are allocated on an individual
basis, it is easier to ensure that people get
resources that match their level of needs.
Social care: a changing system
In 2006, Barnsley became one of 13 local authority
pilot sites testing out Personal Budgets. The
pilots lasted until December 2007 and saw the
introduction of a dedicated Self-Directed Support
Team, created to ensure the implementation of
Personal Budgets in Barnsley. Over the life of the
pilots, IBSEN, a network of academic institutions,
carried out a robust research study examining
work in the 13 sites and provided a report to
government iabout its findings. This report
provided a comparison between Self-Directed
Support and the traditional approach to care. The
research explored whether Personal Budgets make
people’s lives better, if they are cost effective, and
what impact there is on the informal and formal
role of carers.
The report is available from http://php.york.ac.uk/
inst/spru/research/summs/ibsen.php
Following the completion of the pilots, the
government published Putting People First, a
commitment to the national transformation
of adult social care. At the heart of this
‘Personalisation’ strategy is the idea of a Personal
Budget for people who need social care support.
Putting People First set out four main themes:
✱✱ facilitating access to universal services
✱✱ building social capital with local
communities
✱✱ making a strategic shift to prevention and
early intervention
✱✱ ensuring people have greater choice and
control over meeting their needs.
In response, in 2007 Barnsley jointly created its
local vision with local health partners, Every Adult
Matters. This visioning document described a way
forward based on a system of Personal Budgets
and Self-Directed Support.
In March 2009, a local Transformation Programme
plan was developed that focuses on five key work
streams:
 The story of Self-Directed Support in Barnsley

Taking these developments

forward inevitably brings
with it a range of challenges.
We have always tried to
meet these with a belief
that we need to test out
different approaches
– ensuring that we are
listening and learning along
the way. This helps to make
sure that we finally arrive at
a sustainable, flexible and
person-centred approach.
Throughout these changes
some of our learning has
come from listening to our
On September 5th 2007, The Rt. Hon. Alan Johnson - Secretary of State for Health met a group own staff and colleagues in
of individuals from Barnsley to discuss Self Directed Support and Individual Budgets. local partner organisations
but we have also learned
✱✱ Commissioning and market-shaping much from the people of Barnsley, their families
✱✱ Self-Directed Support systems and communities.
✱✱ Early intervention and prevention
✱✱ Infrastructure (such as information systems The Big Conversation – talking about
and a skilled and flexible workforce) Personalisation
✱✱ Universal Information, advice and advocacy. The Big Conversation event was held on the
5th June 2009 at Barnsley Football Ground.
What we have achieved to date There was an open invitation to all parties
Being an Individual Budget pilot site meant that interested in Personalisation and Self-Directed
Barnsley was well prepared to respond to the Support. The event was well attended by a
government’s transformation strategy. The pilot range of stakeholders and included: people
allowed us to test new ways of working such as who use services, carers, Health and Social Care
the resource allocation system and to develop local professionals, as well as representatives from
awareness of new approaches. voluntary, community, statutory and independent
providers.
Some three years on from the pilots, 1,400 people
now have a Personal Budget in Barnsley but, to People had a chance to hear about the changes
reach this point, we had to do a lot of hard work. and to have their say. A series of small group
We provided training not just for our own staff, but sessions were held to consider Personalisation
also for care providers, partner organisations, local within Barnsley. Information from these sessions
people who need support and their family carers. formed the basis of further Personalisation work.

We developed independent advocacy and

brokerage services, and started a provider
development programme for local care agencies.
We have also invested in developing Tele Care (a
range of high-tech equipment to support disabled
and older people to live independently).

At the same time, Barnsley has led the way

nationally, helping to develop a Common Assessment
Framework which will enable Adult Social Services,
NHS Barnsley and local people to have one view
of their needs and goals. All this work is changing
the very culture of the Council’s social care
The Big Conversation 2009.
department.

Barnsley Council | In Control 5

 The story of Self-Directed Support in Barnsley
Stories
Ray Ann’s story
Before having a Personal Budget, Ray Ann rarely
left her family home and depended increasingly
on care provided by her 78 year-old husband and
her daughter Julie.
Not only was Ray Ann’s health deteriorating, so was
the health of her carers. Julie describes the time by
saying ‘things were really bad. Not only was I caring
for mum but I had my own young family and a
full-time job’.
Ray Ann felt that her mobility problems prevented
her from venturing out of her home and this had
left her feeling extremely secluded for a number
of years. Then, by chance, Julie met up with an old
friend who told her about Personal Budgets and
suggested that she find out if her mum was entitled
to one. With her mum’s agreement, Julie wasted
no time in contacting the local authority which
arranged for Ray Ann to be visited at home.
With the help of a support broker, Ray Ann
drew up her own Support Plan and identified that
she needed two personal assistants, the second
one being her daughter Julie, who would provide
support at pre-arranged times each week. Julie now
has more time with her own family and can call on
her mum for a chat and a cuppa without having
to attend to her care needs at each visit. Ray Ann’s
primary personal assistant, Tracy, provides support
on a daily basis and is ‘not only a carer but a good
companion’. Tracy has supported Ray Ann to make
some changes to her usual daily routine and takes
her out to local luncheon clubs, shops and the
theatre.
6 Barnsley Council | In Control
The Support Broker helped the family to
complete the necessary paperwork required for
Ray Ann to employ personal assistants and her
granddaughter now acts as the agent and employer,
dealing with the monthly financial returns on her
behalf.
Ray Ann had never wanted to depend on her
family for her support. She now feels that she has
rediscovered her independence as well as improving
her mental well-being and confidence, achieved
largely through her personal assistant encouraging
her to go out and try new things. Ray Ann’s family
have noticed the improvements in her well-being.
Her Personal Budget offers her husband, Alan,
peace of mind in knowing that she is happy and
cared for by personal assistants that they know and
trust.
Personal Budgets are not restricted to one per
household. Recently, Alan has been awarded a
budget in his own right. Now, both of Julie’s parents
have Personal Budgets, too. Julie says ‘it will be the
first year I can go on holiday knowing mum and
dad are being well looked after’.
Adrian’s story
Before receiving his Personal Budget, Adrian, who
is 46 and has physical disabilities following a brain
haemorrhage 12 years ago, had little confidence or
opportunity to leave his home.
Before his haemorrhage, Adrian had always been
active and healthy. He worked as a miner and
enjoyed both the physical and social aspects of the
work. His illness and disability changed Adrian’s
life completely and for several years he felt unable
to leave the confines of his ‘four walls’, which led to
him being depressed.
With his sister Beverley’s support and
encouragement, Adrian made the decision to apply
for a Personal Budget to spend on services that
were right for him and enabled him to lead his own
life again, get out and about and socialise. Adrian,

Beverley and their Support Broker mapped out a
support plan detailing how Adrian wanted to spend
his Personal Budget.
Adrian wanted to feel more motivated, confident
and independent in addition to having some of
his care needs met. After changing his care agency
to one that suited his needs better and creating
a support plan that enabled him to get out and
about, Adrian is starting to achieve what he wants
in life. He now regularly uses local transport to
the town centre with his support worker and
enjoys swimming and bowling. Adrian particularly
appreciates the control having a Personal Budget
gives him because it enables him to get back
out into the community and socialise with his
increasing number of friends. Another plus for
Adrian is having a browse around the shops with his
support worker and being able to plan and choose
what to buy rather than having someone else collect
his shopping for him.
Adrian is getting the support he needs in the
way he wants it. He gets on well with his support
workers from the care agency and has built
some really positive relationships with them. He
particularly likes the freedom of having a Personal
Budget and his support plan means that he has
things to look forward to doing each day. Adrian’s
confidence is growing along with his independence
and he wants to share the message that Personal
Budgets can and do help people to achieve the most
from their life.
A Support Broker in
Barnsley
Shelley Gill, Support Broker
I have been working
full-time as a Support
Broker in the Self-
Directed Support Team
since October 2007.
I help anyone who is
eligible for a Personal
Budget to choose the
services that suit them
best. This means I work
with people with all
kinds of needs, from
young people leaving school to older people.
In my experience, Personal Budgets work because
the support planning process is very individual. The
person is always at the centre of the plan because
The story of Self-Directed Support in Barnsley
they know and understand their own needs more
than anyone else. The planning encourages people
to think about what support they would like to
have, what is working for them now, what they want
to change, what is important to them, and their
future hopes and dreams. The planning also details
information about how the person will manage
their Personal Budget and the support that they
choose. The plan also sets out how the support will
be monitored and how people plan to stay healthy,
safe and well.
The support planning process takes as long as it
needs to take. Some people have a firm vision about
what they want to achieve from their Personal
Budget. Others prefer to have time to think about
different options and do some research. Support
plans can be revisited as often as needed. Some
people have many updated versions of their plan.
Personal Budgets seem to have a positive snowball
effect – the more positive and in control a person
feels, the more their lives may change, which in
turn changes the support they need.
I think people simply like to have a choice – I
know I do. Having a Support Broker to help with
support planning is just one of many options
available to people when completing their support
plan. I have helped well over a hundred people
create their support plans and start their Personal
Budgets. People value having someone who will
listen to them and offer advice and information
about how they can create a support package that
best suits them. I’ve planned with fantastic people
and families and most know exactly what they want.
Every day is different and very rewarding. I love
meeting new people, listening to them and helping
them create their own support plans. It’s a great job
and it’s excellent to hear that things we have put in
place are working well for them. Through talking to
people that I have planned with in the past, it seems
to me that Personal Budgets give much more than
social care support – people say it has changed their
lives and, as a Support Broker, you can’t get much
more job satisfaction than hearing that!
A Care Manager in
Barnsley
Lorraine Campbell, Assistant Care Manager
I am an Assistant Care Manager for Adult Services. I
have been involved with Self-Directed Support from
the beginning when Barnsley first piloted it. I have
always believed in what Self-Directed Support was
Barnsley Council | In Control 7
 The story of Self-Directed Support in Barnsley

setting out to they want to spend their money and shop around
achieve. for the most effective service, tailored to their needs
What it means and their budget.
to me is that My role is now more of a supportive one to the
we are now individual and their family. It is about working as
here to enable a team. The lead is the individual. Social Services
individuals to act as the navigator for the person, ensuring that
make their own information on services is available and people have
choices and the knowledge and guidance to keep control of their
have a say in lives.
what services In my role as an Assistant Care Manager, I have
they will use helped individuals with support planning and I have
to meet their seen at first hand how having choice and control
individual needs. Moving away from trying to make has improved people’s lives – from people with
the individual fit the service, we are now able to a low level need for support to those with a high
encourage and assist individuals to think ‘outside level of needs. People find being in control of who
the box’ and to be able to choose the right service assists them gives them back some of their dignity.
for them. As a worker, it is very rewarding to be able to help
Self-Directed Support also gives individuals a individuals get choice and control over their lives
budget right at the start so they can choose where and see their lives improve.

What people in Barnsley said about their experience

‘More control in
employing who you
want and when you want them.’
‘It’s good for me because it allows
me to go out more than I would
have normally. I have a personal
car driver who takes me out.’
‘I do not use an agency any more.
I have now got my own regular
carers. I have no more stress. I
have no more strangers coming
into my home. I have my privacy.’
‘I have been able to use adult
learning courses and get help with
keeping fit. And I feel part of my
community.’
‘[My Personal Budget] gave me
the opportunity to choose what
sort of care I wanted.’
‘It has given me independence
and carers that know me very
well, and a good outlook on life.’
‘It is more personal.’
‘The flexibility is good. I have
more independence and can alter
the care as my illness varies.’
‘I’ve got more choice and freedom
to spend the money within the
parameters it is intended for. I
don’t have to ask about any little
change – more control.’
‘There is more flexibility. My
daughter has a physical disability
plus cystic fibrosis and a mild
learning disability. The budget
is more appropriate to meet all
her complex needs. My daughter
likes routine and consistency of
carers and this is achieved more
with an Individual Budget than a
conventional care package.’
‘It gives me a better standard of
life and I have control over my
carers. It gives me more dignity. I
have more control in my home.’
‘It helps people to get on with
their lives and provides support
and respite for families.’
‘Being fully in control of support,
and flexibility.’
‘Gave us the chance to look at
a wider spectrum than offered
before and we can now say “we
want that” and decide where
Mark can go.’
‘More flexibility. Better for social
awareness and self-esteem.’
‘It has been a lifeline and has
allowed me to do lots more things
and go out more.’
‘Gives control over your own
destiny.’
‘My son now has more choice of
how to live his life day to day.’
‘Opened my eyes to new things –
I didn’t know what was available
before. Puts my mind at rest that
I am not taking advantage of my
family for looking after me.’
‘It has taken care duties away
from my wife which benefits her as
she also works. I am more happy
myself, as it makes it easier for
her.’
‘I can take control over the
services provided and the
people providing support, and
can change things if
required.’

8 Barnsley Council | In Control

 The story of Self-Directed Support in Barnsley

Is Self-Directed Support working in Barnsley?

To understand if we had succeeded in making a The questionnaire asked people to identify how
real difference to people’s lives in Barnsley, we their life had changed in a number of domains
surveyed a variety of people involved in the Self- since having a Personal Budget, using simple
Directed Support programme. three-point scales:

The evaluation considered the effect of Personal ✱✱ got worse

Budgets on three key stakeholder groups:
✱✱ disabled and older people controlling
Personal Budgets (100 people)
✱✱ family carers providing support to those
who had control over a Personal Budget (10
carers)
✱✱ staff working directly with people taking
control of Personal Budgets (35 staff).
✱✱ stayed the same
✱✱ got better.
Age
Of the 100 people in the survey, date of birth
was available for 78 people. This showed an
even distribution across the adult age range. The
youngest respondent was 18 and the oldest was
97. The average (mean) age was 55.

For all groups, the evaluation took the form of a Gender

short multiple-choice questionnaire. The questions There were slightly more women (53) than men
were tailored to each group. (47) in the group.

The evaluation took place over the summer
of 2009. Some data (for 16 Personal Budget
recipients) were drawn from earlier work.
How people were selected
Samples of Personal Budget recipients and family
carers were randomly taken from the database
held by Barnsley Council of people using Personal
Budgets in the Borough until the desired number
Social care groups
People from all social care groups have Personal
Budgets in Barnsley. By far the biggest single
group to hold Personal Budgets in the Borough
is older people (64%). This group was relatively
underrepresented in the evaluation group.
600

of responses had been achieved (100 people 500

using Personal Budgets; 10 family carers). 400

300
The staff survey was sent to all staff who had been
involved in Self-Directed Support via their team 200

manager, and 35 staff returned the questionnaire. 100

0
Personal Budget holders PB Holders
Physical Disability Learning Disability
50 91
Older People
471
Mental Health
46
When the evaluation was carried out, there were Evaluation 48 21 17 17

755 people in Barnsley who had been allocated a

Personal Budget to meet their social care needs.
The evaluation aimed to seek the views and
experiences of 100 of these.
About half of the group (56%) had previously had
social care support from the local authority. The
remainder were receiving social care support for
the first time.
The vast majority (98%) had help to plan how to
spend their Personal Budget.
FIG.1 WHO TOOK UP PERSONAL BUDGETS
Knowing the outcomes
Nearly all (92) people said they knew the things
the Council expected them to achieve with their
Personal Budget.
Making changes
Just over half of the group (56) said they had had
social care support prior to having a Personal
Budget. Of this group most people (65%) made
changes to their support.

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Learning Disability Volunteers working in the Barnsley Carers’ Garden.

Length of time Personal Budgets had been Completing the evaluation questionnaire
held Almost half of the people (49) reported completing
Personal Budgets are a relatively new approach the questionnaire themselves. A further 21 people
and most research and evaluation of their completed the questionnaires with some help and,
effectiveness has involved groups of people who in the case of 30 people, the questionnaire was
have held their Personal Budgets for very short reported to have been completed by someone else.
periods of time. This evaluation is notable because
many of the respondents had held their Personal How people took control of their Personal
Budget for relatively long periods. Budget
In order that as many people as possible could
Length of time Respondents benefit from having a Personal Budget it was
necessary to ensure that people could have their
Less than six months 24 money held in different ways.
Six months to a year 21
600

Over a year 55 500

400

Help to plan 300

All but two of the group (98) said they had help to 200

make their support plan.

100

Control over the Personal Budget 0

Direct Payments
Direct Payments Individual Service
Care Manager
(agent) Fund
The vast majority of the group (89) said they People 211 206 6 498

could control how their Personal Budget was

spent. FIG.2 WHO MANAGED THE PERSONAL BUDGET

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 The story of Self-Directed Support in Barnsley

How people spent their money Although the number of people in some
We reviewed various support plans to identify how groups is quite small for statistical analysis,
people spent their money. Most were using their we explored whether there were any obvious
Personal Budget to buy support directly from a statistical differences in outcomes (p<0.05) for
personal assistant or from a care agency. Personal Budget holders according to: people’s
age or gender; whether or not they had been
As well as buying on-going support, people spent using social care support before using Personal
their money on a range of other interesting things, Budgets; their social care group; the length of
including: time they had been using Personal Budgets; and
who completed the questionnaire.
✱✱ poetry lessons
✱✱ writing lessons
We found no differences in outcomes according
✱✱ gym membership
to age, whether they had been using social care
✱✱ golf lessons and games
support before using Personal Budgets, the
✱✱ workshop sessions on specialist subjects
length of time they had been using Personal
✱✱ keyboard and computer skills training.
Budgets, or who completed the questionnaire.
In terms of gender, men were more likely than
450

400

350
women to report improvements in their quality
300 of life and their standard of living.
250

200
With regard to social care group, people with
learning disabilities and people with mental
150

100

50
health problems were more likely than older
0 people and people with physical disabilities to
report improvements in their health and whether
Personal Assistant Agency Mixture Other
People 250 419 40 212

they took an active part in the community.

FIG.3 HOW PEOPLE USED THEIR PERSONAL BUDGET
The views and experiences of social work
Outcomes for Personal Budget holders staff
The evaluation questionnaire asked people to say The evaluation also gathered views from
how their life had changed in a range of areas staff who had helped people take control of a
since having a Personal Budget. Personal Budget. Staff were asked to complete
a questionnaire that considered aspects of their
Large numbers of Personal Budget holders
working life. 35 staff took part in the survey.
reported improvements across all areas:
Significant numbers of social workers reported
✱✱ Your health improvements across all areas of the survey.
✱✱ Being with people you want
✱✱ Quality of life
✱✱ Taking part in your local community 35
Improved Same Worse

✱✱ Choice and control over important things

30

✱✱ Feeling safe
25

20

✱✱ Dignity from those who support you 15

✱✱ Standard of living. 10

80
0
Control & Maintain Right
70 choices
Support Positive
Plan
Active part
existing amount of
Your own Help to Allocating
Managing
Staying
tailored to difference in their skills and people in a resources motivated
about their creatively support help to Risks
individual. to lives community. knowledge timely way fairly in work
60 lives networks people
29 26 25 24 21 19 18 16 14 10 10 10
50 9 9 12 9 15 17 16 18 9 13 21 11
0 1 2 1 1 0 1 2 10 3 2 12
40

30

20 FIG.5 THE VIEWS AND EXPERIENCES OF SOCIAL WORK STAFF

10

The views of family carers

0
Be with
Quality of Choice and Feeling Dignity in Take Part in Standard Of
People you Health
Life Control Safe support Community Living

A small number (10) of family carers also

want
Improved 60 56 53 48 45 44 43 21

responded to a survey asking how they had

Same 38 39 45 51 55 40 46 70
Worse 2 5 2 1 0 16 9 8

experienced the Personal Budget process and how

FIG.4 REPORTED OUTCOMES having a Personal Budget had affected their life.

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 The story of Self-Directed Support in Barnsley

The areas of enquiry in the questionnaire were

drawn from the national strategy for carers: 10

✱✱ Support to continue caring 8

✱✱ Your quality of life 6

Your general health and well being

5

✱✱ 4

✱✱ Your leisure opportunities

3

✱✱ Your capacity to work 1

✱✱ Relationship with person you care for

Support to Other
Partner in Relationship Leisure & Quality Of Choice and
Continue Finance Wellebing signifecent Work
planning with person social life Life control
Caring relationships

✱✱ Your relationship with significant others

Improved 9 6 5 5 5 5 4 3 3 2
Same 1 4 5 5 5 5 5 7 7 4
Worse 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 4

✱✱ Choice and control over your life

✱✱ Being an equal partner in planning. FIG 6. VIEWS AND EXPERIENCES OF FAMILY CARERS

Looking ahead
It is very important to us that, in developing our ✱✱ Further piloting in Supported Housing,
approach to Self-Directed Support, we continue to working with KeyRing, South Yorkshire
listen and learn. Housing Association and other providers.
✱✱ Further testing of Self-Directed Support
This evaluation is a part of this learning. It helped within Mental Health.
us understand a number of important issues:  ✱✱ Developing our approach to Personal
Budgets for family carers.
✱✱ What do people buy with their budgets and
what might their buying choices mean for
We also know that in continuing this work
existing providers?
improving access to information, advice and
✱✱ Were there things people wanted to buy but
advocacy is crucial, as is continuing to develop
couldn’t find?
an improved approach to supporting people into
✱✱ Was the process easy for people to use?
employment. Our recent success in becoming a
✱✱ Did people find the information and advice
Right to Control Trailblazer site should help us to
they received helpful or confusing?
improve in these areas.
✱✱ Is the approach to support planning
working consistently well irrespective of
We also need to continue work that will ensure
who does the planning?
that universal services such as housing, health,
✱✱ Are we doing enough to support people
leisure and transport enable those people with
who live alone and feel isolated?
care and support needs (and their carers) to gain
During our next phase, we will offer Personal equal access. We want to continue to demystify
Budgets to all people who have ongoing support Self-Directed Support and develop a body of
needs when they first approach us and all people knowledge within local communities so local
whose care arrangements are due to be reviewed. people can advise and guide each other. 

In addition, we are working on specific projects:
✱✱ Offering Personal Budgets to people with a
learning disability who receive support during
the day from the Council’s Day Opportunities
service. This will help us to think about what
Self-Directed Support will mean for this group,
their families and the provider.
Barnsley Council and NHS Barnsley are committed
to ensuring that everyone who needs ongoing
support has an opportunity to direct their own
arrangements with a Personal Budget. We will
continue to work with Barnsley people, the
communities in which they live, and partners to
ensure a successful and meaningful personalised
care and support system.

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 The story of Self-Directed Support in Barnsley

Barnsley Arena members at the In Control Conference 2010 finding out about and contributing to the conversation about Self Directed Support

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 The story of Self-Directed Support in Barnsley

About this report

This report is an account of our work and
the things we believe we have learned while
implementing Self-Directed Support in Barnsley.

The findings are not intended to represent the

results of an academic study. Rather, they are a
critical self-evaluation of our progress to date. The
findings represent our best attempt to understand
and report the things people have said to us about
their experience of taking control of a Personal
Budget.

Contact Details in Control Partnerships

Tel: (01226) 772425 Tel: 01564 821650
Email: selfdirectedsupport@barnsley.gov.uk Email: admin@in-control.org.uk
Website: www.barnsley.gov.uk Website: www.in-control.org.uk

Self-Directed Support Team In Control Support Centre

Wellington House Carillon House, Chapel Lane
36 Wellington Street Wythall, West Midlands
Barnsley, South Yorkshire, S70 1WA B47 6JX

If you would like a printed copy of this booklet please contact In Control

14 Barnsley Council | In Control