[sarah jane]

I am a social worker in a adult community mental health team. I have a dilemma about direct payments and their uses in mental health. I have come accross in this day and financial climate, when reviewing other social workers cases, service users who are geting direct payments for stupid things. Driving lessons, music lessons/equpment/paints/care/violens/ holidays/i;i cooks at home,,,etc these are not assessed needs but what people want and should not receive
I feel that direct payments should be for needs and not wants, as its public tax payers money, but social workers are authorising, excess hours, for dog sitting/walking/feeding? I have come across 41 hours a week commisioned for cooking meals at home and taking people for coffees etc? these in my opinion are not critical to ones living independantly.
all of my clients get DLA for mobility, this surely should be used to pay for taxis, rather than commsionined care? i feel that health managers are not safeguarding our budgets and that direct payments are good for learnign diff/physicla diff. etc, but for mental health, it is being mismanaged by workers. do any other workes have this dilemma, or is it just my own values?
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This is copied from community care website - this maybe problem why service users who do not get direct payments because the social worker or cpn does not agree were there taxed income is being spent to finance what ever the service user requests, so they say they have no knowledge of how it works, even though its been around since 1997.

I dont know how we can get around this? Has its done as assessment by the cpn or social worker!

[Spartikus Rex]

Don't know what direct payments are exactly - never had any myself. Seems a bit of a unguided missile although some discretionary income on social activites is necessary to counter the social isolation of serious mental illness. It is better than spending the public purse on cruise missles that fly for just a few moments at two million quid a pop?

[ramboself]

i can't get direct payments on the grunds refusing doesn't effect my independent living, i was at the disability centre saying my friends getting 83pounds a week, the women in a wheelchair said we'll all be getting that, maybe so but that women in a wheelchair is in a local authority home and gets food and fuel provided

If or when they cut my money i worry if dla is replaced with personal independence and i don't qualify, the goverment expects direct payments to make up the money

Some people would say socialising is important in mental illness and if they say the answer is day centres why are they closing them? if we're all forced to use day centres it'll cost more and they won't be able to cope with demand