This morning I was at a workshop at Suffolk Family Carers in Claydon, which looked at Self Directed Support and Direct Payments. Chris Pyburn and David Pintilie from Suffolk Adult and Community Directorate led the workshop, which included an overview from David on the policy background, and also a look at the latest Needs Assessment Questionnaire.

There was interactivity in the shape of opening introductions with biscuit confessions, then Chris took on the role of Bruce Forsythe in a ‘Play Your Cards Right’ quiz on facts and figures about SDS.

The RAS has been re-tuned in Suffolk recently, and discussions around the Indicative Budgets produced as an outcome of an assessment, and how these initial figures don’t always match the package of services finally agreed, were fascinating. As was the absolutely crucial role of the social worker to work with service users and carers to
tease out information and using their professional expertise to ensure that assessments accurately reflect their situation. And still lots of issues around what, and whom, money can be spent on.

There’s clearly a lot of work to be done in taking forward this big policy inititiave, and it was stressed several times that it’s going to be a long haul, instead of a quick fix, with the devil very much being in in the detail.

There will be a fuller video, courtesy of my colleague Rob, on the Suffolk ACS Stakeholder website, but here are a few videos of workshop attendees reflecting on the morning.