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ITEM CA17

CABINET - 20 DECEMBER 2005

JOINT WORKING ARRANGEMENTS WITH THE DEPARTMENT FOR WORK AND PENSIONS

Report by Director for Social & Health Care

Introduction

  1. This report describes a proposal to achieve closer working between the Pension Service of the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and the County Council as part of a nation-wide drive to improve pension services for older people and forms part of the national drive to develop the Third Age Service. The report seeks agreement in principle to this initiative and to discussions continuing between stakeholders to agree firm proposals for implementation. The report also seeks approval for the initial phase of this project as set out in the proposals.

    2. Background

  2. The paper issued by Department of Health (DH) and the DWP, Fairer Charging Policies for Home Care and Other Non-Residential Social Services – Practice Guidance (August 2002), advises on possible arrangements that a local authority might establish in order to achieve the required maximisation of users’ income with the provision of benefits advice and support. These arrangements include integrated working practices between the Pension Service local service and council assessment teams, under a shared management structure. Whatever model is adopted it is recognised that some clients may prefer to obtain welfare and benefits advice from an independent source such as Age Concern and the proposals in no way impinge on the right of the client to obtain independent advice.

  3. The Pension Service has published two papers, National Partnership Development – Local Service Beyond the Green Standard (Sept 2003) and What is a Joint Team? The Pension Service’s aim was to be working in joint teams with 70% of all primary tier local authorities by 31 October 2004 and 100% by September 2005. It seeks to provide improved access to benefit checks particularly for the estimated 20% of vulnerable potential customers not yet engaged with it. The Pension Service has previously identified Oxfordshire as one authority to go earlier than others with the formation of a Joint Team by April 2004. These timescales have slipped due to staff changes on both sides and upheaval in the Social & Health Care (S&HC) Client Finances section during the 2003/2004 year.

  4. It is not intended to create a one-employer organisation. Each partner in the Joint Team will retain its own terms and conditions of employment. County Council employees will continue to be directly employed by the Council and their actions will be in respect of County Council functions and responsibilities. A joint management structure is proposed, including a multi-agency Strategic Management Board to manage the operational joint team. The aim of the Joint Team will be to meet the needs of the partnership organisations fully, including the full range of data capture and verification duties required by all partners. The current aim is to draw in S&HC’s Fairer Charging visiting arrangements with the initial focus on the collection of financial assessment information and pension credit applications for older clients. Future arrangements may extend to disability type benefits and allowances, Housing Benefit and the Supporting People programme. For persons under the age of 60 years, there may be a similar partnership working with Jobcentre Plus.

  5. A working group of officers from S&HC and local representatives of the Pensions Service has been meeting regularly to discuss the above proposals and implementation plans. A job shadowing exercise has been completed. As part of this exercise, clients were asked to fill in a questionnaire giving their views on proposed joint working arrangements. This information is being collated. S&HC Senior Management team have given support in principle to joint working arrangements between the Fairer Charging visiting team and the Pension Service. The S&HC Senior Management team recommend that the proposed Strategic Management Board should initially consist of senior executives from the two lead organisations and representatives from the voluntary sector. Representatives from District Councils and PCT’s will be sought in due course.

    6. Benefits

  6. The benefits that could be expected from any agreed arrangement and which should form part of ongoing monitoring and evaluation include:

For the Social Care service’s clients and carers:

    • Timely and accurate financial assessments

    • More income through increased benefits take-up

    • One stop, home based service

For the Social Care service:

    • Timely and accurate financial assessments

    • Potential increase in income resulting from reassessment of client’s entitlements

    • Improved data capture

    • Delivery of both the Council’s and the Government’s prevention and independent living agenda

For Oxfordshire:

    • More income for clients and carers, which can be spent locally.

Proposal

  1. The following proposals make up the plans made to date for the proposed Joint Team:

    1. The Joint Team will initially consist of two volunteers from the Fairer Charging visiting officers team and two volunteers from the local Pension Service staff.

    2. Initial duties of the joint team will be collection of financial information for Fairer Charging assessments, filling in pension credit applications and initially an awareness of the client’s eligibility for other types of benefits. Although the focus is on Older People, it is envisaged that other client groups would become involved at a future date.

    3. The officers of the Joint Team will be based at the premises of the Local Pension Office at Headington Hill, Oxford.

    4. Training for the four staff concerned is to be scheduled to start in early January 2006.

    5. A Memorandum of Understanding is to be reviewed by both partners, which although not legally binding, will set out clearly the aims and responsibilities of the members of the Joint Team.

    6. All documents required by the Social & Community Services Directorate Human Resources will be prepared in agreement with decisions reached by the Joint Team’s Strategic Management Board. This includes the Joint Team’s management structure document and revised job descriptions.

    7. A Strategic Management Board for the Joint Working team is to be formed initially from two senior management staff - one from Social & Community Services Directorate, one from the Pension Service - two operational joint team managers - one from each organisation - and a senior representative from Age Concern.

  2. The Management Board will oversee all implementation arrangements including ‘go live’ date for the joint team, geographical areas covered and all staffing arrangements, as well as having overall responsibility for performance monitoring and financial impacts of the Team’s operations.

    3. Financial and Staffing Implications

  3. Costs to the Social & Community Services Directorate will be minimal. The cost initially will be in terms of visiting hours lost whilst the visiting officers are undergoing a period of lengthy training. As DWP have offered their assistance in helping to fill the gap during this time, it is hoped that the impact will be kept to a minimum. No additional costs will be involved in building or travel expenses; visiting officers will continue to cover geographical areas closest to where they live. As previously mentioned DWP have offered their premises in Headington to be the central office for the Joint Team. It is envisaged that any increase in costs will be offset by the efficiency gains and the likely increase in revenue. The latter will come about as the team expand the range of benefit advice they offer while at the same time re-assessing more speedily the client’s ability to pay, following the benefit take up..

  4. As a member of the Joint Team, Fairer Charging visiting officers will take on new skills, which may have implications for their job descriptions, grades and salary scales.

  5. For any new arrangement to be successful it must have the confidence and meet the needs of the client and carers. As noted in the DH and DWP paper, clients may prefer third party advice. At present independent benefit checks are provided in Oxfordshire by Age Concern and Citizens Advice Bureau under Contract. The areas and responsibilities covered by the Joint Team will initially not impact on the workflow of these voluntary sector organisations but ideally the terms of these contracts should be flexible enough to allow for review at regular intervals.

    6. Timescale

  6. The Strategic Management Board will formally decide the timing. It is planned that staff training will be complete by the end of March 2006, with a possible start date for the Joint Team of the beginning of April.

    7. RECOMMENDATIONS

  7. The Cabinet is RECOMMENDED to:

          1. support in principle the proposal for joint working arrangements between the Council and the Pensions Service local service as described in the report, in order to improve the uptake and processing of benefits by clients and carers.

          2. note that further consultation will be conducted with all stakeholders, including the Pensions Service local service, representatives from the voluntary sector and Primary Care Trusts, on implementation arrangements;

          3. authorise the Director for Social & Community Services, in consultation as he may think appropriate with the Cabinet Member for Social & Community Services, to agree on the part of the County Council the final implementation arrangements to be proposed by the Strategic Management Board following the further consultation with stakeholders.

CHARLES WADDICOR
Director for Social & Health Care

Background papers: Nil

Contact Officer: Alison Brough, Project Manager Client Finances, (01865) 810470

December 2005

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