Direct Payment Support Services

Essex County Council, “the Council” is seeking to secure a new Direct Payments Support Service (DPSS) to deliver support to enable people to use and manage their Direct Payment (DP) appropriately. The new DPSS offer will provide good quality advice to help people make the right choices about whether a direct payment is the best option for them alongside sourcing the right care and support to meet their assessed social care needs. In addition, if they choose to employ a personal assistant (PA), it will help them with recruitment of a PA including access to a dedicated PA register. Furthermore, the new DPSS offer will help people to manage their direct payment and ensure payments are made on time with minimal bureaucracy whilst giving access to the broad range of solutions in the market and providing ongoing support when needed. The ultimate aims of the new DPSS offer are to make it easier to manage direct payment and offer more choice and control for DP recipients in terms of how they manage their personal budget/direct payment. The scope of the new DPSS offer will encompass the following lots: 1. Independent Information and Advice Service and Personal Assistant (PA) Hub – this lot will be delivered by a single provider who will be required to deliver: • A single Information and Advice service that will provide independent advice before the point of set up and throughout the lifetime of the direct payment when a DP recipient has questions • An employment advice and guidance service providing advice around responsibilities as an employer and helping to develop contracts, pensions etc. • PA support Hub – offering PA register and help with advertising and recruitment. Also support with training and retaining PAs including peer support for PAs. 2. Payment/payroll and Account Management Services This lot is designed to secure suitable provision of Payment Services and Account Management to support people with either social care and/or mental health needs (across both adults and children’s services) to manage their personal budgets via a Direct Payment (DP). Please note that the successful bidder for this lot will be required to deliver all the following specified requirements (noting that not every DP recipient will require support from all of the constituent elements of this provision): • Payroll - to support DP recipients who employ their own Personal Assistant(s); • Bought Ledger - to support individuals to pay for social care services using their Direct Payment; and • Account Management - to ensure that Direct Payment money for each DP recipient is received in an identifiable, named account from which all relevant payments can be made. Further details of the scope of these lots and the structure of this procurement can be accessed via the corresponding contract notices. However, please be advised that the Council will commission this service under an open, single stage procurement process.