Agenda item

The Board had before it a report by Carol Simmers (Planning and Development Manager, ACHSCP) which sought approval apply the 2.8% uplift of funding to contracted providers of social care services in relation to adult care staff extends to existing Direct Payment recipients of all Adult Social Care client groups who commission services from Personal Assistants, contracted providers and off-framework providers through Self-directed Support Options 1 and 2. The report also sought approval to proceed with applying the 2.8% rate increase from 1^st April 2017 across all Option 1 and 2 packages across adult service areas.

The report recommended:-

that the Board –

(a)       Note the 2017-18 cost of the Scottish Living Wage implementation is an estimated £120,000 in respect of Self-Directed Support options 1 and 2;

(b)       Approve the 2.8% uplift to Adult Social Care SDS packages awarded under options 1 and 2 where a personal assistant is employed from 1 April 2017 at a cost of £120,000 to allow personal assistants to receive the Scottish Living Wage of £8.45 per hour;

(c)       Approve that if the additional uplift payments should they be applied and not passed onto personal assistants, the ACHSCP reserve the right to retract the offer of the uplift to the supported person. This will be formally recorded in written communication provided to the supported person when informing them of agreed uplift in rates; and

(d)       Approve the Direction to Aberdeen City Council contained in appendix 1.

Alex Stephen (Chief Finance Officer, ACHSCP) referred members to the Board’s decision on 28 March 2017 to approve a 2.8% living wage uplift for contracted providers of social care services and explained that on reflection the report should have explicitly referenced Self-Directed Support (SDS) Personal Assistants and today’s report had been prepared to ensure these colleagues received the living wage. Mr Stephen outlined the steps the Partnership would take to communicate this decision to clients and social care agencies and the process for monitoring if clients had been using the additional funds for its stated purpose, including bi-annual financial checks to monitor compliance.

Thereafter the Board expressed concern that clients may not pass on additional SDS funding to pay their personal assistants the living wage and discussed options available to the Partnership to challenge non-compliance as well as risks to the Partnership and clients if this practice were to take place.

The Board resolved:-

(i)            to note the 2017-18 cost of the Scottish Living Wage implementation is an estimated £120,000 in respect of Self-Directed Support options 1 and 2;

(ii)          to approve the 2.8% uplift to Adult Social Care SDS packages awarded under options 1 and 2 where a personal assistant is employed from 1 April 2017 at a cost of £120,000 to allow personal assistants to receive the Scottish Living Wage of £8.45 per hour;

(iii)         to approve that if the additional uplift payments should they be applied and not passed onto personal assistants, the ACHSCP reserve the right to retract the offer of the uplift to the supported person. This will be formally recorded in written communication provided to the supported person when informing them of agreed uplift in rates; and

(iv)         to approve the Direction to Aberdeen City Council contained in appendix 1.