How care workers can help people to manage their money
8 May 2007
Care workers trusted to handle money belonging to the people
they care for must keep scrupulous records.
A bulletin published today by social care watchdog the
Commission for Social Care Inspection shows that, while many
services have improved the way they handle people’s money, there
are examples of bad practice. These include money being ‘kept in
tins’ rather than in bank accounts, care home residents’ money
being lent to other residents without their knowledge or consent,
and accounts not being audited.
The proportion of care homes for older people meeting national
minimum standards on helping people to look after their money
increased from 74 per cent to 88% between 2003 and 2006. However,
home care agencies achieved a much smaller increase, from 66% in
2005 – the first full year they were inspected – to 74% last
year.
So while there has been improvement all round, home care
agencies are now only at the level that care homes passed three
years earlier. The CSCI plans to meet representative bodies of the
home care agencies to agree plans for further improvement.
CSCI Chief Inspector Paul Snell said:
“It is important for all care services to have proper systems in
place when dealing with people’s money. At best, mishandling or
misusing someone else’s money is a form of abuse, and at worst it
is a criminal offence that could lead to prosecution for fraud or
theft.
“Some people do need help to manage their money, but this
support should not override their right to access their money and
decide how to spend it.
“There has been improvement across the board and I congratulate
those care services and care workers that have really tackled this
issue.
“However, there is still more to be done. It is quite tempting
for care workers, when someone is dependent on their help, and
perhaps cannot communicate very well, to drift into making
decisions on their behalf. But they must always check that they are
spending the money according to the wishes of the person to whom
that money belongs.”
In its bulletin published today – In safe keeping: Supporting
people who use regulated care services with their finances – CSCI
says that, of the services that failed to meet the standards, major
shortcomings were found in only 3% of home care agencies and 2% of
care homes for older people. Those with major shortfalls needed to
do more to ensure that care workers kept proper records of
transactions that they carried out on behalf of their clients; and
they should give people more support to be involved as much as
possible in deciding how their money was spent.
Ends
Notes for editors
In safe keeping is the latest in a series of bulletins on
quality issues in social care, designed to help those who run care
services to learn from best practice examples and the latest
thinking on a wide range of issues.
Care homes for older people and home care agencies both have
specific National Minimum Standards for safeguarding people’s
financial interests. Care homes for younger adults (18-65 years) do
not; but after analysing a sample of inspection reports, CSCI
estimates that the proportion failing to provide adequate support
and safeguards is broadly similar to that of older people’s care
homes.
CSCI is the single inspectorate for adult social care in
England, responsible for regulating and inspecting social care
providers –whether in the public or independent sector – and for
assessing the performance of local councils in delivering their
personal social services functions.
The Commission’s primary aim is to improve social care by
putting the needs of people who use care services first.
The Commission is chaired by Dame Denise Platt DBE and has five
Commissioners. The Chief Inspector is Paul Snell. CSCI staff work
across seven regions in England.
Social care services for children are regulated and inspected by
the Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and
Skills (Ofsted).