Version: 2.0
Last Amended: 31 March 2021
Next Review Date: 31 March 2024
The types of short term care regularly forming part of recipients support packages are:
ILF Scotland confirms which of these scenarios we can and cannot fund.
Holiday – A break taken mainly for the benefit of the recipient
Respite – A break taken mainly for the benefit of the carer
Where possible, ILF Scotland will seek to maintain the existing support to recipients but we will not normally agree to fund additional care needs above and beyond those previously identified.
Where a recipient already has replacement offers of funding because their package is variable throughout the year, these costs can continue to be met. This is inclusive of all current holiday offers.
ILF Scotland wishes to promote choice and control for our recipients so we do not expect recipients to spend the exact amount of their weekly award on support each week. Each recipient should discuss with their Assessor and agree how to meet their independent living outcomes using their ILF Scotland award, and to decide how much to spend in any given week. For further details on how a recipient can use their award, please see Policy 41 Use of ILF Scotland Funding.
Recipients can use their award flexibly in order to pay for care/support whilst on holiday, but ILF Scotland cannot make an additional payment for this.
Where there is already a replacement offer in the system, ILF Scotland can continue to provide funding for recipients who require support for certain periods of the year only, such as holiday periods during a college, school or university course. These packages may only amount to a few weeks a year but enable recipients to meet their independent living outcomes.
Some ILF Scotland recipients have family living outside of the UK and may choose to spend part of the year residing with relatives abroad. ILF Scotland will support recipients to do this. The residence and presence test, which forms part of the common eligibility criteria, is there to ensure that we can continue funding these recipients. This is on the condition that there is already a replacement offer in the system, or that the cost of staying with family abroad can be met out of the normal award. Recipients must also continue to meet all other eligibility criteria
Some ILF Scotland recipients in further education, for example university students, may spend a part of their course in another country. As long as the residence and presence test continues to be met as well as all other eligibility criteria, ILF Scotland can support these recipients by paying for their care/support needs during these times abroad where there is already a replacement offer in the system, or where the care/support costs can be met out of the normal award.
As our recipients have a wide range of living arrangements, we often support requests for different levels of care/support while a recipient stays with a family member. This is on the condition that there is already a replacement offer in the system or the care/support costs can be met out of the normal award.
For example, a recipient lives with one parent who provides a lot of unpaid care and requires extra care during stays with the other parent who is not able to provide the same level of care.
Where a recipient takes respite care somewhere other than in a care home, for example in the PA’s home, in order to give the main carer a break or to enable the main carer to take a holiday, ILF Scotland can support extra care/support needs associated with this. This is on the condition that there is already a replacement offer in the system or the care/support costs can be met out of the normal award.
ILF Scotland will continue to pay a recipient’s award for 28 days whilst they are in respite in a registered care home. Any payments made whilst a recipient is in respite will be limited to 28 days at a time and a maximum of 26 weeks a year. Please see the Group 5 payments section of Policy 20 Payments for further details.
Requests will not be considered unless the care costs can be met out of the normal award.
Many recipients have conditions which fluctuate or that are exacerbated by certain things, such as colds. These affect everyone throughout the year, but may have a particular effect on the care/support needs of someone who is disabled.
Another example of this may be a person whose condition fluctuates regardless of unforeseen events include people with Multiple Sclerosis.
ILF Scotland can support extra care/support costs arising from fluctuating care/support needs, as long as there is already a replacement offer on the system or the care/support costs can be met out of the normal award.
Parenting
Requests may include having children to stay who do not normally reside with the recipient, with the recipient requiring extra short term care/support to enable them to carry out their parenting tasks.
ILF Scotland do not pay parenting costs.
Emergency Care
ILF Scotland cannot fund emergency care. Emergency care refers to situations where unforeseen, short-term needs are identified that require an immediate response and emergency care may be needed in order to prevent a recipient coming to harm. This type of care is critical and therefore the Health & Social Care Partnership/Trust has a statutory duty to provide it.
Policy 15 Engaging care outside Scotland and Northern Ireland
Policy 24 Statutory Input into ILF Scotland Funding
Policy 32 Residence and Presence
Policy 41 Use of ILF Scotland Funding
Version 1: 1 July 2015
Version 2: 31 March 2021
Date Last Reviewed: 31 March 2023
