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Care costs and deliberate deprivation of assets

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Dear Wirral Metropolitan Borough Council,

I am interested in the how you are using deprivation of assets powers (as provided in Regulation 22(1) of the Care and Support (Charging and Assessment of Resources) Regulations 2014) in relation to financial assessments for care costs. Please provide responses to all of the following questions. If that is not possible within the limits of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 or because you do not hold the specific data requested, then please still provide all possible answers.

(1) For each of the last five years, how many financial assessments have you undertaken in relation to care costs?

(2) For each of the last five years, what is the average time taken to conclude financial assessments?

(3) For each of the last five years, in how many financial assessments did you conclude there had been a deliberate deprivation of assets?

(4) For each of the last five years, what is the overall sum you have recovered through identifying deliberately deprived assets?

(5) Do all of your communicated decisions regarding financial assessments inform the applicant of: (a) any right of appeal or review; and (b) their right to contact the Local Government Ombudsman?

(6) For each of the last five years, how many appeals have there been from financial assessment decisions?

(7) Please can you provide any internal training materials used which relate to deliberate deprivation of assets?

Best wishes,

Joe

Dalton, Chelsea, Wirral Metropolitan Borough Council

2 Attachments

Dear Mr Tomlinson,

 

Thank you for your recent request submitted under the Freedom of
Information Act 2000.

 

Please see our response below & attached.

 

 

 1. For each of the last five years, how many financial assessments have
you undertaken in relation to care costs?

Attached document gives the requested figures.

 

 2. For each of the last five years, what is the average time taken to
conclude financial assessments?

I am only able to verify the average time taken for 2019 i.e. 29 days

 

 3. For each of the last five years, in how many financial assessments did
you conclude there had been a deliberate deprivation of assets?

We do not record this information.

               

 4. For each of the last five years, what is the overall sum you have
recovered through identifying deliberately deprived assets?

We do not record this information.

 

 5. Do all of your communicated decisions regarding financial assessments
inform the applicant of: (a) any right of appeal or review; and (b)
their right to contact the Local Government Ombudsman?

       The contribution/decision letter are notifies the client of the
assessed charge and the date from when it applies.

       We also provide a breakdown of the information used in the
assessment (income, capital, disability related expenditure, disregards
etc.).

 

       The letter states: “If you believe the information we have used to
calculate your charge is incorrect, please let us know. If an adjustment
has to be made we will let you know as quickly as possible”.

 

       We advise of the right to contact the LGO when responding to ‘2^nd
Stage’ complaints.

               

 6. For each of the last five years, how many appeals have there been from
financial assessment decisions?

We do not have a financial assessment ‘appeals’ process.

 

 7. Please can you provide any internal training materials used which
relate to deliberate deprivation of assets?

The attached ‘Module 3’ document forms part of a number of training
materials delivered (in an appropriate environment) to team members.

 

The team also has access (via Intranet) a comprehensive training & advice
resource.

 

 

I trust this will assist you with your enquiries.

 

You have the right under Section 17 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000
to ask for an internal review if you are dissatisfied with the information
provided to you. Please direct any request for an internal review to
[1][Wirral Borough Council request email] and your request will be allocated for
review.

 

Yours sincerely,

 

 

Chelsea Dalton

Information Management Officer

Wirral Council

Treasury Building

Cleveland Street

Birkenhead

CH41 1AH

Tel: 0151 666 5201

[2][Wirral Borough Council request email]

visit our website: [3]www.wirral.gov.uk

 

PLEASE FORWARD ALL FOI RESPONSES TO [4][Wirral Borough Council request email]

 

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