What the Ras? – December 2011

Clare in the community – 7th December 2011

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To simplify:

- Work out how much money you are going to allocate, including what is needed for projected changes in demand

- Devise a simple way to understand/assess ‘need’ and available resources

- Allocate according to these needs and circumstances

What can we learn so far?

The jigsaw of change

Why a new resource allocation system?

From this……………….

To this………………….

£ for services, or for people

self-directed support

What is a RAS?

A Resource Allocation System is simply a process to decide how much money a person (with eligible social care support needs) is entitled to (from local government) for them to use to plan to stay healthy and safe and live the life the want

What is a RAS?

- a way to find out the sort of money I can get, so I can plan how best to spend it…. - an amount I can use to develop a plan and make choices taking into account all the resources available to me….- a means to an end

What is a RAS not?

-it’s not rocket science…..

-it’s not science……

-It’s not……

-It’s…….

Thinking about resource allocation

-Any RAS is a tool, it depends how you use it

RAS-madness• 1996 - RAS = professional judgement

of ‘sufficiency’• 2003 - RAS = one page

guide to practitioners on an indicative budget

• 2006 - RAS = 10 page questionnaire - but easy

questions• 2011 - RAS = 40 page

questionnaire and increasing ambiguity

we are going down a slippery slope to ‘phoney rationality’ and unfairness

The six pillars of RASdom:

• Fair

• Equitable

• Transparent

• Sufficient

Reasonable

Sustainable

A common resource allocation framework?

personalisation did not work• because of markets• independent brokers (or other ‘wonder

workers’)• clever Resource Allocation Systems• following the 7 steps of self-directed

support • having an individual budget

Some systems can help - but they also present grave danger: Means ≠ Ends

control is not real if• you chop out creative support from my plan -

even when I’m within budget!• you tell me it’s too difficult & offer to plan for

me• you don’t give me enough support• you create burdensome rules, undue

monitoring or just make everything too vague • you confuse needs, outcomes and support

• Razzle-dazzle = the RAS sounds ‘technical’

• More rules = more control over social workers

• Panels and RAS working groups = control drifts upwards

• Months and years to calculate = confusion and disempowerment

• Lots of process ≠ guarantee of sufficiency

Simplification and trust

What’s all this about?

Independent Living – the goal

Self-directed support – the route

Individual budgets – the vehicle

Hazards for Scotland...1.understanding SDS: real wealth

2.mad-RAS: empowering teams, problems

3.sad social workers: happy & empowered

4.expensive system: community connections

5.mistrust with providers: allies

6.>>>bureaucracy: creative citizens

How do we ensure any system includes these six pillars in a framework

Fair

Equitable

Transparent

Sufficient

Reasonable

Sustainable

More infoMore info at

- www.in-control.org.uk/support/support-for-organisations/resource-allocation-systems-(ras).aspx

- www.centreforwelfarereform.org/library/by-az/simplify-the-ras.htmlwww.