Askjules offers help and support for individuals who need assistance managing an Individual Budget or Direct Payment.

Askjules’ independent brokerage and advocacy services aim is to ensure people are supported to lead the lives they want.  The service can be used by people who need some minimal support managing their Care Services, Budgets, Care Plans and Personal Assistants or a fully comprehensive management package.

Askjules maintains a completely independent service for people who want individualised support, independence and support services delivered as and when they want it. 

__________________________________________________________

The Individual Budget scheme came about by a government lead initiative that directed local authorities to make the actual money available to individuals for care and support services, in lieu of commissioning the existing services.  The funding equivalent to the cost of providing that care is now available to any individual who has been assessed as needing care or support.  The cash budget must be used to buy support to meet the person’s needs, in line with a plan that the individual draws up.  This is known as an Individual Budget or sometimes referred to as direct payment, personal budget, in-control budget, self directed support or independent living fund.

This can be administered in several different ways including using an Independent Brokerage or Advocacy service. 

__________________________________________________________

Askjules is offering a new and creative way of helping individuals and their families develop services which they can have control over.

Individuals may be living at home and require domestic or specialist care, or some help to get out and about or to renew acquaintances with friends or even to search for appropriate employment or further/higher education. 

Whatever your circumstances are, askjules will work in partnership with you to help plan and achieve what you want from life.  Askjules’s experienced advocates can help you think creatively about the best ways to meet your needs and help you find solutions to make things happen.  No longer do you have to be constrained by available support agencies.

__________________________________________________________

You can choose to use you Individual Budget for buying services from a care provider.  Using a home care agency is a simple solution if all you want is someone to come in to your home and help you with practical tasks.  All care agencies have to be registered and inspected to ensure they are reputable.

There are some advantages of buying care and support from an agency but there are generally limitations in terms of flexibility, for example it is difficult for an agency to provide you with the same care workers if you want to help on different times each day/week.  Care workers have many other clients and therefore have to fit in existing commitments.  Some care agencies place restrictions on what their care worker can and cannot do, for example some care workers will not help with household chores.

When you have your Individual Budget you have the freedom to buy what you want when you want it.

__________________________________________________________

Askjules employ advocates who have a life time experience in providing help and support to the disabled and elderly and recognize the advantages of Individual Budgets.  They understand how to get the best support available and the problems of managing a budget, whilst complying with restraints caused by the constantly changing legislation that surround social care.  Askjules provides a flexible service that allows you to choose how much help you want in managing your Individual Budget.  We can help you in a number of ways, starting by helping you to evaluate if applying for an Individual Budget is right for you.

Any plans you make are completely flexible and askjules will be there to help re-look at your plans and change things as you wish.

__________________________________________________________

The first visit from askjules is free without any obligation to use the Askjules service.  Generally the cost for Askjules services can be met from your Individual Budget. 

Example: You decide you need a PA and want to use askjules to manage the recruitment, payroll etc.  The hourly rate that your Individual Budget is based on will cover the average PA rate of pay and askjules management cost. 

Askjules recognise that every individual is unique and no support package will be the same.  Therefore the amount of Askjules input will vary enormously and so will the cost.  A full written quotation will be provided for you with no pressure to make hurried decisions.

__________________________________________________________

If you require help applying for an Individual Budget we will help you with the application process.  Once a general idea of your needs has been assessed a plan will be compiled that maximises the benefits of an Individual Budget.