If we assess that you need a service then most people will have to make some contribution towards the cost of the social care service they use. However this will be based on your ability to pay, not the cost of the service. You will not pay more than you can afford and you will not pay more than the cost of the service. We will carry out a financial assessment based on your own circumstances to work out how much you need to pay.
There are a range of social care services for which a charge is applied, for more information see below.
On this page you will find information on:
Charges for non residential services 2023/24
Information about East Dunbartonshire Council’s Non Residential Charging Policy. It tells you how much you may have to pay and includes some examples of how we calculate charges.
How are charges calculated?
East Dunbartonshire Council have set the charges in such a way that those people who receive minimum levels of benefits are protected from the effects of charging as much as possible.
We will also carry out an income maximisation check to ensure that you are receiving all the benefits that you are entitled to. If you should be applying for a benefit but refuse to do so, it will be assumed that you are in receipt of that benefit for the purposes of calculating chargeable income. If you choose not to tell us about your income, then it will be assumed that you have sufficient funds to meet the costs of the chargeable services and you will be charged the full cost of those services.
Hourcare 24
Hourcare 24 is a Community Alarm service. A special unit connects to your home and gives you peace of mind 24 hours a day. By pressing a pendant that you can wear or the red button on your phone, you will be connected to staff at our control centre who will be able to arrange help for you.
There are two standard charging options available to customers as some customers provide their own Community Alarm unit. Any additions to this service in the form of Telecare equipment will not be subject to any further charge.
Rental of unit and service £4.64 per week
Service only £2.32 per week
Assistance with Transport
All adult, older people and Childcare service users who are provided with transport, (this will be means tested) or helped with transport, from the Social Work service will be asked to contribute towards the cost of transport. This may be in the form of a taxi or a bus provided as part of your service or a combination of these. Transport will be £5.20 per day.
Day Care/Day Opportunity Services/ Alternative to Day Care Services
Day Care Services may be provided directly by the Council or delivered by another service provider. The traditional model of day care is a service that is provided between 9am and 5pm, Monday to Sunday, and is buildings based.
There are other models which provide individual support in the community and are known as Day Opportunity Services/Alternative to Day Care Services.
Charges for Day Care/Day Opportunity Services/ Alternative to Day Care Services are means tested depending on your income. The maximum you will be charged is as follows:-
£20.80 per day for Day Care
Up to £10.40 for every three hours of Day Opportunity Services/Alternative to Day Care Services.
Please note that you will still be charged for Day Care even if you do not attend. This is so that your space is kept available for you.
Sheltered Housing
Most sheltered housing complexes within East Dunbartonshire Council provide housing support services via the Warden. Where this is the case a charge will be applied based on the average cost of the housing support services provided. The maximum charge for this service is currently £15.23 per week.
Care at Home
Care at home services which include Supported Accommodation, Supported Living, Housing Support, Independent Living Services and Direct Payments can provide help and assistance to people in their own home, or within the community. To be able to receive care at home services a care needs assessment has to be carried out by a member of our staff who will visit you in your own home.
Our staff will talk to you or your carer about your needs and the type of service that we can provide.
Care at Home can:
- Help you around the house.
- Collect things for you like shopping, prescriptions or your pension.
- Provide Personal Care such as dressing, washing and bathing.
- Provide After Care services for people with a mental illness.
- Provide a re-ablement service for people who require short term (6 weeks) rehabilitation when discharged from hospital.
Charging:
Charging Threshold
| Age range | Single | Couple |
|---|---|---|
| 60+ | £252 | £384 |
| 18-59 | £156 | £238 |
Couples’ incomes will only be assessed where both partners are receiving a service. If only one person is receiving the service then any income jointly received or capital jointly held will be assumed to be divided
equally between the couple, unless evidence suggests otherwise.
A couple can be married, unmarried or of the same sex. The above thresholds are based on weekly income less any disregards. Any income above these thresholds will be charged at 50p in £1. Charges will not exceed the cost of providing the service.
East Dunbartonshire aims to be proactive in gathering information in relation to disability related expenditure as part of the financial assessment process. This will enable the local authority to decide whether to disregard more of an individual’s income or capital, over and above any existing disregards.
Additional costs may relate to, but will not be restricted to:
- Additional heating requirement
- Purchase, maintenance, repair of disability related equipment
- Specialist dietary requirements
- Specialist clothing
- Help with cleaning and other domestic tasks
Where expenditure of this type can be evidenced, it may be included within the financial assessment as a further disregard.
Tariff Income
The total amount of savings and capital that you have will be taken into account when carrying out a financial assessment and a tariff income will be applied. For every £500 or part of £500 that you have above £10,000 you will be assessed as having £1 per week of income.
Disregards:
- Disability Living Allowance (Mobility Component)
- War Disablement Pensions
- Independent Living Fund
- War Widows Pension
- Victoria Cross or George Cross payments
- Social Fund payments
- Industrial Disablement Benefit
- Armed Forces Compensation Scheme (£10 per week disregarded)
- All income derived from all benefit paid for or on behalf of a dependent child.
When we work out your weekly chargeable income we will also deduct:
- The first £20 of earnings.
- Rent, Interest on Mortgage payments
- Council Tax payments, (including water rates, and sewerage) that you have to pay.
- Any backdated benefits you received as a result of your benefits check
- For every non dependant child in your family we will deduct £25 from your weekly income before we work out your charge. (A non dependant child is a young person under 18 for whom a customer has parental responsibilities for, but does not receive any benefits).
- Any other charges already applied E.g Contribution to Independent Living Fund award.
- The difference between the middle rate and higher rate Disability Living Allowance (DLA), and the lower and higher rate Attendance Allowance (AA), will be deducted where there are no night time services provided.
Additional Information
What happens if the service is being provided to help with child care matters?
If the main reason for providing a service is to help you with particular child care needs, we will take this into account when calculating how much you need to pay.
What if I have just come out of hospital?
Please note that you will still be charged for Day Care if you are in hospital unless your stay is for longer than four weeks. This is so that your space is kept available for you.
If you have been discharged from hospital and require a period of re-ablement then this will be free from charging for 6 weeks.
Relief from charging does not apply to those who receive regular or frequent admissions to in-patient
care as part of their ongoing care arrangement.
If you are a new customer, a member of staff from the Social Work Department will complete a financial
assessment form and help you apply for any benefits you may be entitled to.
Alternatively you can contact the Citizens Advice Bureau who will ensure you are receiving the benefits
you are entitled to and can assist with the completion of a financial assessment form.
You will not be charged for the service if:
- You have a terminal illness.
Will my savings and capital affect the charge?
Yes. The total amount of savings and capital that you have will be taken into account when carrying out a financial assessment and a tariff income will be applied. What this means is that for every £500 or part of £500 that you have above £10,000 you will be assessed as having £1 per week of income.
What happens when the service is purchased by the Council on my behalf from a private or independent care provider?
There will be no difference in the amount you will be asked to pay if we decide to purchase services on your behalf from another care provider. We may however ask you to pay the provider direct.
If other people live in my home will their income affect my assessment?
Couples incomes will only be assessed where both partners are receiving the service. If someone lives in
your house who is not your partner or spouse we will not take their income into account.
What if my income changes?
You should notify us as soon as possible of any changes to your income as it may affect your charge.
We will then recalculate the amount you have to pay.
Who will complete my financial assessment?
A member of staff from the Social Work Department, or external provider will visit you at home and help
complete a financial assessment. Alternatively, advice and support can be provided through the Citizens
Advice Bureau.
They will
Check you are receiving all the benefits you are entitled to. Help you fill in claim forms for other benefits.
What if I am unhappy with any part of my Financial Assessment?
Section 87 (1A) of The Social Work (Scotland) Act 1968 states that a Local Authority must be satisfied that the
service recipient’s means are insufficient to pay the amount they would otherwise be charged, before a
decision can be made to reduce or waive the charge.
We do however recognise that some people may face financial hardship as a result of the application of this
policy, therefore abating or waiving of charges may be considered by the Chief Social Work Officer or Head
of Service within the Health & Social Care Partnership.
If a customer believes that they will suffer from financial hardship due to the charges applied, they have the right to request an abatement or waiver of the charge. Any such request must be supported by evidence of ALL income and expenditure prior to any decision being made.
Customers have the right to complain about any aspect of the application of this policy and any complaint received will follow the guidelines as set out in East Dunbartonshire Council’s Social Work Complaints procedure.
In the interest of fair and equitable treatment of customers, it is East Dunbartonshire Council’s policy
to vigorously pursue any debt owed to the council for any purpose.
Example 1
If you are a single person (60yrs+) and receiving the following services weekly;
| Services | Cost |
|---|---|
| 5 hours personal care (free) | £0.00 |
| 2 hours non personal care | £33.36 |
| Assistance with transport - 1 day | £5.20 |
| Attending Day Care - 1 day | £20.80 |
| Total chargeable amount | £59.36 |
Financial Assessment
| Income | Cost |
|---|---|
| Financial assessment | £378.00 |
| Less (charging threshold) | (£252.00) |
| Disposable income | £126.00 |
| Income based charge @ 50p in the £ | £63.00 |
| Maximum charge applied would be | £59.36 per week |
Based on disposable income, individual can afford to pay up to £63 per week towards their services, however, this would be limited to £59.36 per week being the maximum charge for services received.
Example 2
If you are a single person (60yrs+) and receiving the following services weekly;
| Service | Cost |
|---|---|
| 5 hours personal care (free) | £0.00 |
| 2 hours non personal care | £33.36 |
| Assistance with transport - 1 day | £ 5.20 |
| Attending Day Care - 1 day | £20.80 |
| Total chargeable amount | £59.36 |
Financial Assessment
| Assessment | Cost |
|---|---|
| Weekly chargeable income | £280.00 |
| less (charging threshold) | (£252.00) |
| Disposable income | £28.00 |
| Income based charge @ 50p in the £ | £14.00 |
| Maximum charge applied would be | £14.00 per week |
Example 3
Miss B (60yrs+) has severe learning difficulties and lives in Supported Accommodation costing £1,200.00
per week and received six hours Alternative to Day Care services costing £20.80 per week.
She has Weekly Income of:
| Service | Cost |
|---|---|
| Income Support Personal Allowance | £84.80 |
| Income Support Disability Premium | £39.85 |
| PIP Daily Living Componant | £101.75 |
| PIP Mobility Componant | £71.00 |
| Severe Disability Premium | £66.95 |
| Housing Benefit | £84.80 |
| Total income | £449.15 |
Disregards
| Service | Cost |
|---|---|
| Rent | £75.00 |
| Council tax | £20.00 |
| Water & Sewerage Rates | £5.00 |
| PIP Mobility | £71.00 |
| Total disregards | £171.00 |
Chargeable Income
| Income | Cost |
|---|---|
| Chargeable Income | £449.15 |
| Less disregards | £171.00 |
| Total chargeable income | £278.15 |
| Less (charging threshold) | (£252.00) |
| Disposable income | £26.15 |
| Income based charge @ 50p in the £ | £13.08 |
| Maximum charge applied would be | £13.08 per week. |
| Name | Address |
|---|---|
| East Dunbartonshire Health & Social Care Partnership |
Kirkintilloch Health & Care Centre 10 Saramago Street Kirkintilloch G66 3BF Tel No: 0141 777 3000 or 0141 578 2101 |
| East Dunbartonshire Council | Council Headquarters East Dunbartonshire Council 12 Strathkelvin Place Kirkintilloch G66 1TJ 0300 123 4510 customer.services@eastdunbarton.gov.uk |
| Shared Services, Transactional Finance | Suite S4, Southbank Marina 6 Strathkelvin Place Kirkintilloch G66 1XT sharedservices.transactionalfinance@eastdunbarton.gov.uk 0141 777 300 |
| Citizens Advice Bureau | 11 Alexandra Street Kirkintilloch G66 1HB Tel No: 0141 775 3220 |
| Ceartas (Advocacy Service) | McGregor House Suites 5-7 Kirkintilloch G66 1XF 0141 775 0433 |
