Initial Consultation
Typically, the Money Carer team will be contacted by a care home operator, local authority, Primary Care Trust or other organisation to discuss the needs of an individual.
At this time we can assess how the Money Carer service will be best tailored to meet the needs of the client given their personal circumstances and the level of assistance that is likely to be required.
It is important that it is acknowledged that whilst our clients are likely to need help with daily money management tasks with varying levels of intervention from person to person, the service provided by Money Carer does not override our clients rights. Clients will have the right to access their money and decide how they wish to spend it ultimately.
Our role is to support and not control, so it is very important that clients are properly consulted and are in full agreement with the wider care team that they would benefit from becoming a client of Money Carer.
The Client Enrolment Process - Getting Things Started
When an individual has made the decision to become a Money Carer client in conjunction with their family and/or care support team and the BF56 form has been completed, a personal account manager will be assigned to the client and will make contact with the client and their nominated family member(s) or care support contacts in order to introduce themselves.
In many cases contact with the client may not be practical initially and the account manager may simply make contact with a nominated family member or holder of a Power Of Attorney for example.
The account manager will take time to obtain a better understanding of the individual and financial circumstances of the client from talking with the client, family members and/or carers.
The account manager will also at this time request the necessary documentation needed for R. James hutcheon Solicitors to be able to contact the various organisations that we will be liaising with on behalf of our client. Once we have all of this information we will be able to assess the most suitable money management plan to put in place for the benefit of our client.
This could involve a simple bill management and payment plan or there may be a requirement for us to negotiate with creditors and authorities to deal with arrears issues or missed bill payments in the past.
These companies may range from utility suppliers, credit card companies and banks to local authority departments, domiciliary carer agencies and other service providers.
When these organisations have been contacted and presented with the necessary documentation that confirms that Money Carer will be assisting with the money management requirements of our client we will arrange for copies of our clients bills and paperwork to be sent to directly to us so that they can be scanned, monitored and managed properly moving forward.
Benefit Entitlement Checking
Many individuals do not claim the benefits to which they are entitled to unfortunately. Often this can simply be due to the fact that an assumption has been made by the person that they will not be entitled to any or additional benefits although this is often incorrect. Money Carer will arrange to assess the full benefit entitlement of our client and their carer(s) should they wish. Often, carers benefits eligibility is overlooked by many friends and family delivering informal care to family members and friends. The Personal Money Carer will chat about this option when they make contact with the client and carer team initially and can make the necessary arrangements accordingly.
Ongoing Money Monitoring & Management
After we have received all of the necessary documents from our client and/or care team and we have contacted all of the companies and organisations we will be paying and working with, we will provide the secure online account access details to our client and the nominated members of our client's family and/or care team.
The secure online account allows 24 hour access to our clients payment transaction history and billing company details at a glance. Our technology enables Money Carer clients to view their accounts, check billing company balances and track payments and monies received into their Money Carer account.
In addition to the online accessibility of accounts, clients or a nominated family member or carer will also be sent a paper statement detailing account payments and transactions on a monthly basis.
The Money Carer appointee service from R. James Hutcheon Solicitors is fundamentally a bespoke service that is tailored to meet the individual needs of our clients as a financial support service for them and their family members and/or care team. Working collaboratively we use our secure money management and payment processing expertise to provide financial care in a caring and professional manner in order to address an area that is problematic and not secure in many instances.
Our involvement often removes conflicts of interest or trust issues that are often commonplace when an individual's finances are managed by another individual.
We help family members and carers free up time to focus on delivering care to individuals without being side tracked by the time needed to oversee a person's financial matters and deal with issues as they arise.
For more information about the Money Carer service from R. James Hutcheon Solicitors please contact us today and we will be happy to assist you.
