Payments system for vulnerable 'difficult to use

Red tape is one of the main obstacles faced by vulnerable people trying to access funds that allow them to pay for their own services, a new report has warned.

The Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI) report found that the barriers against successful implementation of direct payments were, "lots of paperwork, lack of information and councils' reluctance to embrace the scheme".

The direct payments system, a government policy which gives people needing social support the money to arrange their own services, has been criticised for its poor take-up and difficulty of use. Local authorities were set the task of promoting and administering the initiative.

Direct payments were introduced in 1997 as part of a strategy to introduce different ways of working with older and disabled people, those with mental health problems, carers over 16, and people with parental responsibility for disabled children.

Around 12,600 people used direct payments in September last year, a figure the CSCI said is "disappointingly low", even though it compares favourably with 8,000 in 2002 and under 5,500 in 2001.

Most of the people who took up direct payments were physically disabled and aged between 18 and 64. Fewer than 2,000 people over 65 were using direct payments and a mere 229 of users had mental health problems.

The report urged policy makers and providers to tackle confusing terminology, unnecessary paperwork, and unreasonable criteria.

The report recommended that everyone involved in the delivery of direct payments must develop imaginative solutions and said that the voluntary sector should be encouraged to take on an enhanced role providing advocacy and independent support services.

It stressed that increasing take-up of direct payments should not become an end in itself, but should represent a 'cultural shift' in public services towards genuinely empowering people to choose and control the way they live their lives.