Meet the A4e Independent Living Services (ILS) Team in London
Welcome to the A4e Independent Living Service in London. We work in partnership with Southwark Social Services and local private and voluntary organisations to promote independence, choice and control for people living within London.
The Team Consists of :
- Marguerite Sanchez - Trainee Independent Living Advisor
- Abdul Wahed - Managed Account Advisor (Maternity Cover)
- Julie Bevan - Managed Account Advisor (Maternity Leave)
- Patricia Reilly - Business Manager
What can we offer you?
We offer a variety of support with the aim of making Direct Payments/Personal Budgets as easy and trouble free as possible. We can assist you with:
- Recruiting staff including advertising, short listing & interviewing;
- Employing staff including job descriptions, contracts & training;
- Contracting with an agency.
We facilitate a Service User Support Group (peer support) for people on Direct Payments. We also run training sessions on a variety of topics for both professionals and for those receiving Direct Payments at a variety of accessible venues across London.
We can help you in variety of ways including telephone communication, e-mails, letters and visits to you, either in your home, or at a convenient venue. We offer the facility to assist you, or a person nominated by you, outside of office hours, and in some cases, outside of London where applicable (by prior agreement only).
Payroll Service
We can provide support with running your own payroll when you become an employer. Our dedicated and enthusiastic Payroll Team based in Stockton on Tees are committed to delivering an excellent payroll service. If you would like to discuss the options open to you or wish to purchase our service through the Direct Payments Scheme, please contact us on the number below.
Managed Account Service
This service involves A4e receiving your budget and managing your funds on your behalf. You will still be responsible for making decisions relating to spending your funds and will also retain responsibility for managing your employees. A4e will set up an account which will specifically be used to manage your funds on your behalf, this will be monitored by A4e accountants and your A4e Advisor. We will provide any information required regarding your account as and when requested.
ILS London Office Base
We are based near London Bridge on Borough High Street however we have A4e offices located throughout many boroughs in London and can arrange to meet with you in any of these offices if it is more convenient. Our office hours are Monday to Friday, 9.30 am to 5.00 pm however we can assist you outside of these hours with prior arrangement.
Contact us at:
A4e Independent Living Services
82, Borough High Street
London
SE1 1LL
Tel: 020 7407 7815
e-mail : dpadmin@a4e.co.uk
DP Website: http://dpsc.a4e.co.uk A4e Main Website: http://www.mya4e.com
What our Service Users say about Direct Payments in Southwark
“You get more satisfaction from Direct Payments than you do from agencies. You should get more people on it. It’s a good idea and really works well.” Mrs M T
“DP works for me but it is not perfect.” Mr C K
What our Service Users say about the support they receive from our team
“I have to use this opportunity to thank A4e for caring for me. I didn’t know that this organisation existed and I am very happy now within myself. Mostly my family members looking after me than other health workers coming to me which I didn’t like so much because of their aggression. I am much very happy and I have to thank everyone in this organisation for looking after me.” Mrs C O
Click here to see video footage of feedback
SPECIFIC NOTE FOR SOUTHWARK RESIDENTS
For Southwark residents in receipt of Direct Payments prior to 31 October 2010
Change to how you receive support for Direct Payments
You will have received a letter from the London Borough of Southwark (the Council) regarding the Direct Payments support service that A4e provided and the changes that have been made. These changes were introduced to give you more choice and control over the support you receive in terms of how much support you would like, when and from whom. This is a positive change designed to empower you to choose how you wish to manage your Direct Payments with the ultimate aim of enabling you to achieve full independence.
What does it mean for you?
Direct Payments support (recruitment, employing and managing staff etc)
The Council previously paid for the Direct Payments support directly with A4e however these arrangements stopped from Sunday 31 October 2010. You will be contacted by social services if this has not already happened, to discuss your support requirements. Should Social Services agree that you need support they will arrange for this support to be provided to you in a different way. They may pay you additional money into your Direct Payment account enabling you to purchase the support you require from an organisation of your choice.
These changes will mean that A4e will not automatically be supporting you from the 01 November 2010, it will be your choice as to which provider assists you however we would be delighted to continue providing you with advice & support in relation to any aspects of your Direct Payments or Personal Budget. The previous A4e contact numbers you had have changed, as has the location of our office please see above for current contact details.
Future support from A4e
A4e will continue to offer support for Direct Payments and Personal Budgets however this support will need to be purchased on an individual basis from your Personal Budget or Direct Payment and paid directly to A4e. Please see attached on this page information sheets on the types of support we can continue to provide you with from November 2010. Should you wish to purchase support for anything we have not covered on the attached information sheets then please contact us on 020 7407 7815 or e-mail us at dpadmin@a4e.co.uk to discuss your requirements as our aim is to provide the tailored package that you require.
Finally on behalf of A4e and the Southwark Team I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your continued support and reassure you that where you would like us to, our team will continue to provide a high quality support service both now and in the future.
PLEASE NOTE BELOW INTERIM ARRANGEMENTS FOR DIRECT PAYMENT RECIPIENTS TRANFERRING TO A PERSONAL BUDGET
If you have not been contacted by a member of Southwark Council to begin the transition to Personal Budgets and you need assistance now please use the following procedure:
Payment Process for Direct Payment/Personal Budgets Clients
This procedure applies to you if until 1st November 2010 you were receiving support from A4e and were in receipt of a Direct Payments package.
If you need support contact the Council on 020 7525 5000 asking for the relevant Duty Desk who will try to assist you with your query. If you are unsure which duty desk is relevant the operator will take your details and transfer you to the appropriate department.
If the duty desk cannot assist you to resolve these queries or fulfil support requests they will either:
- signpost you back to A4e for Payroll and Managed account issues.
- signpost you to a provider (including A4e) who may be available to assist you.
Once you decide who you want to assist you the Council worker will then contact the organisation (the provider) you choose and supply them with your details and the nature of the work required. The provider will respond with an estimated cost, this will be assessed and if agreed the provider will invoice the council directly for the cost of the assistance they provide you with. Please note this is only a temporary measure until you have been assessed for your Personal Budget.
If you have already transferred onto a Personal Budget, the signposting to the providers can still be done. You however will then be responsible for payment of the provider’s invoice; you should contact the provider directly to agree the work and the cost.
Managed Accounts and Payroll Service
(Managing your direct payments money and paying your worker or agency directly on your behalf)
The Managed Accounts and Payroll service will continue via a block contract for now. There will be no change to the way this is currently provided at this time, should you have any queries regarding either of these services please do not hesitate to contact us on the above numbers. If you do not currently have a Managed Account and would like further information please contact the office to discuss your requirements on 020 7407 7815 and we will fully support you through this process.
If you have any suggestions on how to improve this webpage please e-mail them to PReilly@a4e.co.uk.
Many Thanks
Patricia Reilly
Business Manager
ILS London