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Accessibility | Cymraeg

Cardiff Council

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Financial Recognition for Social Care Worker Scheme

​​​​​​This scheme has been introduced by Welsh Government to recognise and reward the hard work and commitment of social care staff who have provided essential care to our most vulnerable citizens during the most challenging period of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The reward is a one-off payment of £735 which is subject to Tax and National Insurance and Pension.

If you pay tax at the basic rate (20%), it is likely you will receive approximately £500 net. If you earn under the tax threshold you may receive more than £500 and if you are a higher rate tax payer you will receive less, depending on your individual circumstances.

To receive this payment, you must have been employed in an eligible role and worked nine days during the period 1 June 2020 and 28 February 2021. The nine days do not need to be consecutive days or for the same social care employer. This may include those who have since left eligible roles.

Only one payment can be claimed regardless of the number of employers you have worked for during this time period.

We are writing to all employers of all eligible care staff, who will be responsible for identifying staff, distributing claim forms for completion by employees and submitting claims to the Local Authority. If you think you are eligible for payment please speak to your employer.

The deadline for all claims is 18 June 2021.


Forms​

This form is intended to:
  • Help the employee find advice on how this payment may affect their benefits
  • Ask employees to notify their employer of any duplicate claim forms they have received
  • Notify employees that they are only entitled to one payment and submitting claims for more than one payment will be fraud
  • Ask the employee to confirm their payment option (a single payment or five equal monthly payments)
  • Inform the employee of how their personal data will be used and shared in order to administer the payment (privacy information)
  • Ask the employee to confirm they are eligible for the payment
 
Form 2 – the local authority claim form to the Welsh Government for local authority directly employed staff.

This form is split into:
  • Form 3a - which lists all directly employed staff. This will be used by the local authority  to provide funding to the employer; and 
  • Form 3b - which lists any eligible agency staff. The information in this form should be forwarded to the relevant agencies for their confirmation
 
This is similar to form 3a but includes the actual pay costs of each directly employed member of staff. This form should be submitted after the £735 has been paid and employers know the actual costs of any employer pension or national insurance costs.  This form should be supported by an extract or report from the employer’s payroll substantiating these costs. 
 
This is similar to form 3b but includes the actual pay costs of each agency or organisation member of staff. This form should be submitted after the £735 has been paid and the agency know the actual costs of any employer pension or national insurance costs. This form should be supported by an extract or report from the employer’s payroll substantiating the costs. 

Form 6 – the local authority claim form. This is for the local authority to recover the costs of payments they have funded from the Welsh Government.


Appeals



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Local authorities administer payments for the scheme on behalf of Welsh Ministers.

This process is applicable where a claim has been rejected by the local authority.

The appeals process is a two-stage process.

Stage 1 - Reconsideration

  • The employee or agency worker requests a reconsideration of the decision of the local authority
  • A form is completed identifying which of the eligibility criteria the person believes makes them eligible
  • ​The reconsideration is undertaken by the local authority. We will issue an advisory note so local authorities take a consistent approach to this stage
  • If an error has been made and the employee or agency worker is identified as eligible, the local authority arranges for the payment
  • If the local authority continues to determine the worker as ineligible, the local authority will send a letter to the person indicating the rationale for the decision (template provided). The individual is informed they can submit a request to go to Stage 2
  • If the local authority is unclear, due to complexity or individuality of circumstances, they will refer to Stage 2 and inform the individual worker
 
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Timescale for outcome of Stage 1 – 10 working days.


Stage 2 – Welsh Government Appeals Panel

The Welsh Government Panel considers appeals following completion of the Stage 1 reconsideration, where people wish to pursue. The local authority may refer to the Panel itself, where it does not feel able to make the decision due to complexity or uncertainty.

  • The Scheme Coordinator will log referrals and monitor timescales and process
  • The Terms of Reference of the Appeals Panel stipulates it cannot change the eligibility criteria of the scheme
  • There will be a clear rationale recorded for each decision and a template letter sent to the individual worker and copied to their employer and the relevant local authority 
  • The Scheme Coordinator will disseminate learning to local authorities of decisions made and coordinate amends to FAQs accordingly
 

Timescale for outcome of Stage 2 – 10 working days from outcome of Stage 1. 

Decision-making

The Appeals Panel has delegated authority from Welsh Ministers to take decisions on appeals. The Chair will seek for the Panel to reach consensus. Where the Chair takes the view the Panel cannot make a confident decision, the matter will be referred to Welsh Minsters. 

Welsh Ministers will make a decision subsequent to gaining further advice and information necessary. This process is likely to be delegated to a Deputy Director within the Civil Service. 

Composition of the Appeals Panel

The Appeals Panel is effectively a task and finish group where Ministers can make appointments without consultation. No remuneration will be made. The Panel comprises Welsh Government representative, local authority representative, Wales TUC representative, provider representative and Chair. The Panel can seek legal advice from WG Legal Services. 

All representatives will be asked to declare conflicts of interest and absent themselves from hearing those appeals. Representatives will have identified colleagues who will cover in such circumstances.

Frequency of Panels

It is difficult to predict demand but timely decision making is important to avoid unnecessary wait time for those involved. We propose weekly Panels. These will be cancelled where there is no business.

Timescale of Panels

Date for the first Panel is dependent on date when first payments are made. We cannot predict increase or decrease of referrals to Panel over time as payments will continue to be made over a number of months.

Resource considerations

Scheme Coordinator: Responsibilities:
  • Monitors dedicated mailbox which is single point of contact for local authorities and health boards 
  • Receives and tracks referrals 
  • Organises Panels and sends out advance papers 
  • Sends out decision letters
  • Disseminates learning and developments to local authorities and updates FAQ’s and guidance for consistency of decision-making
  • Manages direct correspondence from individuals about the process – redirecting to the local authority
 
Chair: He or she will:
  • Be an external individual, who is not employed by Welsh Government, a local authority or a relevant social care provider
  • Have an understanding of social care and how care provision is structured
  • Have skills and experience of participating in and chairing multi-disciplinary meetings
  • Be confident in conducting Panels using Microsoft Teams
  • Not have an identifiable conflict of interest 
  • Have good professional communication and organisational skills, understanding of confidentiality issues and is committed to the promotion of equality through their work

Further steps 

In very exceptional circumstances, the Panel may indicate it cannot make a decision within the terms of the existing guidance and an exception or amendment to the guidance will be considered by Welsh Ministers.

A person who continues to be discontent with the decision-making on their payment may request a Judicial Review.






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