Pooling Budgets
Pooling Budgets (Direct Payments or otherwise) is a great way for people in need of support to share ideas, skills, resources and funding to create social and financial benefits. To date there has been a general lack of understanding and knowledge within the public and private sectors to support individuals to successfully pool their Direct Payments or Personal Budgets and to manage and mitigate risk. We hope our new guidance will assist individuals, their families and supporting organisations to feel more confident about setting up Pooling arrangements.
Pooling Website
Ruils has developed an innovative website www.poolingbudgets.org where you can find information on the benefits of pooling, a practical step by step guide and helpful checklists and templates to guide you through the process of setting up shared support arrangements.
Guide to Pooling Budgets
This is a practical guide to setting up pooling arrangements and contains hard copies of the templates plus space for you to make notes. Please complete this order form and return to us with your cheque for £16.50 (includes packaging and postage) or make a BACs payment and note the reference on your order form.
Training and Consultancy Services
We have delivered training workshops to Social Care teams and voluntary organisations around the UK and can offer consultancy services to work with groups to set up arrangements or give advice to professionals. If you would like further information on our workshops and consultancy service, email paulabuckton@ruils.co.uk.
Tell us what you are up to!
We are gathering examples of pooling activity from around the country to add to the website in order to spark ideas for others so if you have information you think will be helpful, please email paulabuckton@ruils.co.uk. We would love to hear from you!
A History of our involvement in Pooling Budgets
In 2008 Ruils was involved in setting up pooling arrangements for 3 groups in Richmond. This very innovative approach resulted in the formation of Stepping on Out and the Out and About Consortium and was the foundation of our work on Pooling Direct Payments.
In 2013 Ruils was funded by the Office of Disability Issues to further develop Pooling Budgets as an option for disabled and older people to benefit socially and get more from their funding. Following consultations events we updated our original guide and set up the Pooling Website.
Stay involved and up to date by joining us on facebook www.facebook.com/PoolingDirectPayments.
For further information on Pooling Budgets, contact Paula Buckton on 020 8831 6088 or email paulabuckton@ruils.co.uk
"There are massive potential benefits for pooling in Glasgow, particularly given the imminent closure of several day centres. There will be many opportunities for groups of people to think creatively about how they use their personal budgets to maintain social contacts and share the cost of support. At the Ruils Pooling Workshop we learned a great deal about how to set up a group and what to look out for to ensure it runs smoothly".
Lilian Smith, Development Manager for GCIL