Children s Disability Service Occupational Therapy Disabled Facilities Grants - Information Sheet The purpose of this leaflet is to provide a brief overview of the Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG) process (some local authorities may also follow this process when carrying out Major adaptations to their properties), so that families understand the role of the Children s Occupational Therapist (OT) in relation to DFG, have a clear understanding of what might be provided and which children might be eligible for the grant. INTRODUCTION DFG s are awarded by local District/Borough Council s under part 1 of the Housing Grants, Construction and Regeneration Act 1996. A grant is awarded when the District/Borough Council considers that changes are necessary to meet a child s needs e.g. in order to enable a child to continue to live at home, and when the work proposed is reasonable and practicable. PLEASE NOTE: Any adaptations must be for the main or permanent residence. DFG s are not awarded retrospectively. This means that you will not normally be awarded a grant for any work completed before an OT recommendation has been made and approval has been given by the District/Borough Council. If your home is adapted through a DFG and you choose to move within ten years you may be asked to repay some or the entire grant, unless the reasons for moving are unavoidable. You cannot apply for a second grant to replace the facilities, should the needs of the disabled person remain the same, unless there are exceptional circumstances. A formal referral of recommended works cannot be forwarded to the local council grants department until the OT recommendation paperwork has been signed by parents/guardian. What is a Disabled Facilities Grant for? The grant is available for essential adaptations which will make it possible for a disabled child to remain living at home or to ensure that they are cared for safely. Acceptable types of work include: Improving access for a child into and out of their home by, for example, widening doors and installing ramps; Making access easier to the main family living room; Providing or improving access to the bedroom, kitchen, toilet, washbasin and bath (and/or shower) facilities; for example, by installing a stair lift or providing a downstairs bathroom; Improving or providing a heating system which is suitable to the needs of the disabled child (this is subject to confirmation from a medical consultant that a room has to be kept at a constant temperature); Adapting heating or lighting controls to make them easier for the disabled child/young person to use; Improving access to and from the garden, where feasible.
Discretionary Grants Some District/Borough Councils have adopted (under the Regulatory Reform Order 2002) the discretion to award wider works to be undertaken to make a home suitable for a disabled person. It should be noted that Councils are not required to award discretionary grants and as such you should check with your local District/Borough Council as to their policy on the provision of discretionary grants. Who is Eligible for a DFG? In order to be eligible for a DFG, your child must have needs which can only be met through the provision of major adaptation. In order to establish this need, your local District/Borough Council will require the Children s OT Service to make an Assessment of Need detailing what is necessary and appropriate to meet these needs. In undertaking this assessment, the OT is required to consider options that will best meet the need, and these may not necessarily be the solution that the family or disabled child may prefer. If following the assessment the OT is uncertain as to the viability of an adaptation they may complete a feasibility home visit with the District/Borough Council s Grants Officer prior to any recommendation being considered. PLEASE NOTE: To be eligible for an assessment by the Children s OT Service your child must fall into one of the following categories: 1. Child with a severe physical disability 2. Child with complex health needs 3. Child with a severe learning disability 4. Child with severe autism/challenging behaviours Further information about access to the Children s OT Service can be provided on request. Although it is the OT s responsibility and role to assess and make recommendations to meet the long term care needs of the child in respect of DFG, the local District/Borough Council is not obliged to provide the adaptation recommended should they feel that the needs can be met in a more cost effective way. How much Grant can I get? The statutory maximum DFG grant available is 30,000. For adaptations that are required for a disabled child, grants are not means tested and parents are not required to make a financial contribution. However this statutory maximum of 30,000 does not mean that this is what you will be awarded. The grant awarded will be the amount that will cover the costs of the recommended and approved works e.g. if the assessed need is to have safe access to a bedroom and this can be achieved by the installation of a through floor lift to gain access to existing bedroom facilities on the first floor, the grant will ONLY cover the costs of the lift and installation e.g. 10,000-15,000 (approximately). Do I have to repay any of the grant? Most District Councils will place a charge on the property and have the right to reclaim a percentage of the DFG Grant awarded should you move within the period of the grant, which is currently 5 years. For exact details of any repayment policy you are advised to contact your local District Council Grants department.
What if the cost of works exceeds the Statutory Maximum Grant? In Nottinghamshire if the cost of approved works exceeds the maximum 30,000 you are eligible to apply for the Discretionary Top-Up Loan Assistance Scheme from the Children s Disability Service. Any Top-Up assistance is offered as an interest free loan with a requirement to make monthly repayments (for further information please contact the children s countywide OT service or your child s allocated OT). What if I have a preferred adaptation scheme that is different to that recommended by the OT? If you wish to have a different adaptation to that recommended by the Children s Social Care OT it is possible for this to progress as long as the preferred adaptations scheme will meet the assessed needs. If you prefer to have a different adaptation to that recommended you will need to discuss this with both your child s OT and your local district council. In circumstances where a family wishes to have an alternative scheme the local/district council will cost up the adaptation scheme recommended by the OT and will award a DFG grant for these costs only. Any additional costs to achieve a family s preferred adaptation over and the approved scheme will need to be met by the family. IT SHOULD BE NOTED: No approved works will commence until the local District/Borough Council is confident that any outstanding costs over and above the statutory 30,000 grant are covered. What happens if we decide we don t want to proceed with an adaptation? If you decide to withdraw from the grants system before works have commenced or been completed you will have to pay the architect or designer for plans and other fees. Who is involved in the DFG Process? As well as the Children s OT Service, whose role is to make an assessment of need, a number of people can be involved in the grant application process. Please Note: The OT makes a referral of recommendation to the Local District/Borough council only. The OT does not make the DFG application. Grants/Adaptations Officer The Grants Officer is employed by the local District/Borough Council and will decide what is reasonable and practicable and necessary and appropriate in terms of a proposed adaptation. The District/Borough Council needs to be satisfied about each of these matters, and the overall feasibility of the works, if they are to give a disabled facilities grant. The District/Borough Council can refuse a DFG if they believe the scheme is not practicable. In these circumstances the council may recommend that you move to a more appropriate dwelling and assistance may be available to achieve this. This option should be discussed with your local grants department. In some local District/Borough Councils the Grants Officer will also manage and run the adaptation on your behalf. There will be a charge for this service but the cost will be deducted from any grant awarded to you. You can choose whether to use this service or not. Home Improvement Agency Some District/Borough Councils on acceptance of a DFG recommendation from the OT Service will employ an agency to manage the adaptation process. They will ensure that works are carried out properly and will resolve any issues or problems that may arise. This service is chargeable and the costs are deducted from any grant that is awarded to you. You can choose whether to use this service or not.
Other professionals who may be involved Architects and Surveyors; Planning Officers; Building Control Officer; Specialist Manufacturers; contractors e.g. Plumbers, Electricians; Structural Engineers. What happens if I choose not to use the agency service and manage the grant myself? Some families choose not to take up the services of the agency and manage the grant process themselves. If this should be the case the Children s OT is still required to complete an assessment of need and make a referral of recommendations to the district/borough council. Each district/borough council has a slightly different process for grants that are self-managed and you should contact your local grants department to discuss this option and the process. If you decide to manage an adaptation you are still required to get plans, and quotes for works approved by both the grants officer and children s OT, prior to any works commencing, so that official grant approval can be given. If works are commenced without formal grant approval, a retrospective payment cannot be given. Am I able to complete labour works myself? Some families request to complete works themselves (if in the building trade). This option is possible but should be discussed with your local grants officer in the first instance. However it should be noted that in this instance labour costs are not included in the grant costings as family members who choose to complete labour works themselves cannot invoice the local council grants department for their time. How long does the process take? The adaptation process can be quite a lengthy and time consuming process, especially if the recommendation is for an extensive adaptation. The District/Borough Council must issue you with an approval of costs within six months of receipt of a full and proper application for grant assistance. An application form is only considered valid (full and proper) by the District/Borough Council if all the relevant information required from the service user, or their agent is received. To be considered a valid application the District/Borough Council must be satisfied that all statutory consent has been applied for and approved i.e. planning permission, building regulations, and party wall notices. Getting your Grant Approved For your Grant to be approved your application is required to include: An OT care plan with recommendations Design brief or specification A completed Disabled Facilities Grant application form Architect plans/drawings An account or estimate for professional fees e.g. architect fees Quotes for specialist equipment 2 3 tenders Planning permission Building Control approval
Approval of plans by the OT and Adaptations Team Grants Officer Once a valid application is submitted to the District/Borough Council they must approve or decline it within 6 months. Following approval of a grant, the District/Borough Council is statutorily required to provide the adaptation within 12 months (of approval). Remember: you must not start building work until you have received formal grant approval. I am resident in a private rented property Can I still apply for an adaptation through a DFG? If you live in private rented accommodation you can still apply for a DFG for adaptations. However written consent from the landlord/lady must be provided before any works can be progressed. If your landlord/lady does not give permission for any adaptation to be completed then the district/borough council will not be able to progress the children s OT s recommendations. Property Charges Some local district/borough councils may choose to place a charge on your property if the adaptation exceeds a certain cost. This charge can be placed on your property for a period of 5-10 years. Each district/borough council across Nottinghamshire has a different policy and process in respect of this and you should contact your local council grants department to discuss. Alternatively your Children s OT should be able to advise you. If a charge is to be placed on your property and you are in private rented accommodation, the children s OT service has a duty to advise the house owner of the possibility of a charge being placed on their property. Prioritising of Adaptation works The budget for major house adaptations is a central budget held by the local council and both adaptations for children and adults are managed from this one central fund. The local council along with its OT partners in both children s and adult services must ensure that a fair and equitable service is provided to all those services users requiring house adaptations. Therefore local councils ordinarily manage adaptation referrals on a date order process, and it is only on rare occasions that any adaptation provision is given priority. The children s OT service in some instances is able to highlight and advise the appropriate grants adaptation department if a child s case should be given priority over and above other children s cases requiring adaptations. However, as the budget for major adaptations is a central budget for both children and adult cases, the children s OT service is not able to ask that a child s case take precedence over an adult s case, as the service does not manage them and as such does not have oversight of the urgency and complexity of cases.
Who is responsible for maintenance and servicing of specialist equipment installed via a DFG? As disabled facilities grants are awarded to the individual, any permanent specialist equipment provision installed via the DFG (e.g. stair lift, thru floor lift, specialist high/low bath), becomes the responsibility of the individual for whom the grant was awarded. Therefore any maintenance or servicing costs incurred following the end of the manufacturer s warranty period will become the responsibility of the disabled person. If the provision has been made for a disabled child, then the responsibility for ongoing servicing and maintenance becomes that of the parent/carer. PLEASE NOTE: The only exception to the above is in respect of ceiling track hoists. The ongoing responsibility for maintenance and servicing of this type of equipment (when installed via a DFG) is currently managed by Nottingham County Council, as hoisting equipment is considered essential for safe moving & handling We hope that you have found this leaflet useful and informative. Further information about DFG can be found at www.directgov.co.uk or by contacting your local District/Borough Council. Alternatively, you may contact the Children s OT Service on 0115 804 1273.