Who is eligible for a DPA?
Subject to adequate security (check the section on ‘How does a DPA work’) and your acceptance of the terms and conditions, we will offer you a DPA if you meet all three of the following criteria at the point you apply:
- You are assessed by the council to have needs that are best met in a care home, or in supported living accommodation
- The value of your savings/capital (excluding your home) is below the threshold set by the Department of Health and Social Care (for 2019-20 this is £23,250, which is reviewed annually)
- Your home is not disregarded for purposes of the financial assessment, e.g. because a spouse or dependent relative is living there.
Entitlement to a DPA applies equally, whether your care is wholly or partly council-funded, or you fund the costs of your own care.
There may be other circumstances in which we could offer you a DPA, e.g. if you are responsible for paying your own care home fees, but wish to use the equity in your home to help pay for care in a more expensive setting.
Understanding the agreement you are entering into We will need to make sure that you have the mental capacity to
understand the agreement you are entering into. If we are concerned that you do not have the capacity to understand, or will not have capacity to understand in the near future, then a legally authorised person will need to represent you.
If you have already appointed someone as your Finance and Property Attorney, or have a Court Appointed Deputy, you will need to provide evidence to us that you have appointed them, before they can act on your behalf.
If you do not have a Finance and Property Attorney, Court Appointed Deputy, or DWP Appointee, an application for Deputyship will need to be made:
- A Deputy is responsible for the management of a person’s financial affairs including savings, pensions and all sources of income or assets, including property and valuables. They apply to the Court of Protection for Deputyship.
If there is no family member or friend able to take on the role, Slough Borough Council’s appointeeship team can apply to represent you.