1. DUMFRIES AND GALLOWAY IMPLEMENTATION AND MANAGEMENT OF PREPAID CARDS
Presentation by Wilma Graham & Nicola Lockerbie

2. Communication issued prior to Implementation of PPC
Timelines
Initial Communication to Direct Payment Recipients
Direct Payment Notifying of Changes to DP
Notify Banks/Building Societies
Notify Providers
Lessons learned
We can monitor real time spend and any high value activity. We have control to suspend/stop payments on any unusual spend. Ensure monies agreed for assessed needs is used in line with persons support plan.

3. Timelines
Consider how long it will take from the card application process through to payments being credited to the account.
Using your “go live” date prepare a timeline for the issue of your correspondence, allowing sufficient time for any documentation to be returned which you will require.
Contact with Finance Creditors Team to ensure that they can accommodate a large number of bank account changes to creditor records.
Consider a deadline for the application process to fit in with the first payment due date, taking into account the time it will take for Finance to update creditor accounts.
After signing the contract it took us a few months reviewing current Contracts which we had with the client group, preparing information leaflet about the cards, standard letters, literature around what to do with the card when the received it e.g. how to activate the cards, signing into the Members area and some changes to our business system.

4. DP Recipients notifying of changes to DP
Revised DP Contract, copy provided
DP Agreement
Additional Information
Information on PPC
Changes to Payment Periods
Transfer of funds from old DP to PPC
Final Quarterly return for old DP account
Frequently Asked Questions Leaflet
We were reliant upon the return of the signed contract before we could apply for the cards. Until we received the signed contract payments continued to be paid into the DP account which they already had. This did cause delays with a number of customers signing up to the new arrangement and we have 17 people who have not signed their contract (5%). We have now suspended future payments until they return the signed contract.

5. Banks/Building Societies
Notify of the introduction of payment cards for service users in receipt of Direct Payments. Currently service users have had to open an individual account for Direct Payments and they may hold an account with you. As part of our introduction of the cards we will require service users to transfer any balance remaining on their current account to the new card account. Service users may ask you for assistance and seeking their co-operation to help as smooth a transition as possible.
When transferring old DP balances to new card accounts, we were able to identify some high balances and reclaim funds from the card.
Deaths – we have been able to reclaim balances on card accounts, as opposed to what previously happened where the money in the DP account was included in an estate.
High balances – balances on the weekly reports give us an indication of whether there are sufficient funds on the card to suspend future payments after taking into account weekly budget. Notification to client notifying them of the suspension.
Of the total amount due to be paid for Sept and Oct we were able to withhold 23% of the payments due to be paid.

6. Creditors
Notifying creditor of the introduction of the payment cards for DP recipients who will have full access to on-line banking facilities. Currently some service users who receive a service and who pay by cheque or cash as this will no longer be possible to accept payment by BACS, DD, SO or electronic transfer. We were seeking help to our service users to pay using one of these payment options.
Receive weekly reports where you can see the transactions per account and an indication of what transactions have taken place, e.g. Payroll, HMRC.
Monthly report – you can check movement on account for up to 12 month

7. Lessons learned
If resource allow, dedicate resources to the implementation (small Project Team)
Prepare a communication strategy/plan
Communicate with Stakeholders
Arrange “Pop up” Sessions where individuals could have face to face discussion around the changes to the way their DP money will be paid and audited.
Allow sufficient time from initial communication through to end of the implementation your “Go Live date”

8. OPENING NEW ACCOUNTS Cardholder Details Bulk Upload
Online applications
Correspondence and Information
Dedicate resources to implement. If resources permit would recommend this so that the focus remains on the implementation and you are not distracted in day to day work responsibilities.

9. Cardholder Details
Refer to card provider requirements for online application.
Consider the client groups where you are implementing the cards .e.g Children, Adults with legal representatives. Whose name will appear on the card? How will legal representative access funds on card to make payments.
Batch Upload
Where you have a large number of card applications to make we chose to do this in a bulk upload using a specification and template provided by the card provider

10. Online Applications
Identify who will process these and what supporting documentation will be required. E.g. Procedural guidance, communication to DP recipient, Authority to discuss
Correspondence and Information
Card provider issues 3 separate communications
Letter accompanying card
Letter with 8 digit security code
Letter with details of PIN number
In addition to the above we also issued a letter to our customers notifying them that a new account had been requested and a guide explaining what should be done to activate and use the new card account.

11. Lessons learned:
Lack of clarity from card provider where there was a legal representative known to us and how this should be reflected through the application process which caused a number of calls with first bulk upload.
Business system did not accurately reflect legal representatives resulting in a number of calls when the cards were received by DP recipients. Representatives unable to act on behalf of the individual

12. MANAGEMENT OF ACCOUNTS
Database
Transaction Activity
Monitoring process/standard communication

14. Database
The reports provided by the card provider contain details of transactions, account particulars, card status etc
As this information does not contain details of the DP or the Client Contribution the Monitoring database was built in order to encapsulate all relevant details around the DP and the card account
The weekly transaction report provided by the card provider and a report from our own information system are uploaded into a MS Access database we created which then provides us with a statement of account for each account

15. Database (contd)
The statement is split into 4 Sections (copy available)
Name, Client Id, Starting Balance, Weekly Direct Payment, Start Date, One Off Payments and Client Contribution if applicable
Debit transactions
Credit transactions
Summary of Debit and Credit transactions per month
The database is updated on a weekly basis using the standard reports from the card provider and from our information system.

16. Transaction Activity
Transaction reports are received weekly from the Card Provider
The transaction report is reviewed prior to upload to the database to identify any “unusual” expenditure
Where any unusual expenditure is identified statements are printed from the database and passed to the appropriate person to investigate

17. Work in progress
Adding Transaction Categories to the database, this means that prior to upload to the database, transactions will be categorised
This will enable us to add an “unusual spend” query to the database which will allow the business support staff that will be taking over the monitoring of the card account to run that query and access statements for those service users with unusual expenditure

18. Monitoring Process/Standard Communication
Categories being monitored and reviewed are as follows:
Unacceptable/inappropriate spend
High balances
£0 balances
Client Contribution

19. Monitoring Process/Standard Communication (contd)
Standard letters have been created to support the above categories. Individuals who fall into the first 2 categories will be referred to allocated workers who will review current outcomes and arrange for any unacceptable spend to be returned to card account. Where excess balance on card account, agreement for a sum to be reclaimed.

20. Other Information Total Number of DP recipients 390
No. with a PPC (Adults) 280
No. with a PPC (Children) 49
Managed Account with 3rd Party 61
Total %age savings 16/ %  
> High balances 6.5%
> Ending DP arrangement 4.5%

21. TIMELINE
“GO LIVE” 3 JANUARY 2016
Initial Letter September 2015
 2nd Letter (Contract/Additional November 2015
 1st bulk upload (105) 8 January 2016
 2nd bulk upload (89) 5 February 2016
 Online applications (60) Feb - March 2016
Online applications (50) April – July 2016
 Reminder notifications issued August 2016
 Online applications (36) August – October 2016
 DP’s where no response to communication and reminder notifications were suspended.

22. QUESTIONS