Direct Payments
Direct Payments and Individualised budgets are an alternative way to meet your assessed needs. A direct payment is money we can give you instead of providing you with a community care service such as home care, respite or day services.
What are direct payments?
A direct payment is money we can give you instead of providing you with a community care service such as home care, respite or day services. With direct payments you can arrange your own help and support so that you can have more choice and control over the way you live your life.
If you receive a direct payment you must use the money to arrange services to meet your assessed community care needs. Direct payments are not extra income to spend as you wish.
Who can receive direct payments?
We can only give you direct payments if you are eligible for support from us, and:
- You are 16 and over; or
- You are a person with parental responsibility for a disabled child
- If you are a carer you may also be eligible for a direct payment for services for yourself, but not for services for the person you care for.
Some people who are affected by certain mental health or criminal justice legislation cannot receive direct payments - we can explain this to you on enquiry.
We must also be satisfied that you are able and willing to manage the direct payments, either alone or with help. You can have a lot of help to manage your direct payments, but you must be the one who makes the choices and accepts the responsibility.
What direct payments CAN be used for
You can use your direct payments in a number of ways. For example, you could employ your own personal assistant or pay for services from a self-employed person or care agency - instead of using our service. This could be for help with washing, dressing, day care, activities outside the home - whatever we have assessed that you need from us.
Unlike services that we arrange, you are responsible for making sure the direct payments meet your support needs.
What direct payments CANNOT be used for
You cannot use direct payments to pay for permanent residential care or for services provided by us, as we are not allowed to sell these services in this way. You cannot normally use direct payments to pay for services from your partner or a close relative.
Direct payments cannot replace:
- NHS provided services
- Housing services
- DSS benefits or
- Independent Living Fund Payments
A direct payment cannot be classed as taxable income, or affect social security benefits.
A direct payment cannot be used if it is going to work out to be much more expensive than using the service the council can offer to meet the assessed need.
What records are needed
If you receive direct payments, you will need to have a separate bank account. We will give you advice on keeping financial records that show how you have spent the direct payments, and from time to time we will ask you to account for what you have spent.
To set up direct payments
If you decide you would like direct payments, a care manager will be asked to make an assessment to ensure that it is suitable for you to manage. The Direct Payments Support Service will be able to offer you advice and information to help you decide if direct payments are right for you.
The amount of time and money you will receive as part of the direct payment will be decided and an agreement drawn up for you to sign. The Direct Payments Support Service will then help you to organise the services you want to buy and help you to manage them.
Are there any charges
You may be assessed to pay a contribution towards a service that is provided by Community Care or other council social care services. This will be the same whether the service is arranged for you or whether you choose direct payments. We will do an assessment of your finances to determine what you will have to pay as usual, and we will ask you to tell us about any extra expenses you incur that are related to your disability, which may reduce the amount you are assessed to pay.
