A direct payment is a way of paying your personal budget.
Instead of arranging services for you, we pay your personal budget directly to you into a bank account. You use it to arrange and pay for the services and support agreed in your support plan.
This puts you in control - you can make choices about how your support is provided.
You manage your direct payments yourself however it may be appropriate for a suitable person to be nominated to manage this money on your behalf. This should be agreed prior to the first payment and decided upon during the support plan process.
You'll be given a personal budget to spend if your local council decide you're eligible for help with any social care and support you need. You can request an assessment from the council to establish your needs.
Direct payments give you more flexibility and choice about your support.
Having a direct payment means that you can buy in your own care and support services and manage them yourself. You can decide how your needs will be met, by whom and at what time.
For example, you could become an employer and employ a personal assistant (PA) to provide your care.
You might choose to use a care agency to provide your support. In doing this, you would have a contract with the agency which you will be accountable for, not the Council.
