What is a Direct Payment?

Direct Payments are a way for people to have more control over the service they receive. People who are eligible for services (day care, personal care, respite care and equipment and some adaptations) can opt to receive the money for the service and purchase it themselves. In this way they can choose the exact service they want, when they want it and who provides it.

A Community care assessment is needed before Direct Payments can be agreed.

There are two types of Direct Payments:

1. One off payments.
2. Ongoing Direct Payments for care services.

For one-off payments, the monies will be paid to your bank account for you to purchase the service/items that has been requested and agreed by adult social care. Receipts or paid invoices will need to be kept and made available to adult social care when requested to prove that the right support/care has been bought.

For ongoing payments, a separate bank account may need to be set up. The money will be paid to your account regularly, normally every four weeks, for you to use to recruit, organise and pay staff, or contract with other service providers (agencies etc) as agreed with adult social care . The scheme requires that you keep all bank statements, invoices, receipts, timesheets, pay roll summaries to evidence how you have used the money . All your paperwork must be sent to adult social care when requested. Support is available to help you do this.

There is no minimum Direct Payment. The amount received will be based on an assessment of need, agreed between you and adult social care.

Any amount can be made as a Direct Payment from one hour per week upwards. However, if you have very high needs, you may need to consider applying to the Independent Living Fund for additional finance. For further information their email address is: funds@ilf.org.uk

Whilst the Direct Payments scheme provides many advantages, it also requires that you take responsibility for the day-to-day management of the support. Independent Living Advisors are employed independently from adult social care to provide impartial information, advice and support to anyone that needs it.

Penderels Trust is a charitable organisation that adult social care pays to employ the Independent Living Advisors.

You can ’mix and match’ and have some of your support needs provided by adult social care and take some as a direct payment. Direct Payments are not a social security benefit, and will not affect any means-tested benefit and are not taxable.

The following people are eligible for Direct Payments:

• People over 16 years of age who have been assessed as eligible for Community Care Services
• Carers of people who have been assessed as being eligible for Community Care Services, including young people aged sixteen and seventeen who are carers
• Young people with a disability aged sixteen and seventeen
• People having parental responsibility for a child with disabilities
• Disabled people with parental responsibility for a child
• A suitable person on behalf of a person that lacks capacity

Direct Payments can cover the following services:

• Personal Care Needs (Personal Care includes washing, showering, dressing, and assistance with toileting, transfer and moving.)
• Support to Daily Living Activities - this could include activities that assist in developing or maintaining essential social and community contacts, activities that assist in returning to, or continuing in education or employment, and activities that assist a carer to maintain their caring role.
• Short term breaks
• Equipment and adaptations that would otherwise have been provided by the Social Services Department

Not everything can be paid for from the Direct Payments scheme, for example long term residential and nursing care, food, heating costs and accommodation costs including rent etc are not eligible.