Option 2

Self- Directed Support Option 2 – Directing Your Support

What does directing your support mean?

Directing your support means you have choice and control over your support without having to take on the responsibility of managing your budget. You are in control and make all decisions relating to how and when you will be supported. You will decide on the goods, activities, and services you want to access, and these will be paid for on your behalf.

Your practitioner will discuss the available choices within option 2 and will help you make an informed decision. The 2 choices are:

The council manages the budget on your behalf
An Individual Service Fund (ISF) manages your personal budget. With an ISF, a provider holds your personal budget and will pay for your support on your behalf. This has been a less common choice previously. If you are thinking about choosing this option, please contact the SDS Team for further information

Your assessment and support plan

Once your eligibility for a social work service has been confirmed, an outcome-focused assessment will evidence your assessed needs. A Support Plan will then be completed by you and your practitioner which will focus on what outcomes you want to achieve and how you hope to achieve them. As part of the support planning process, your practitioner will advise you how much your individual budget is, as it should be very clear as to what monies are available and how these can be spent to meet your agreed outcomes. If you have any queries about the assessment and support planning process, you should contact your named practitioner.

Your individual budget

The Council will inform you of the budget that is available for you to spend on meeting your agreed outcomes. This funding is provided by the Council and therefore must be accounted for and audited in line with statutory responsibilities. If a third-party organisation is managing your budget on your behalf (ISF) then we will require them to keep all relevant receipts, invoices and bank statements. Individual budgets will vary from person to person due to individuals having different needs, circumstances and preferred outcomes. You may want to choose an agency or organisation who can meet your assessed outcomes but the total cost of the support may exceed your individual budget. If this is the case, then you must pay the additional sum yourself. Your individual budget will be subject to review on an annual basis.

Contributing to your care and support

A non-residential financial assessment will be completed, where applicable, to find out if you should make a financial contribution towards your support. Your practitioner will help you to complete the relevant form. Paying your contribution, if applicable, is your responsibility and you must pay this directly to the service provider you have chosen to use to meet your assessed outcomes.

Choosing Option 2 – Summary

Once your eligibility for a social work service has been confirmed you should have a conversation with your practitioner and decide which outcomes are most important to you for the year ahead (all outcomes may not be met each year depending on the decisions you make).
You and your practitioner will develop an outcome-focused support plan and agree how your personal outcomes will be met. The practitioner will explain the four SDS options and the differences between them – they will not decide which option you should opt for, and they will not recommend a preference either. It is your decision as to which option arrangements will best meet your support needs and fulfil your desired outcomes. If needs be, you can change this preference at any time however any transition to implement this change may take some time to plan and arrange.
Your outcome-focused support plan will form the basis of your six-week and annual reviews to ensure that your outcomes are being met. Your support plan can be shared with whomever you wish including your chosen provider.
Your practitioner will guide you on how to plan and source goods, activities, and services (this is called ‘signposting’). You may want to choose an agency or organisation who can meet your assessed outcomes but the total cost of the support may exceed your individual budget. If this is the case, then you must pay the additional sum yourself. You can negotiate the costs with your provider if they are agreeable to this.
Where you are assessed as being eligible to contribute to your support we will pay your personal budget minus your contribution, this is called being paid your personal budget net rate. You will pay your contribution to your chosen provider directly.
You can choose to have either the Council or an Individual Service Fund (ISF) to manage your budget on your behalf and ensure that all appropriate invoices are paid. Your practitioner will advise you on the process to get your goods, activities and services paid by either the Council or an ISF.
After the first 6 weeks of these option arrangements being in place, a review will be facilitated by your practitioner. The purpose of this review is to reflect in these early stages on your support plan and to give you the opportunity to talk about what is working, what is not working so well and what you may want done differently. You can discuss with your practitioner and anyone else who you have invited to the review what changes to your support plan or to the delivery of it by your chosen provider. You and your practitioner will also review the support plan annually to ensure that your outcomes are being met and what changes to your arrangements, if any, need to be agreed. In addition, your Financial Assessment will also be reviewed annually to determine any changes to the client contribution.
The SDS option you have chosen can be changed at any time if you think that another option arrangements will be more effective in meeting your needs and delivering your outcomes. You should speak to your practitioner about the available alternatives.

One-off Payments

This type of payment enables the payment of goods, activities or services. One-off payments are only considered in exceptional circumstances when all other options have been explored and been found unsuitable. As with all personal budgets any expenditure must be linked to an assessed outcome and meet your identified support needs. A one-off payment may not be suitable for you. If this is the case, your practitioner will discuss the reasons for this with you.