Option 1

Self-Directed Support Option 1 – Direct Payment

What is a direct payment?

A Direct Payment is one of the options available through Self-Directed Support (SDS) which seeks to give people control of the support they receive and the life they lead. SDS is intended to empower and enable individuals in respect of how their assessed care and support is delivered.

A Direct Payment gives you the flexibility, choice, and control to manage your individual budget to purchase appropriate goods, activities, and services. You make all the decisions relating to which of these are best suited to meet your assessed support needs and fulfil desired outcomes, including how and when you will be supported.

Who is eligible for a direct payment?

Eligibility criteria are used by councils to determine whether a person assessed as needing social care requires a service to be put in place in order to meet those needs. Further information about eligibility criteria can be found in our Useful Information section.

There are also some circumstances however where you may be eligible for a service but not eligible for a Direct Payment. This is because there are additional safeguards in place for you and the Council because of the unique nature of a Direct Payment. More information about these circumstances can be found in our FAQs section.

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. Your budget will usually be administered 4-weekly, in advance, but this may differ depending on your agreed outcomes. Individual budgets will vary from person to person due to individuals having different needs, circumstances and preferred outcomes. 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 into your prepaid card account to ensure that your goods, activities, and services can be paid and to maintain your contingency amount.

The pre-paid card

There is no need to open a separate bank account to operate a Direct Payment because your budget will be administered using a pre-paid card. Once you sign up for a Direct Payment, the pre-paid card account will be set up for you and your card will be sent to you in the post. You can make payments for your goods, activities, and services online, by telephone or via bank transfers, Direct Debits or Standing Orders however you will not be able to make ATM cash withdrawals. The pre-paid card account must only be used to pay for services agreed in your support plan.

Can I employ my own staff?

Yes, you can employ personal assistants (PAs) when you choose a Direct Payment. This is the only SDS option which enables you to employ your own staff. Our 'Becoming an Employer' guide has more information to help you with your decision to do this.

Can I contract with a self-employed worker?

Yes, you can use the services of a self-employed worker. You are not employing these individuals but you are instead entering into a contract with them. You will be asked to complete a disclaimer where the worker must provide you with evidence of their self-employed status from HMRC.

Can I use an agency?

Yes, you can also use the services of an agency/care provider. You can speak to as many providers as you wish and then choose the one that you believe will be the most personalized, flexible and effective in meeting your needs and fulfilling your outcomes. If the agency is providing you with personal care or support then it must be registered with the Care Inspectorate. You may want to choose a provider/care agency who can meet your assessed outcomes but the total cost of the support will exceed your individual budget. If this is the case, then you must pay the additional sum yourself.

Financial monitoring

All allocated funding must be accounted for, and with the introduction of the pre-paid card you can now upload copies of your invoices and receipts to the pre-paid card portal without needing to retain paper copies of these documents. Monitoring of income and expenditure will be jointly undertaken by your allocated practitioner and the SDS team and surplus monies will be reclaimed by the Council.

Choosing a Direct Payment - 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 employed Personal Assistants, contracted self-employed workers or agencies/providers.
If you decide that you would like a Direct Payment to meet your needs, then you should read and sign the Direct Payment PrePaid Card Agreement. Your pre-paid card account will be set up for you and your card will be sent to you in the post. You will need to follow the guidance sent along with your card to activate it. The Council will then load your individual budget onto the pre-paid card and you can use this for purchasing goods, activities and services that have been agreed in your outcome-focused support plan.
Where you are assessed as being eligible to contribute to your support, we will provide your agreed budget minus your assessed contribution. You will have to pay your contribution directly into the prepaid card account. This will be evidenced when your account is monitored by our Direct Payment finance colleagues.
You can use any agency which can meet your assessed outcomes although if they are providing you with personal care or support they must be registered with the Care Inspectorate. You may want to choose a provider/care agency 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 have the opportunity to negotiate the costs with your provider. Alternatively, you may wish to consider becoming an employer of one or more Personal Assistants or contract a self-employed worker.
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 an agency/personal assistant or self-employed worker are required. 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 choice to receive a Direct Payment can be changed at any time if you think that other option arrangements will be more effective in meeting your needs and delivering your outcomes. You should speak to your practitioner about the available alternatives.