Social work - direct payments

 

What are Direct Payments?

Direct Payments mean that instead of organising and providing services for you, we can give you an agreed amount of money instead.  You can use this money to organise and buy your own care and support.  This means that you can have more choice and control about how your needs are met, about who will help you and about when they will help.

We will always offer Direct Payments to you as a way of providing your support, but you do not have to have Direct Payments unless you want them – the choice is yours.

There are different ways of receiving and managing Direct Payments. The following information is designed to tell you a bit more about the options and who to contact next for further information.

Who can receive Direct Payments?

As long as your care needs assessment shows you qualify for support from us, Direct Payments are available for:

  • Adults of any age
  • Disabled children

There are one or two exceptions to this, but your Self-Directed Support Adviser will explain in more detail where necessary.

How do I get Direct Payments?

To be offered Direct Payments you have had a care needs assessment. This shows what your needs are and whether you qualify for help from us.  If you do qualify for help, then we will identify an amount of money that you can spend on your support.

We will talk to you about what you want to achieve,and the different ways that the money could be used to meet your assessed needs.

Will I have to pay towards my support?

Whether you choose Direct Payments or another way of receiving services, there is no difference between how we work out what you might have to pay. We will look at the money you have coming in and whether you have savings. This information helps us work out the amount that you need to pay towards the cost of your care.

There are instances where a Financial Assessment may not be necessary, for example, if you are over 65 years of age and are only receiving Personal Care then this is provided free and is not subject to a financial assessment. This can be fully discussed with your Self-Directed Support Adviser.


How can I use Direct Payments?

There are three main ways of using Direct Payments:

1. Employing your own staff to help you:

People you employ to help you are usually called Personal Assistants, and they can help you with things like:

  • Personal Care
  • Household Tasks
  • Outside Activities e.g. appointments and events

For many people, employing Personal Assistants gives them the greatest possible amount of choice and control over their lives.

 Employing staff might sound difficult, but your Self-Directed Support Adviser at Stirling Council can provide practical advice and assistance and can help guide you through the processes in a straight forward way that suits you. Your adviser can also point you in the direction of other support for employing a Personal Assistant, and will discuss this further with you where required.

2. Employing staff through an independent provider:

Independent providers are companies independent of Stirling Council that provide services such as home care.  They are often called Home Care Agencies. This option means that you get to choose the company that provides you with care and support, rather than us choosing the company for you.  You can also have more control over when your care is provided. Your Self-Directed Support Advisor can help you to find a suitable company in your area.

3. Direct Payments to meet other needs

If you have had a care needs assessment and have a sum of money to spend on your support there is a range of ways of achieving what you want to do. As well as support with things like personal care, you might,for example, want to go out more to see family or friends or to keep active.  Direct Payments can be used towards the costs of doing these sorts of things.

We don’t have a lot of rules about what can be bought, but you must be able to show that it helps to meet the outcomes set out in your care needs assessment.

Do Direct Payments mean extra work for me?

There will be some extra work for you if you choose to take more direct control over the care and support you get.  Some people find this very easy and some people find it a bit harder. Your Self-Directed Support Adviser can offer you practical advice on how to organise your care and manage your Direct Payments, and will be happy to discuss this further with you at anytime.

Some people ask trusted friends or relatives to help them manage their Direct Payments, which can be quite informal or you can even choose to have the money paid to a ‘nominee’ who will manage the money for you- but always acting on your wishes.  Your Self-Directed Support Adviser can help you to understand what you need to do to manage your Direct Payment and make sure that the Direct Payment is only spent on the care that it has been provided to meet, and will also make you aware of what your Direct Payment can and cannot be used for.

You might like to know that almost everyone who chooses Direct Payments decides to carry on using them. With all the support that is available, it is very unusual for someone to feel that using Direct Payments is too complicated or too much trouble and your Self-Directed Support Adviser will be on hand to answer your questions and make sure you feel the full benefit of your decision to receive Direct Payments.

Remember, if at any point you feel that receiving a Direct Payment is not working you have the option to change the way you receive your care or go back to the way you were previously supported, and your Self-Directed Support Adviser can help you with this process.

Further reading

Please read our Direct Payment easy read guide

Contact us

Tel: 0845 277 7000

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