Option 1
There are different reasons why you might want to take control of the money spent on your support. It might be that the support arranged by the council isn't right for you, maybe the support workers come at times that don't suit you or you keep getting different members of staff. It might also be that you want to pay for something that the council doesn't usually provide or you just want to be in charge of how the money is spent on your support.
You can use the money for different things as long as it is agreed with the professional that works with you to prepare your support plan.
Many people use the money to employ a personal assistant (PA) directly so that they have the same person or people providing their support and can choose the hours they want their support at. This means you are an employer and are responsibly for making sure your personal assistant(s) are paid on time so you might like to ask someone else to help you manage your money or use a payroll service if you struggle with money. Also if something goes wrong it is you as the employer who will need to speak to the personal assistant to resolve it but you can ask an advocate to assist you with this.
You could also use it to buy services from a care provider, or to take part in hobbies you enjoy. Below are a couple of examples of how you could use your direct payment
You can use the money for different things as long as it is agreed with the professional that works with you to prepare your support plan.
Many people use the money to employ a personal assistant (PA) directly so that they have the same person or people providing their support and can choose the hours they want their support at. This means you are an employer and are responsibly for making sure your personal assistant(s) are paid on time so you might like to ask someone else to help you manage your money or use a payroll service if you struggle with money. Also if something goes wrong it is you as the employer who will need to speak to the personal assistant to resolve it but you can ask an advocate to assist you with this.
You could also use it to buy services from a care provider, or to take part in hobbies you enjoy. Below are a couple of examples of how you could use your direct payment
Example 1 |
A man who used to receive a service from an agency found out they had made his regular carer redundant so his social worker suggested a direct payment. He was able to employ his carer that had been made redundant as a personal assistant, take on a relief personal assistant and choose a respite break of his choosing rather than going to a traditional respite place.
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Example 2 |
A lady received support from a support agency but the staff kept changing and she wasn't able to get support with the things she needed to as they were restricted to housing support. Self directed support was mentioned to her and she opted to go on the direct payments pilot. She was able to employ a personal assistant but had the costs of a payroll service built into the direct payment as she struggled to manage money. The personal assistant was able to help her with the things she wanted such as going to college, going to sports groups, going on days out, short breaks, as well as attending medical appointments, shopping and helping with managing her tenancy. To meet her outcome to improve her health she used some of her money for a gym membership and her personal assistant is able to go with her.
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