You’ll be given a personal budget to spend if your local council decides you’re eligible for help with any social care and support you need. You can request an assessment from the council to establish your needs.  The money in your personal budget can be paid to you, to help you make more decisions about how it’s spent.  This is known as a direct payment.

Your personal budget is the amount of money your local council will pay towards any social care and support you need.

The amount of money in your personal budget is decided by your local council after a needs assessment has taken place to work out:

• what kind of care and support you need
• how much it will cost
• how much you’re able to afford yourself

You can ask the council to either:

• pay the money directly to us;
• pay the money directly to you or someone you choose – this is known as a direct payment

We can speak to your local council and arrange the payments on your behalf.

Direct payments give you more flexibility over how your care and support is arranged and provided.

For example, you could choose to:

• arrange for the same care providers to be available when you need them
• have a provider that has experience working extensively with your type of care needs
• have a provider that has been recommended to you
• have a provider that can help you get to shops or social events

There are many ways you could choose to use the money. It’s your choice as long as you’re spending your personal budget on things that meet your agreed care plan.

Most councils will ask for evidence of how you’ve spent your money every 3 months (our detailed invoices can be used as evidence).

You should be offered direct payments as an option after your needs assessment.

You can also ask your local council’s social services department about direct payments.