Direct payments

If you have been assessed as needing social services, we can give you a cash sum to buy services yourself.

Direct payments gives you the flexibility to buy the care and support you need. You have control to arrange your own care.

What you can use direct payments for

Employ your own support worker or personal assistant
Pay a care agency to provide support to you
Pay for support to attend college or go to work
Buy your own short break in a residential care home of your choice
Buy equipment that you need for your care and support (such as a particular wheelchair)
You can only spend your direct payment on support that you have been assessed as needing

What you cannot use direct payments for?

Clothes, food and savings
Permanent residential care
Buying support from community, health and social care
Employing someone who lives in the same home as you, unless there are special reasons for doing so

How do you get direct payments?

If you are already getting care and support through community, health and social care, then contact your social worker or contact the Direct Payments Team.

If you are not getting care and support, then you should contact social services and ask for an assessment of your needs.

What else do you need to think about?

Before you get direct payments, you will need to discuss

how you will use the money to meet your needs
whether you will need to make a contribution to the cost of your support
how you will manage your direct payment
what happens in an emergency
whether you want to employ staff and what your legal responsibilities will be as an employer
how you will record what you are spending the direct payment on

You can talk to your social worker or to SUGGEST in Salford (a voluntary group of people receiving direct payments) about all these issues. SUGGEST in Salford will be able to help you with some of these on a longer term basis. The group can offer you independent advice and support about direct payments.

You will also need to open a bank account just for your direct payments.

Direct Payments Team
SUGGEST in Salford
Salford Innovation Forum
Frederick Road
Salford
M6 6FP

Telephone: 0161 743 3592
Email: office@suggest.org.uk