Frequently asked questions

These are real questions that Salford citizens have asked. If you have a question that is not answered, please contact us, using the details at the bottom of this page.

What are personal budgets?

A personal budget is the amount of money you need to pay for support to meet your needs. In the past we would usually arrange services for you and simply tell you how much you would have to pay towards their cost. With a personal budget, you know how much your support costs and you can choose to spend it in different ways that suits you better as long as it still meets your needs.

How do I get a personal budget?

You can only get a personal budget if, following an assessment of your situation, we agree that you have support needs that cannot be met in other ways. If you think you need support, you will need to ask us for an assessment of your situation. 

What can I use the budget for?

You can use your personal budget to pay for most things that will help you meet the agreed needs and goals set out in your support plan. It is up to you to be creative about this.

There are a few rules about what you cannot use your budget for. You cannot spend your budget:

  • in any way that will bring the council into disrepute
  • for anything that exposes you to serious physical or financial risk
  • for anything illegal or for gambling (including bingo)
  • to pay for things that would be paid for by the National Health Service to fund health related treatments
  • to pay a family member living in the same household unless there are exceptional circumstances

There are more details and examples on our personal budgets page about what these rules mean in practice.

What happens if I just want the council to arrange services for me?

If you want the council to manage your support, then you can have what is called a virtual budget - you are still allocated the personal budget which we will spend on arranging services for you. You will not actually receive any money.

How do personal budgets affect benefits?

The money you'll get is for support and won't affect your benefits.

However, if you are already receiving financial help from another source this will be taken into account when working out your personal budget. If you are eligible for such help but not receiving it we will help you to claim for it.

What happens if I change my mind about the support I want?

The scheme is about giving you freedom - we want to make life as easy as possible for you, but we do have to balance this with making sure public money is being well used.

So if you had a support plan about how the money was to be spent but you wanted something major changing, we would usually arrange a review of your situation. We would want to make sure that the changes you want will still meet your needs and outcomes.

What happens if social services disagree with the ideas I have put forward for spending my personal budget?

Support plans have to be agreed by a social worker. If your social worker disagrees with some of your plan, they will tell you why and you can try to reach an agreement. If you cannot agree, the issue will go to a manager to re-consider your request. You can provide any additional information that you feel would support your case. You can also use an independent advocate (we can put you in touch with one) to help you.

If the manager agrees with the social worker's decision, we will tell you with a full explanation of the reasons.

If you are still unhappy because you do not agree and feel the decision has been made unfairly, you can complain. 

What is the difference between services and support?

Support is about you doing something and needing some help to do it - for example, you might want to join a photography group but need some support to help you get there and to help you use the equipment.

Services tend to be organisations that you use to give you the support you need. Using the example above, you might use a transport service to support you to get to the photography group.

When should I use my personal budget and when should I use my own money?

If it is not clear from your support plan what your personal budget can be spent on, you should check with your social worker.

If you discover a way to make better use of your personal budget after agreeing your support plan, ask for a review.  

Should I always use my personal budget to buy services and support?

If you have other income such as attendance allowance or disability living allowance which is designed to help with the cost of support, you should use these first.

If you are entitled to a benefit but not getting it, we can help you to apply for this as a first step rather than using a personal budget.

How much can I spend on equipment that is part of my support plan?

You should purchase something that is good value for money and that will meet your needs to a reasonable degree.

For example, it would not be reasonable to purchase a top-of-the-range, high cost computer unless there were specific reasons why you needed this. Equally we would not expect you to buy something second hand that looks as if it is likely to break down.

If you can show that you have taken reasonable steps to buy something adequate and that you made reasonable checks to see that it was good value, that should be fine.

If you need any advice or want to check you should ask your social worker.

Can I spend more on support if I want something particular, for example a particular model of equipment?

You can add your own money to make up the difference between the cost of reasonable support and something more expensive. For example sometimes people have wanted to buy a particular high seat chair because it matches the rest of the furniture.

The same situation could apply if your personal budget included an amount for you and/or your carer to take a break in a residential care home. The amount available would be how much it normally costs for such a break but you could choose something more expensive and add your own money to make up the difference.

Once I have bought support do I need to keep receipts?

Yes, you need to keep a record of what you have spent, so keep receipts and invoices/bills in a safe place. If you have bought some equipment, then when you have a review, we will discuss with you how well it is meeting your needs and outcomes.

If I buy equipment with my personal budget, who owns it and what happens if I don't need it anymore?

Although your personal budget is public money, you should look after the equipment as if it were your own. You can use the equipment as long as you continue to need it. We will not usually ask for the equipment back unless it is either very new, above a certain value or in particular demand. If you no longer need an item you should discuss this with us.

I have received money from the council (personal budget or carer's personal budget) but I have not spent it all. What should I do?

If you have money left over from your personal budget, you should send it back to us as a cheque payable to Salford City Council. You should include a covering letter with your full name, address and date of birth and a brief details telling us what the money is i.e. 'personal budget that I have not spent.'. Please send the letter and cheque to 'Direct payments finance officer, Salford City Council, Turnpike House, 631 Eccles New Road, Salford, M50 1SW.

I have a direct payment and receive regular payments into my account. A large balance is building up. What should I do?

If you have built up a large balance, we will write to you asking that you send us a cheque for some of the balance. If you have built up a large balance because do not need the same amount of support and money to meet your needs, please let us know and we can arrange a review with you.

I want to manage a personal budget as a direct payment on behalf of a relative or friend who is unable to manage this for themselves. What should I do?

This is often an excellent solution for people who cannot manage for themselves but we have to make sure that anyone taking on this responsibility understands what is involved, is a capable and fit person to act on behalf of another and there are no conflicts of interests.

We also need to make sure that the person who needs support genuinely cannot manage the direct payment. If they could but with some additional help it is preferable to provide this so the person has the control themselves.

We will undertake something called a capacity assessment. If this confirms the person cannot manage, even with assistance, we will normally have a best interests meeting. This is where all the interested parties decide what would be best for the person. If the meeting decides that another person (which may be you) should manage the personal budget then we will make sure you understand what is being proposed, your responsibilities and what advice/support is available to you.

If the person's best interests are not met by you having responsibility for managing their personal budget, a professional who is entirely independent of the council called an Independent Mental Capacity Advocate (IMCA) may be asked to look into the situation and decide what should be done.

I am capable of managing my personal budget but I want someone else to do it on my behalf. What do I do?

Normally help is provided to assist you to manage your own direct payment as this tends to be the arrangement that works best. However it is possible for you to nominate someone else to manage it on your behalf. We will need to do some checking first, to ensure the person you want to help is able, willing and a fit person. They will need to involve you as much as possible in decisions about how the money is spent and act in your best interests at all times.    

Can I use my personal budget to pay for sex?

One of the rules is that personal budgets cannot be used for anything illegal or anything that would place the council in disrepute, so the answer is no.

This page was last updated on 28 March 2012

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