Your personal budget is the amount of money that your care and support will cost.
Salford City Council will work out how much you will have to pay and how much the council can help with the cost.
You can have your personal budget in different ways, including:
Direct payments: you spend and manage the money yourself. This gives you the most freedom to be creative. Penderels Trust is an organisation that can support you with this.
Third party direct payment: someone else such as a friend, relative or a Trust manages and spends the money on your behalf. There are different ways that this can happen and a more detailed explanation is at the bottom of the page.
Broker fund: you pay another organisation to arrange and spend the money on your behalf.
Virtual budget: Adult Social Care arrange care and support on your behalf.
Independent service fund: a service provider or broker uses your personal budget to provide a very flexible care and support package.
You can use a combination of the above methods.
| Budget types | What does it mean? | Advantages | Disadvantages |
|---|---|---|---|
| Direct payments | Your personal budget is paid directly into a bank account you spend and manage the money yourself. | You have more choices and control over how and where you spend your personal budget. | You will need to keep a record of how you spend the money and if you employ your own staff you will also have responsibilities of being an employer. |
| Third pary direct payments | A trusted friend, family member or suitable person opens a bank account for your personal budget and supports you to manage the money. | You get help to manage your money and still retain a lot of control over where you can spend your money. | You will need to find someone you trust to take on this role. If you want to employ staff this person will become the employer and will have employer responsibilities. |
| Broker fund | You pay another organisation to arrange care and support services for you. | You do not need to worry about managing your money, or employing staff and you have a lot of control over where it is spent. You do not | Some of your money will be used to pay for the broker, which could reduce how much is left for services. |
| Virtual budget | Adult Social Care arrange services on your behalf, from a small range of services. | You have the least worry about arranging your care and support, but still have some choice. | Your provider will usually be based on where you live. You do not have much choice. |
| Independent service fund | Your personal budget is paid to another organisation to arrange your care and support. Works when there are complex needs. | This can be very flexible and respond quickly to changes. | There is no contract, so there is a risk if something goes wrong. |
Your personal budget can only be used to meet the agreed needs and goals set out in your support plan