Direct payments

Direct payments are the most popular way of using your personal budget as they give you a good deal of choice and control.

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
• 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
• Buying daily living equipment (if you need this, we will have assessed you and offer you free equipment)

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

Penderels Trust can help you manage your direct payment:

• Support when recruiting a personal assistant
• Guidance on all aspects of being a good employer including legal obligations and responsibilities
• Support with choosing and using a care agency
• Help with money management and keeping accurate records
• Payroll services