Direct Payments

What is a Direct Payment?

A Direct Payment is a payment of money that is provided directly to a person with care and/or support needs, or to a person acting on their behalf, to purchase services to meet their assessed needs. This could be instead of the local authority providing the support services themselves.

Direct Payments are available to people who are eligible for social care services and are intended to enable them to have more choice, flexibility and control over their own lives. They are designed to give people the opportunity to arrange and purchase the care and support they need to meet their assessed needs. This could include, for example, personal care, day care, homecare, respite care, support with activities of daily living, or equipment, adaptations and minor works to their home. The payment is made directly to the person who needs the support, or to a person acting on their behalf.

This could be a relative, a friend, a carer or someone else who has been appointed by that person to manage their support. Before they start receiving a Direct Payment, the local authority will assess their individual needs and put together a care and support plan which will set out what the person needs and how a Direct Payment can help them to meet their needs.