Take control of your life

You can manage your care using 'direct payments'.

This page explains how you can employ people to care for and support you, so you can continue to live at home and organise you own care services.

You may be able to receive money, called a 'Direct Payment', that allows you to arrange and pay for your own care instead of having it arranged for you by Social Services.

Direct Payments are intended as a way of assisting people to gain greater independence in their lives and more control over their support arrangements.

Who can get them?
You may be able to get Direct Payments if you are 18 or over and have been assessed by Social Services as needing a service. If you are someone with:

• Physical disabilities;
• sensory disabilities, for example, hard of hearing, deaf, deafblind, blind;
• learning disabilities;
• mental ill health;
• HIV/AIDS; or
• if you are an older person, for example, with chronic conditions like arthritis or other illnesses often associated with ageing.

You may be able to receive Direct Payments. Parents and carers of disabled children may also get Direct Payments towards care costs.

What are Direct Payments for?
Social Services can give Direct Payments for all community care services they arrange or provide for you. These can include:

• Personal care, for example, help with washing, dressing and eating meals
• Practical help, for example, shopping, cleaning, preparing meals
• Help for carers to take a break
• Daytime activities

With services you pay for through Direct Payments the Council may still require you to make a financial contribution to the cost of your care, just as they might have charged you for services they would otherwise arrange on your behalf. The way the Council decides how much to charge you should be the same way that it decides how much to charge people who receive equivalent serves.

For more information on the Council's charges for services ring CareLine (020) 8875 0500.

What are the advantages of receiving Direct Payments?
Direct Payments are about providing you with more choice, independence and control over the services and care that you receive. For example, if you choose to receive Direct Payments for home care, you could have choice over who provides that care, and how and when it is provided. In turn, this may allow you the flexibility to take up employment or take advantage of courses or social activities.

Is there help available?
The extra choice and flexibility that comes with receiving Direct Payments to organise your own services also means that you will have some extra responsibilities. For example, you could be responsible for:

• Recruiting, employing and managing your own care workers.
• Opening a separate bank or building society account.
• Keeping simple financial records and managing the payments.

However, you will get a lot of support to help you with these responsibilities. Right from the start of the process someone will come and visit you. If you wish, a voluntary sector disability organisation called Penderels Trust can provide you with help. Penderels Trust are funded by the Council to provide a range of support, advice, and assistance to Direct Payment users. For example, they can offer a payroll service to help you deal with employment issues like National Insurance and taxation. Penderels Trust can also advise you if you are thinking about whether to opt for Direct Payments.

You may also ask a carer or relative to assist you in managing your Direct Payments.

You can also use Direct Payments to buy services directly from various home care and other agencies. In this way, you still have the choice over the who provides your care, but without some of the responsibilities you'd have if you directly employed carers.

What Direct Payments cannot be used for
Direct Payments are made so that individuals can arrange and purchase their own services. However, there are several things they can't be used for:

• Direct Payments can't be treated as cash. They can't be used to buy things like food.
• Direct Payments can't be used to employ your spouse or partner, other close relatives or anyone who lives in the same household.
• Direct Payments can't be used to purchase permanent residential care.
• Direct Payments can't be used to purchase Council run services.
• Direct Payments are not treated as additional income when you are assessed for welfare benefits.

How to take it further
The book available to download below is from the Department of Health. It is for people who want to know more about Direct payments and tells you about some new rules, that started in April 2003, to do with Direct payments.

It is hoped that this book will help you work out if direct payments might be right for you.

 An easy guide to Direct Payments (627 kb)

If you want to find out more about Direct payments you can get further information about Direct Payments by writing, ringing, or emailing us at:

Direct Payments - Access Team
Wandsworth Social Services
Lyon House,
102-104 Wandsworth High Street

SW18 4LA
Phone: (020) 8871 7707
Email: accessteam@wandsworth.gov.uk

If however you are already receiving direct payments you can talk to one of our officers on the helpline on (020) 8871 7106 or email them at ssdirectpayments@wandsworth.gov.uk

Information on health and social care in Wandsworth is available from CareLine who are open from 10am to 8pm every weekday and on Saturday mornings from 10am to 1pm on 020 8875 0500 or visit www.careline.org.uk