Direct payment advisory service
What is the Direct Payments Advisory Service?
The Direct Payments Advisory Service comprises a team of advisers who can help you to decide if Direct Payments are right for you.
If you are interested in receiving a Direct Payment as a way of meeting your care needs, you can contact us from the details opposite.
Following a referral from your social worker or care manager and a member of the team will meet you to explain Direct Payments, and answer any questions you may have.
What do we do?
The Advisers can help both you and your social worker or care manager with the following:
- Before your assessment, we could help you decide what kind of care or support you need. This may help both you and your social worker at the time of your assessment, as you will have given some thought to the kind of assistance you require.
- Following an assessment, if you have expressed an interest about receiving Direct Payments, one of our advisers will come and meet you to explain how to manage Direct Payments.
In the meeting, we will discuss the following issues:
- Using your Direct Payments to employ an agency worker
(PDF:81KB) or employing someone yourself. - The responsibilities of becoming an employer, for example, public liability insurance, health and safety, tax and national insurance liabilities etc. We will provide you with all the necessary information and support to help you become a responsible employer.
- Suitable places and publications where you may be able to advertise for or find a suitable worker.
- Questions you may wish to ask a potential employee during the interview.
- The responsibilities of receiving Direct Payments, such as opening a separate bank account, and keeping a record of how the money is spent. We will give you a Folder to keep any documents in and provide all the necessary training on how to keep the records.
- Help you think about what alternative arrangements you may need for the times when your usual arrangements breakdown.
We may provide support to your social worker or care manager to help them set up your Direct Payments,
We hold regular Peer Group meetings for people already in receipt of Direct Payments. It is a forum where people can meet and share their experiences and/or discuss any Direct Payment related problems or concerns with a member of the advisory service.
We will provide you with ongoing support as required.
Comments, Compliments and Complaints
Adult Social Services Home Page
Adult Social Services News and Events
