Welcome to our area all about direct payments!

Direct payments are money payments made to individuals who ask for one, to meet some or all of their eligible care and support needs. This page has been created to give you the information you need to help decide whether to ask for a direct payment.

Find out more about direct payments by clicking on the links below.

What is a direct payments and how do I get one?

My payments and effect on benefits

Acting as an Authorised Person

Acting as a Nominated Person

How will my direct payment be monitored and what records do I need to keep?

Using support at home organisations

Direct payment support organisations

Direct Payment agreements

If you have a direct payment to meet your needs, we will ask you to sign an agreement with us. This is so that you and we will understand what we are each responsible for.

There are different types of agreement. Which type of agreement we use depends on whether:

you are able to decide for yourself to have a direct payment, or
if you can’t decide about direct payments for yourself, someone else has made the decision for you.

Our staff will talk you though the agreement that is relevant to your situation before you sign it. We are sharing the agreements on this page, in case anyone would like to read them in advance.

If you are able to decide for yourself and want to receive the direct payment yourself, this is the agreement for you: Agreement 1 individual with capacity to request a direct payment (PDF). You can read a quick summary of what you need to know about the agreement here: Direct payments agreements document (PDF).
If you are able to decide for yourself and want to nominate someone else to receive the direct payment for you, this is the agreement for you: Agreement 2 individual with capacity to request a direct payment + nominated person (PDF). You, and anyone you want to nominate to receive your direct payment, can read a quick summary of what you both need to know about the agreement here: Direct payment agreement – you and your nominated person (PDF).
If you can’t decide for yourself, and someone else has made the decision for you, this is the agreement for them: Agreement 3 individual lacking capacity to request a direct payment (PDF). If you want to receive a direct payment for someone else, you can read a quick summary of what you need to know about the agreement here: Direct payment agreement – acting as an authorised person (PDF).
If you are a carer and want to receive a direct payment, this is the agreement for you: Agreement 4 carer with capacity to request a direct payment.

You MUST read any agreement in full before you sign it.

Changes to making direct payments

New direct payments made from 1 April 2021, will be paid via a direct payment card account.

We are in the process of moving existing direct payments to a card account. The amount of direct payment that we pay you, and what you spend it on, will not change because of the move to card accounts. The move will not stop you spending your direct payments as agreed in your care plan.

Please do not worry about these changes. Your service will remain the same, it is just the way it is administered that will change. The finance team at Focus Independent Adult Social Work will work with you to ensure the change is smooth and you understand what is happening. You do not need to do anything until the finance team at Focus contact you. It may be some months until they contact you. For now, continue your direct payment account as normal.

What if I am worried or want to know more about changes to direct payments?

We have created a ‘Frequently Asked Questions’ (FAQ) Page.

If you want to talk through what a direct payment card account might mean for you, please phone the Finance team on 0300 330 2910.

If you want to share your worries with an organisation that is independent from us, you can phone Healthwatch on 01472 361459. Healthwatch will not be able to answer technical questions about direct payment card accounts, but they can listen to your general concerns about the changes.

Do I need to do anything about this change?

You don’t need to do anything differently. If we haven’t contacted you already, we will contact you to talk about what a direct payment card account might mean for you in more detail. If you would like to phone us before we do that, please use one of the numbers written above.

We know that any change can be unsettling. If you haven’t already made the move to a card direct payment card account, please be reassured that we will help you to make the move as easy as possible. Remember, the service you get via a direct payment will not change because of this move.

We know that any change can be unsettling. We want to reassure you that we will help you to make the move to direct payment card accounts as easy as possible. Remember, the service you get via a direct payment will not change because of this move.

Direct payments

Welcome to our area all about direct payments!

Direct Payment agreements

Changes to making direct payments

What if I am worried or want to know more about changes to direct payments?

Do I need to do anything about this change?

Direct Payment newsletters

Direct Payments Policy