Funding Options

The direct payment system allows you to;

• Have a greater input into what care you need
• Decide who you want to provide that care
• Arrange services and staff at times more convenient to your lifestyle
• Decide which agency you want to employ for your care

Your first point of contact should be your local social services, who will send a social worker to assess your care needs.  Provided they find that you are eligible to receive help from social services, you are then entitled to ask to receive direct payments to purchase your own care rather than social services providing the care.

As well as giving you the option of receiving a direct payment, social services will usually offer their own support services, or be able to refer you to a local support group, to help you set your care up.  They may even be able to provide care for you whilst you arrange your own care. The type of service provided can be a list of local domiciliary care providers. You are also entitled to enlist the help of a responsible individual of your choosing, which may be a close friend or relative, to help you manage the direct payment scheme.

As you are effectively purchasing your own services, if you so wish, you can add your own funds to your direct payment to purchase services above the value of your direct payment.  This allows you not only to buy your care from the person or organisation you prefer, but also to buy services in addition to those your care assessment states, should you wish to.
For further information on Direct Payments contact your local social services, or visit The DoH Easy Guide to Direct Payments.

Funded by Central Government, the Independent Living Fund supports people with disabilities to live independently in their own homes, rather than in residential care.
Payments are made to people with disabilities, so they can afford the employment costs, or associated employment costs, of a personal assistant or care agency to provide the support they need to remain living at home.

Should you not be eligible for public funding, or would simply prefer to fund your care privately, you will need to source your care independently. Faced with so many different options and conflicting information, this can become both a time-consuming and overwhelming task. If you are looking for support with financial planning, we would recommend that you contact an impartial Financial Advisor specialising in Care Fees. They can discuss options such as:

Whether your care is paid for by private or public funds, we can deliver a bespoke and a high-quality Home Care service to you to meet your individual requirements.