You may choose to:

• let a provider meet your care and support needs - this can be arranged by our brokerage team
• have a direct payment - this gives you more control and flexibility over how your care and support is arranged and provided

We'll tell you how much money you're entitled to for paying for your support. This is called your personal budget. We'll also talk to you about the different ways you can manage this money. You may choose to:

• have a direct payment that’s paid into a dedicated bank account for you to arrange your care services - this will be detailed in your support plan
• have a direct payment via an agent or representative, who'll arrange your care and support services on your behalf
• have a supported managed account where an organisation, or a third-party organisation, will manage the financial arrangements for you. You'll still be responsible for arranging the other aspects of your care services.

We'll work out a support plan with you. We'll agree how your personal budget is going to be spent to meet your needs. Your support plan will include things like:

• what you want to achieve for yourself
• any equipment or minor adaptations that would help you to live at home
• the support within your community
• the support you currently have in place
• what support you'll get and who'll provide it (you may want to find and employ a personal assistant or buy support from an agency)
• when and how often you'll get help

Read our direct payment agreement terms and conditions.

Useful documents and links

• Direct payments guide
• Role of the social care practitioner in self-directed support services
• Information for social care practitioners on self-directed support
• Guide to personalisation (Social Care Institute for Excellence)
• Fact sheets about personal budgets from In Control. (Note: we're not able to offer all of the payment options in fact sheet 8.)
• Personal assistants
• Guide to employing a PA
• Support for individual employers and PAs (Skills for Care)
• GOV.UK: Care Act 2014

Easy read documents

• Direct payment agreement (easy read)
• Before your PA starts working for you (easy read) (Skills for Care)
• Managing your PA (easy read) (Skills for Care)
• Sorting out problems with your PA (easy read) (Skills for Care)