Direct payments for adults and older people

Direct Payments are available to people who qualify for support from us and who are either:

• aged 16 or over with a physical disability, learning disability, visual impairment, HIV Aids, mental health issues, or within the Autistic spectrum
• people over 65
• parent/carers of disabled children (find out more about Direct Payments for children in Cambridgeshire)

We will carry out an assessment, then find out what you want to achieve. We will then look with you at the ways your needs could be best supported. This will be written down in a document called a support plan. We will allocate you a level of budget that is calculated be enough to meet your level of needs, this is referred to as a Personal Budget. Your Personal Budget will be made up of the amount we financially assess you as being able to cover yourself plus any contribution the Council might make.

You can take some, or all of your Council contribution to your personal budget as a Direct Payment to organise services yourself. If you are unable to do this you can ask us to arrange services for you.

You must use Direct Payments to meet the needs and things you want to achieve written down in your support plan.

You must spend your Direct Payments lawfully and in a cost-effective way.

Direct Payments cannot be used for:

• anything not agreed in your support plan
• paying a family member or partner living at the same address
• purchasing any local authority in-house services, including transport
• purchasing equipment or services provided by health services
• purchasing any housing service or residential care

The law allows us to ask you to repay Direct Payments if they have been used for any of the five items above.

Your Direct Payment can now be loaded onto a prepaid card. A prepaid card is like a debit card, but you use it to receive and spend your Direct Payments. You will not normally be able to withdraw cash. If you need to make a contribution towards the cost of your care, you can also easily pay this on to a prepaid card.

Prepaid cards have several benefits:

• you will not need to set up a separate bank account to receive your Direct Payments
• you can get a prepaid card even if you don't have a bank account, or have a poor credit history
• you can access your account online at any time
• most prepaid card users do not need to provide monitoring information such as receipts or bank statement
• there is less risk of fraud, or you having to repay money because you have lost a receipt

Our prepaid cards provider is Allpay Limited.

If you need any help with the setting up of your online account or activating your card you can get in touch with Allpay themselves as we have the use of their contact centre to help you.

You can contact Allpay on 0330 135 9515 or e-mail enquiries@allpay.net

You may use any payroll service provider to help you meet your employer obligations with HMRC within your budget, and ensure that you pay your personal assistant correctly.

Purple is contracted to provide a Direct Payments support service in Cambridgeshire.

You can arrange to have your Direct Payments paid into a Third Party Supported Account managed by Purple on your behalf. This means Purple carries out financial transactions on your instructions, pays wages directly into your care or support workers’ bank accounts and provides you with a monthly statement of your account. There is an administration charge for payroll services and Third Party Supported Accounts. If you have been assessed as needing support to manage your Direct Payments account the charge can be paid from your Direct Payments.

Some people use Direct Payments to employ their own staff (personal assistants) to provide care and support. We highly recommend you seek independent advice on how to use your Direct Payments. Purple or another Direct Payments Support Service will be able to assist you with arranging a personal assistant and any issues related with this.

They can help you with parts of your support plan such as:

• personal care (e.g. washing and dressing)
• household tasks
• activities outside the home, such as taking you to appointments and community events.

If you wish to employ your own care or support worker, Purple can assist you with recruitment and all employment issues.

If you choose to manage this yourself, it is your responsibility to be aware of, and adhere to current employment laws and register with HMRC as an employer.

If you fail to meet your obligations as an employer, your Direct Payments may be ended. Some people prefer to use private care agencies as this provides some control without the added responsibilities of employing staff. You must be certain that the amount of Direct Payments you receive cover agency fees or be willing to make up the difference yourself.

We do not encourage using Direct Payments to pay self-employed carers. However, many people recommend the flexibility and continuity that being an employer can bring, when supported by Purple.

Independent providers are companies that provide services such as home care, respite care or day care.

This option means that you get to choose which company will provide you with care and support, rather than us choosing the company for you. You can also have more control over when your care is provided.

You can use your Direct Payment for care and support from a Care Micro Enterprise (CME). CMEs are small independent providers of person-centred care and support services. Being smaller local businesses, they can provide flexible care and support tailored to suit your specific needs. To find out more about CMEs and the support they can offer to help you live independently in your own home, please visit Help at Home: Care Micro Enterprises (CMEs) | Cambridgeshire County Council. To find a CME near you please visit our Care Micro Enterprise directory.

If you use your Direct Payments to pay a provider, we will always want to be sure that you are using a provider who offers a good standard of care and is registered with the Care Quality Commission. Your Key Worker can tell you about the range of providers in your area or you can find care services on NHS Choices.

Your assessment may show that you need a further assessment by an Occupational Therapist to identify what sort of equipment will help you live more independently. Direct Payments for this equipment are a separate one-off payment.

If you receive Direct Payments, it is vital that you make arrangements to meet any emergencies; for example, if one of your personal assistants/support workers can't work.

Your Key Worker will discuss your emergency arrangements before your Direct Payments are agreed and can give you a list of agencies who can help you in an emergency.

If your emergency plans break down, the Council is responsible for arranging services for you to cover the emergency. You should contact your Key Worker or Customer Services.

People who lack the mental capacity to express their wishes or preferences about the support they receive can arrange for their personal budget to be paid to a suitable authorised person. This is a trusted person who will make decisions about how the Direct Payments are best used. This can be especially useful for people with severe learning disabilities, head injuries or dementia.

Other options allow individuals to nominate an authorised person to manage payments on their behalf, or to request that the local authority continues to manage the money in accordance with the support plan.

We must be sure that it would be in their best interests to have Direct Payments and that the authorised person will act properly.

Some people are excluded from receiving Direct Payments by legislation. This includes people who are subject to compulsory measures of care under mental health and criminal justice legislation.