Personal Budgets and Direct Payments

What is a Personal Budget?

A personal account combines your personal budget and your customer contribution. You will have been assessed by Adult Social Care as being eligible to receive care and support services. The support planning process will determine what your eligible needs are and how you want them to be met. Based on your needs, a personal budget will be agreed that will meet your estimated care costs for the next year.

Personal Budgets/ Accounts can be managed in 3 ways:

• As a Direct Payment to you
• As a Direct Payment managed by a broker
• As a Council Managed Personal Budget

The City of York Council website provides more information on Personal Budgets.

What is a Direct Payment?

It is simply a way of giving you your personal budget so that you can buy in services directly yourself rather than the council doing this on your behalf.

There are two types of Direct Payment:

• A one off Direct Payment is a single payment made to buy goods or services
• On–going Direct Payments are monthly payments to enable you to receive regular funding to buy goods or services

What can they be spent on?

You can use your direct payments to pay for goods and services identified in your Support Plan.

One of the benefits of using Direct Payments is that you have the chance to choose the way your care is delivered. You could employ a Personal Assistant who  you already know or a family member who does not live at the same address. Alternatively, you could buy in the services from a home care agency if necessary.

The City of York Council have produced a Direct Payment Guide.