If your local authority agrees that your child needs services, you can choose to get money to buy these services yourself. This is called direct payments. Direct payments should give you more control over how your child’s needs are met but it also involves more responsibility for you.
Control and flexibility
Parents using direct payments often find they have more control over the services they receive, with care being provided in a more convenient and flexible way. Using direct payments means you should be able to:
- decide who is going to provide services
- arrange how and when any service is provided
Using direct payments
You can use direct payments to buy services from an organisation that provides care such as a private agency, a voluntary organisation or a nursery. Alternatively you can employ someone yourself. However, you can’t use your direct payments to buy services from a local authority.
Using direct payments can mean extra responsibilities for you, since you will be more involved in arranging services. This is particularly true if you employ a PA to help meet your child’s needs. Direct payments are not for everyone and you are under no obligation to use them if you don’t want to. However, if you like the idea of having more control over services for your family then direct payments are an option worth exploring.
When direct payments may seem an attractive option
Direct payments may be particularly attractive if:
- the services you currently receive don’t meet the needs of your family
- you feel you have little say over how those services are provided
- you live in a remote and rural area where no suitable services exist - employing someone local as a PA may be the only realistic option
- your child has cultural or language needs that your current service providers cannot meet
- your child has been assessed as needing services but you have been waiting a long time for help to become available – with direct payments you may be able to organise your own services straightaway.
How can I get direct payments?
If you are already getting help from the local authority you can ask for direct payments instead. If you don’t currently get help you will first need to ask the local authority to assess your child’s care needs.
If you need more information
For more information on direct payments download our free guides.
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