Charges for social care services
Personal Budgets (also known as Self Directed Support or SDS)
We work with you to see what help you need and how much money you will get - this is your personal budget. We then agree a support plan with you about how you will spend that budget.
Your Personal Budget is designed to give you choice and control over your social care support and the way it is provided.
You can use your money to
- get support from a personal assistant (you can even employ a relative in some circumstances, but not a relative you live with)
- go to work, college or a community group (for example - learning disability client group)
- buy something to help keep you healthy, safe and independent (for example, stand alone telecare equipment)
You can receive the money
- as a monthly Direct Payment
- you can choose someone to look after the money for you
- you can make some of the decisions about your support and other people can help with the money
- as a Direct Payment to a Trust - payments are made to a group of people who manage the money on your behalf. This group is called a Trust and would usually be a small group of reliable people of your choice like close friends and family members
- as a Council Managed Personal Budget - we can hold your budget and organise your support on your behalf
Let's see if it is working
- after six weeks, we will meet up with you to see if your plan is working and that you are managing with your money and support
- you should have yearly meetings after that although you can ask for a meeting at any time
- you will have to send us invoices or receipts every quarter so that we can see that the direct payment or personal budget is being managed properly