Direct payments: an introduction

What are direct payments?

Direct payments are one way to receive support from social services. You can ask social services to give you an amount of money as a direct payment instead of providing you with a service. You then have to use this money to pay for the support to meet your needs.

Who can receive direct payments?

If they are eligible for social service support, the following people can receive direct payments:

Disabled people aged over 16
Older people
Carers, including people with parental responsibility for a child, and young carers who are aged over 16
A ‘suitable person' on behalf of an adult who lacks the capacity to consent to direct payments themselves

What can you use direct payments for?

There should be flexibility about what you spend your direct payments on. However, councils are still adjusting to these new systems, so you may need to be very clear about how what you are spending money on fits into your support plan.

These are examples of how your direct payments could be used:

Household tasks such as cooking, housework or gardening
Accessing information such as reading mail
Personal care
Guiding and communication support
Transport such as taxis
Leisure activities such as socialising, sports, classes or groups
Holidays, short breaks or a link family
Equipment such as computer equipment, specialist home ware, mobile phones
Minor home adaptations (e.g. a handrail)

Parents or carers might also use direct payments for:

Short breaks
Support with domestic tasks
Support so that carers can go back to work
Activities to help alleviate stress

What are direct payments not for?

You cannot use a direct payments to buy services which the NHS should provide, or to pay for services provided by your council or permanent residential care.

Case studies: five examples of different ways that direct payments can be used

1. Regular direct payments to pay for support for all assessed needs

Jane is a deafblind woman who has been assessed as needing 15 hours a week of communicator guide support. Jane is happy to employ a communicator guide herself and wants to have flexibility regarding when she receives support. Jane decides to accept direct payments and uses them to pay for all the hours of communicator guide support. Her communicator guide supports Jane both at home and outside the home. She assists Jane with household tasks such as cleaning, washing and ironing. She also guides Jane to college, as well as to leisure activities such as concerts and the cinema.

2. Using one-off direct payments to pay for some assessed needs

Steven is a deafblind man who lives in residential accommodation. His assessment also includes providing computer equipment and attending an art activity (the residential service are not able to provide this service). He has received a one-off direct payment to pay for a computer, webcam and printer. He also received a one-off direct payment to pay for enrolling in a regular art class.

3. Direct payments for services for a child

Jenny is an 11 year-old deafblind child and has been assessed for intervenor support at home. Jenny's council talks to her parents about the different ways to meet Jenny's needs. The council offers to provide an intervenor service or direct payments. Jenny's parents decide to receive direct payments and employ a qualified intervenor themselves. This allows them some flexibility over when Jenny receives the support. They are assisted by a local direct payments support service which manages the payroll paperwork.

4. One-off direct payment for a minor adaptation

Joy is an older deafblind woman who lives in her own home. She has been assessed as needing a grab rail in her bathroom. Due to her visual impairment, it would be better for the handrail to be in a colour that contrasts well with her bathroom wall. Joy knows where she wants to purchase the right handrail from and has decided to take a direct payment to pay for this, instead of social services providing her with their standard handrail. Joy also has the choice to buy a more expensive handrail by adding her own money to the direct payment to pay for this.

5. One-off direct payments for a carer's assessed needs

Aisha is the mother of a deafblind child. She is the primary carer when her son is not at school. Aisha has had a carer's assessment - and the assessment said that she would benefit from a break from caring. She has decided to take a one-off direct payment to pay for a holiday for her son. This enables her to pick a holiday that will meet her son's needs, including appropriate communication and a safe environment.

If you want to find out about receiving direct payments in your area, you should contact your local social services. Most people who already use social services should be able to choose to receive a direct payment if they want to.

As long as you are entitled to receive them, social services must tell you about direct payments when your needs are assessed or reviewed. Adults may also be able to receive a personal budget. See Personal budgets: an introduction, in this section.

If you don't currently receive services from social services, you must contact them to ask for an assessment of your needs. If you are assessed as being eligible for services, you can then decide how you would like your needs to be met.

It should be your choice about whether you receive direct payments. The Department of Health is the government department that is responsible for direct payments in England and has produced best practice guidance on how councils should offer direct payments.

For more information on your rights under this guidance, see our page Direct payments: what are your rights?