Support with your adult direct payment
In some circumstances you may require some help with your direct payment.
We have an approved list of providers who can help you with managing some elements of your direct payment.
These are:
- personal assistant recruitment where you are involved in choosing your own PA but the agency remains the employer, and charges you for the support on an hourly basis
- personal assistant support where the agency provides you with a list of PAs and you choose one and remain the employer, and pay the PA yourself
- payroll support where you need the agency to deal with all aspects of paying the PA
- managed bank accounts where you want a direct payment but need help to manage the money side of things
Your support planner will discuss these options with you and tell you if you are eligible for any of these types of support.
The table below gives you information about the providers and which services they are approved to help you with.
| Provider | Payroll support | Managed bank accounts | Recruitment support |
|---|---|---|---|
| Care in Finance 0845 241 0 999 |
Yes | Yes | No |
| PayPacket 0800 848 8998 |
Yes | Yes | No |
| Disability Resource Centre | Yes | Yes | Yes |
If you have any questions or difficulty
If you have a question regarding your care assessment or your support plan then please call your Care manager or relevant duty desk for support.
If you are having difficulties with the financial management of the Direct Payment then please contact the Direct Payments team on 0300 300 8341.
If you are experiencing difficulties with a support service you receive from a care agency (i.e. an assistant or payroll service) you should contact the manager of the agency in the first instance.
There are lots of organisations who produce useful guides about direct payments below:
- the Money Advice Service offers independent advice on direct payment
- Age UK offers information and advice on personal budgets
- Scope provides information on direct payments and personal budgets
- SENSE provides advice and suggestions on how personal budgets can benefit people with duel sensory impairments (being blind and deaf)
- Disability Rights UK provides a factsheet on personal budgets
You may also want to seek independent financial advice.