A Brief Guide To Direct Payments
1. What are Direct
Payments?
If your local Health and Social Care Trust assesses
you as needing personal social services, it may be possible for
you to get Direct Payments instead of services provided by the Trust.
You could use the money you get from Direct Payments to employ a
Personal Assistant or buy services from an agency of your choice.
If you choose to employ someone, you decide who works
for you, when they work and what they do. If you would like more
control over the assistance you get, then Direct Payments may be
for you.
This information sheet gives a brief description of
what is involved in setting up Direct Payments and points to where
you can get more information and help.
2. What you should consider when thinking about Direct
Payments
It is important that you get all the information you
require before you decide if Direct Payments will suit you. You
should think about the advantages for you personally and also about
the responsibilities you will be taking on. Remember that you can
get as much help as you need to manage Direct Payments, for example,
a member of your family, a friend or an employee could help you
with things like the paperwork, or calculating wages for your Personal
Assistant(s).
It may be helpful to talk to someone who is already
using Direct Payments. You should bear in mind that you can have
a mixture of Direct Payments and services from the Trust. For example,
you may keep those parts of the Trust services that suit you and
make your own arrangements for the rest. You may stop Direct Payments
at any time and return to getting a service from the Trust.
3. Assessment of need
Direct Payments are based on your assessed need. You
will need to ask your local Health and Social Services Trust for
an assessment, which is usually carried out by a Social Worker or
Care Manager. If you ask for Direct Payments and the Trust is satisfied
that you are eligible, then it has a duty to provide you with Direct
Payments.
4. Funding of Direct Payments
The amount of Direct Payment you receive is based
on the number of hours you have been assessed as needing. Your Direct
Payments should be sufficient for you to employ staff and fulfil
your legal obligations. You should check the current
hourly rate with the Trust.
You may be able to get additional funding from the
Independent Living Fund (ILF)
if you receive a service from your local Health and Social Services
Trust and meet certain other criteria. Ask your Social Worker or
Centre for Independent Living NI for
more information.
5. Direct Payments Agreement
If you accept Direct Payments, the Trust will
ask you to sign an agreement which outlines how you should use your
Direct Payments and how you are expected to account for the money.
6. Bank Account
It will be necessary for you to open a separate bank
account to be used for Direct Payments only. Personal Assistants
should be paid out of the bank account. This makes it easier to
keep track of the money for your records.
7. Recruiting Staff
It is important that you recruit good staff that are
reliable, trustworthy and loyal. You may already know someone who
is willing to work for you or you may need to advertise. Listed
below are some points you will need to consider when recruiting
staff:
8. Managing the money
If you are employing staff, you may need to know about
the following:
You may find the prospect of becoming an employer
somewhat daunting, but with the right support it can be done without
any great difficulty. If you need help with paying wages, you could
use our Payroll Service.
Please contact Centre for
Independent Living if you require training on any aspect of
becoming an employer.
9. Back-up Arrangements
While it is never possible to guarantee that your
personal support arrangements will always run smoothly, any disruption
can be minimised by making good back-up arrangements.
If you are employing a number of staff, they
could provide cover for each other. You could possibly have a contract
with an agency to provide emergency cover or perhaps you could have
an arrangement with a friend, relative or neighbour. At the end
of the day, the Health and Social Services Trust has a legal responsibility
to provide a service in an emergency.
10. Monitoring
The Health and Social Services Trust will monitor
your arrangements for Direct Payments to ensure that your needs
are being met and the money is spent appropriately. You will be
required to keep timesheets, receipts and bank records which can
be inspected by the Trust. Also, you may need to keep records for
the Inland Revenue.
11. Who can I contact for
further help about Direct Payments?
If you need information,
advice or training on any aspect of Direct Payments contact
us.
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