Direct payment money is paid by the Council to individuals who have been assessed as needing care services. You can use this money to buy the care you need which was identified in your assessment. Direct payments are given to allow you to have choice and control over the care you receive.

Who can receive a direct payment?

A direct payment can be made to disabled people aged 16 or over, older people aged 65 years and over who are assessed as needing community care services due to infirmity or age. To people with parental responsibility for disabled children.

You must agree to have a direct payment set up and you must have the capacity to manage this money. The Council can give assistance on a day-to-day basis.

The aim of a direct payment is to give you more flexibility on how services are provided. By giving you money, you have greater choice and control over your life, and are able to make your own decisions about how your care is delivered.

Help and Advice

The Financial Inclusion and Assessment Team can help and advise on the following aspects of Direct Payments:

• Deciding if Direct Payments are right for you
• Deciding what care package best meets your needs e.g. employing a personal assistant, using care providers/local authority services or even a mixture of these options
• Record keeping e.g. time sheets, keeping receipts, PAYE records and filling out quarterly returns
• Opening up a bank account
• Setting up a payroll service
• Producing employment contracts/job descriptions
• Appropriate rates of pay
• Your responsibility and legal requirements as an employer
• Registering with SPAEN – Scottish Personal Assistant Employers Network

Self Directed Support/Personalisation

The aim is to give people the opportunity to exercise as much choice and control over their lives as they wish. To achieve this, Dumfries and Galloway Council are working towards more personalised  approaches where the person is an individual with strengths, preferences and aspirations and at the centre of the process of identifying their needs and making choices about who, what, how and when  they are supported to live their lives.

For those individuals wanting to exercise choice and control by taking an Individual Budget to meet their outcomes, further information and support can be accessed from their local Social Work Team or the FIAT staff.