For both types of direct payment, an assessment needs to be carried out first and agreement reached on what can be funded.
Following a financial assessment, you may have to pay a contribution towards your personal budget. This will depend on your income and savings.
You can then ask your local council or trust to:
- manage your personal budget for you, in line with your wishes
- pay the money to another organisation to manage for you
- give you the money as direct payments to spend on meeting your needs.
You can also choose a combination of these options
Choosing the services you need
With direct payments you can choose and purchase the services you need, as agreed in your care plan or support plan for carers. If you care for your child who has a disability, you can receive direct payments to pay for the services or support your child needs.
Note that in Scotland, carers can’t get direct payments. However, the person you care for may be eligible for them, so the information on this page may still be useful.