from first chat to support starting
Funding can feel complicated, but you don’t have to work it out alone. We’ll talk you through it.
- 1
Your needs are assessed
Your local council or the NHS looks at the support you need.
- 2
A budget is agreed
A personal budget is planned around your care and support plan.
- 3
You choose how it’s managed
You can manage it yourself, or someone else can do it for you.
- 4
Your support starts
We help find and look after the right people for you.
the main ways to pay
- Direct PaymentThe money goes into an account, and you, or someone acting for you, use it to buy your care and support.
- Personal Health BudgetAn amount of money for your healthcare and wellbeing needs, planned and agreed with the NHS.
- Third-party managed budgetAn independent organisation looks after the budget for you, so you don’t have to take on the paperwork or be an employer.
- Commissioned careYour local council or the NHS arranges your care with us.
- Paying privatelyYou pay for some or all of your care yourself. We’ll explain the cost, and it will all be set out in your contract.
- Not sure?That’s fine. If you have a social worker, they can tell you whether you’ll need to pay anything, and we’re happy to help too.
we can take care of the hard parts
If you’d rather not manage everything yourself, we can:
- help you write your care plan and identify risks
- help you recruit personal assistants, then employ, train and manage them
- carry out DBS checks, and look after annual leave and sickness records
- manage your budget, HMRC, pension and financial audits with a broker
You stay in control of the decisions about your care.
questions people ask
What if I can’t manage a budget myself?
A third-party managed budget can help if you don’t want to manage a Direct Payment, or don’t want the responsibilities of being an employer. It can also help if someone isn’t able to manage their own budget.
Can I use a Direct Payment to pay a family member?
In England, you can’t normally pay a family member you live with to give you care, unless your council or the NHS agrees it’s the most effective way to meet your needs. You can usually pay a family member who doesn’t live with you, if they agree that person will meet your needs. A family member can also be paid to manage and administer the Direct Payment, if your council thinks that’s necessary. Your council or the NHS can confirm what applies to you.
What happens if a personal assistant can’t come to work?
We’ll plan for this with you in advance. We don’t usually provide emergency cover, but you may be able to add it to your plan, so a manager is there to advise and help cover shifts. Otherwise, a manager will help you work with the local authority or ICB duty team to make sure your needs are met.
What do nominal and notional budgets mean?
With a nominal budget, the local authority manages the money and pays providers directly, while you choose your care. With a notional budget, the local authority works out an indicative amount, and you use that to plan your care, while the funding still comes through them.
This is general information. Your council, the NHS or your social worker can confirm what’s available to you.
fancy a chat? You’ll always get a real person, and a friendly one at that.