Direct Payments If you are assessed as eligible for support, Adult Social Care will let you know how much money it should cost to meet your eligible needs. This is called your ‘Personal Budget’. If you wish to arrange part or all of your own care and support and your local council is contributing towards the cost of your support, you can receive its contribution through a Direct Payment. However, Direct Payments cannot currently be used to pay for residential or nursing care. With your Direct Payment, you can: • employ a care worker or personal assistant(s); • pay the care agency you choose to provide your
care worker or personal assistant; • pay people in your family who care for you – but this cannot be a person who lives with you, for example, your husband or wife; or • buy equipment or pay for activities agreed in your support plan. Direct Payments are available to all eligible adults, including people with a physical or sensory disability, older people, people with a learning disability and people with mental health needs. For more information on paying for care, see page 53.
Support for carers – do you look after someone who could not manage without you? If you look after someone on a regular basis, i.e. a parent, child, friend, neighbour or partner, in an unpaid capacity, you are a carer. You may not describe yourself as such, it’s just what you do, but without your support, the person would not be able to manage their daily life.
offering the carer a short break during the day; or the carer might just need someone to stay whilst they go out, having peace of mind that the person being cared for is safe. The assessment is free but there may be a charge for some of the services that are available.
Looking after someone can be a positive experience but it can also be an isolating, challenging and exhausting role, both physically and mentally. Carers may find they have little or no time for themselves or to look after their own health and wellbeing.
If a carer is eligible for support after the assessment, a support plan will be drafted. The support plan will take into account the carer’s financial means, and any help available to meet the costs of the support will be identified.
All carers are entitled to an assessment of their needs by the local council’s Adult Social Care department, which will help to identify support they can access. This assessment will provide an opportunity for the carer to discuss their role and identify services which they may qualify for. It may be possible for the person being cared for to have a short stay in an alternate setting – this is called respite care and will enable the carer to take a break from their responsibilities. It may also be possible for the person being cared for to access day opportunities outside the home, again
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Bedford Borough If you care for someone living in Bedford Borough, you can contact Adult Social Care on 01234 267422 or visit www.bedford.gov.uk/ social-care-health-and-community/carers Central Bedfordshire If you care for someone living in Central Bedfordshire, you can contact the Central Bedfordshire Carers’ Helpline on 0300 300 8036 or email customers@centralbedfordshire.gov.uk
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