What are Personal Budgets?

A Personal Budget is a sum of money provided to people who are eligible for Care Trust Plus funded help with their social care and enable them to manage their own package of social care services.  The amount of money a person receives in their Personal Budget is worked out after the self-assessment questionnaire is completed.

A Personal Budget lets people know what money is available to spend on their care, to allow them to plan how they want to achieve their care and support goals, to improve their quality of life. It allows people to be in charge of their own lives and to develop a package of support services, personal to their requirements, rather than being told which services are available to them.


What can be bought with a Personal Budget?

Personal Budgets are often used to buy domestic home help to cook, shop, clean and to gain personal care such as washing, dressing and going out. These services can be gained by hiring a care agency support worker or by employing a Personal (care) Assistant to work for the person. Personal Budgets are also sometimes used to buy holidays, leisure activities, driving lessons, computer equipment, to become a member of a gym or football club.

What are Direct Payments?

A Direct Payment is given to a person to buy the social care services they have been assessed as needing. The payment is made as an alternative to regular services provided by the Care Trust Plus.

A Direct Payment can only be used for social care needs, not health care. A person can however choose to receive their support in part by a Direct Payment and in part by the Care Trust Plus.

One way a person can use a Direct Payment, is to pay for their own support, either by employing someone themselves or buying support through an agency.