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Means tested financial assistance

You can choose to let the local authority manage your care for you and in doing so they will assign you a home care agency of their choice and will pay them directly. If you are eligibe for funded care then the social worker will talk through how the process works and you can choose from several options which give you differing levels of control over your care.

Local Authority Standard Contract

You can choose to let the local authority manage your care for you and in doing so they will assign you a home care agency of their choice and will pay them directly. If you have a preference for using a different care agency you can still request this from your social worker and they will arrange this for you. If there is a price difference then you may have to pay the difference yourself or choose to have fewer visits.

For more information on Direct Payments contact your local Social Services Department or the Department of health  www.doh.gov.uk  or www.gov.uk

Personal Budgets

The alternative to the council arranging care on your behalf is to have a personal budget which your social worker will discuss with you. Personal budgets have been designed to give people more control and flexibility with the care they receive.

If you are eligible for a personal budget you are allocated an amount of money from which your care is to be purchased. You can choose who provides this care to you and how you structure it in order to best meet your needs. The following are examples of personal budgets:

Direct Payments

If you request a direct payment the local authority will pay an agreed amount of money to you regularly with which you purchase your own care directly from a care provider. The direct payment can also be managed by a relative or friend.

Individual Service Funds (ISF)

An ISF is when an agreed amount of money is paid directly to a care provider e.g. an agency and you arrange your care directly with the agency. This is designed to give you flexibility so if you have money left over one week you can use it the next week to be taken out to the shops for example.

Council Managed Fund

If you prefer you can choose to have a personal budget but then request that the council manage your fund for you in line with your wishes.

You can choose to take money out from your personal budget either in the form of a direct payment in cash, as services or a mixture of both.

If you would like more information about any of the funding options you should speak to your social worker.

Non means tested financial assistance

There are other sources of financial help available which are not means tested:

Attendance Allowance

This is a non-means tested benefit for people over the age of 65 who need help with personal care. You should be able to apply for this benefit directly without having to be assessed by a social worker. For more information about this benefit visit: https://www.gov.uk/attendance-allowance/overview

Disability Living Allowance (DLA)

This is a non-means tested benefit for people under the age of 65 who need help with personal care. You should be able to apply for this benefit directly without having to be assessed by a social worker. For more information about this benefit visit: https://www.gov.uk/dla-disability-living-allowance-benefit/overview

NHS Continuing Healthcare Funding

If you have a health condition that is the reason that you require care then you may be eligible for Continuing Health Care funding which is paid for by the NHS for people with ongoing healthcare needs. To find out if you are eligible you should contact your local Primary Care Trust (PCT).