Direct Payments Scheme

What is the Direct Payments scheme?

Direct Payments are a modern way for people to get the support and care they need. The project is paid for by the city council, and run by the voluntary organisation, Disability Solutions.

Direct Payments give people more control and choice. Instead of the city council arranging services for people, Direct Payments means that people can receive money to organise their own support or care. It means that people themselves can decide who will provide their service, how they will provide it and when.  

How can it help?

Some people choose to employ their own personal assistant.  For example, you may need help getting up or going to bed. With Direct Payments you can employ someone to come in when it suits you. Or rather than going to a private day care centre or one run by the council, you could use Direct Payments to purchase your own day care.  You may want to go to the theatre or to the local swimming pool, or even have a day out somewhere.

Direct Payments can also be used to arrange respite care, also known as a short break.  The money can be used to pay for private residential care in the city or elsewhere.  You may wish to have a short break in a hotel, a package break, or at a supported holiday village.

You will get a lot of support to help you manage your Direct Payments.  An adviser from Disability Solutions will work with you to set up whatever services you need.

Who can get Direct Payments?

If you are eligible for support from us (either for yourself, or because you provide regular care for someone else), then you can choose to take that support as Direct Payments.  You must be:

• over 18 years of age;
• living in Stoke-on-Trent or caring for someone living in Stoke-on-Trent; and
• have had an assessment from either a Home Care Assessor or social  worker, which has shown that you need some support. 

Nobody is forced to take their support as Direct Payments - it is just an option you can choose.

What can carers use the scheme for?

If you are a carer, you may be able to get Direct Payments to pay for services which give you a break or some time off caring. This could mean the person you care for receiving their own Direct Payments so they can have a short term break away from their home (sometimes called respite care). Or the scheme could pay for things to help you care, like travelling costs to the person's home or even a pay as you go mobile phone.

How can you ask for Direct Payments?

You need to contact your social worker if you have one. If you don't have a social worker, contact the Social Care Contact Centre on 0800 561 0015. 

What happens when you contact us?

When you contact us, we will ask you some questions to find out more about you, like your age, name and address. We then pass these details onto our social work or assessment team who will phone you within two working days. They will talk to you to find out a bit more about you.

If we can help you, the information gets passed onto a social worker or an assessor who is specially trained to help you find out what support would be best for you. They will either come and visit you at home or ask you to come into the office. Together, you can then plan what support you need. They try and see you and put the plan together in 28 working days.

When the plan is ready, we try to set up the Direct Payments within 28 working days. If you need any services to keep you safe and well whilst the Direct Payments are being set up, we will arrange these too.

Once the money has been paid into your Direct Payments bank account, you can choose who you want to pay to support you. It has to be spent on the things that were put down in the plan. 

Is there a charge?

There is no charge until we set up Direct Payments for you. You may then need to pay something for having this service. If you do have to pay something, it will not be any more than you would pay if you chose other services instead of Direct Payments.  We will talk to you about this.

Other organisations that can help

Disability Solutions run the scheme and you can find out more about what they do by looking at our frequently asked questions. You can also contact them and talk to them directly to find out more - click here for Disability Solutions contact details. But to ask for Direct Payments, you have to contact the city council. Independent Living Fund- click here to go to their website. This is a way that disabled people can get money to pay to live on their own, instead of in a care home. Some people can receive this and Direct Payments.

More information

To see our frequently asked questions about the scheme, or a letter written by someone using Direct Payments, click on one of the headings on the left.