Option 2 - Directing Your Support

Self- Directed Support Option 2 - Directing Your Support

What does directing your support mean?

Directing your support means you have choice and control over your support without having to take on the responsibility of managing your budget. You are in control and make all decisions relating to how and when you will be supported. You will decide on the goods, activities, and services you want to access, and these will be paid for on your behalf.

Your practitioner will discuss the available choices within Option 2 and will help you make an informed decision. The two choices are:

1. The council manages the budget on your behalf  
2. An Individual Service Fund manages your personal budget. With an Individual Service Fund, a provider holds your personal budget and will pay for your support on your behalf.

The individual makes all the decisions relating to where, how and when they will be supported. They decide on the goods, activities and services that they want to buy, access or use and these will be paid on their behalf by either the local authority or a third party Individual Service Fund.

Carers and option 2

Carers can help the person they look after to choose what kind of support they get, and they can also get support under Option 2 in their own right.

Your assessment and support plan

Once your eligibility for a social work service has been confirmed, an outcome-focused assessment will evidence your assessed needs. A Support Plan will then be completed by you and your practitioner which will focus on what outcomes you want to achieve and how you hope to achieve them. As part of the support planning process, your practitioner will advise you how much your individual budget is, as it should be very clear as to what monies are available and how these can be spent to meet your agreed outcomes. If you have any queries about the assessment and support planning process, you should contact your named practitioner.

Self Directed Support: Eligibility and Contributions

Your individual budget

The Council will inform you of the budget that is available for you to spend on meeting your agreed outcomes. This funding is provided by the Council and therefore must be accounted for and audited in line with statutory responsibilities. If a third-party organisation is managing your budget on your behalf (ISF) then we will require them to keep all relevant receipts, invoices and bank statements. Individual budgets will vary from person to person due to individuals having different needs, circumstances and preferred outcomes. You may want to choose an agency or organisation who can meet your assessed outcomes but the total cost of the support may exceed your individual budget. If this is the case, then you must pay the additional sum yourself. Your individual budget will be subject to review on an annual basis.

Self Directed Support: Personal Budget

One-off Payments

This type of payment enables the payment of goods, activities or services.  As with all personal budgets any expenditure must be linked to an assessed outcome and meet your identified support needs. A one-off payment may not be suitable for you. If this is the case, your practitioner will discuss the reasons for this with you.

Contributing to your care and support

A non-residential financial assessment will be completed, where applicable, to find out if you should make a financial contribution towards your support. Your practitioner will help you to complete the relevant form. Paying your contribution, if applicable, is your responsibility and you must pay this directly to the service provider you have chosen to use to meet your assessed outcomes.

There are two main types of contributions

• For a non-residential care contribution that requires a financial assessment to establish the contribution cost, WLC sends an invoice for these charges; no money is given to the provider.
• The second type of contribution is to the chosen service provider. This is only required when the individual budget is exceeded. For example: if the chosen service provider charges £30 per hour and the individual budget is set at £24/hr, then the service user would need to pay the £6/hr difference to the provider.  There is no financial assessment for this.

(Please note the above is for example purposes only and may not reflect actual rates and costs)

Self Directed Support: Eligibility and Contributions

You can get information and advice around Self Directed Support at any time by contacting our advice service providers. Self Directed Support: Getting Help with Decisions