Direct payments, personal budgets.

Zziggi

Can anyone enlighten me please as to what is the difference between a direct payment and a personal budget please?

Are they the same thing?
If they are different, do they have different criteria?

Thanks in advance

Richie-from-the-Boro

Adult services [ not Scotland ].

You can either have services (1) - or the money and provide you own services (2) - or (3) which is a mix of 1 & 2 - see here -


(1) the council continue [ the way it is now ] in the way they manage your personal budget, and the services you need or ;

(2) give you the money [ Direct Payment ] and you take full responsibility for managing your money and the services you want, or ;

(3) you take full responsibility for managing your money [ Personal Budget ] but the council continue to provide you with the services you require.

"Are they the same thing ?" - No

"If they are different, do they have different criteria ?" Yes see above 3 is a mix of 1 & 2.

Hope this helps you Zziggi !

EDIT : I assumed your use of the word criteria was a mistake and you meant to say 'outcome' - if you meant to say criteria as in qualifying criteria let me know !

Zziggi

Thanks Richie.

I am still a bit confused though.

I know how direct payments work as I have one. The way it works here is the Social Services department assessed me as needing a particular type of help for a set number of hours. They then give me the money equivalent for the same number of hours help and I choose who I want to give me that help. The money has to only be spent on that particular type of help - not something else.

How are personal budgets different?

I ask because they are taking away my direct payment (although no one is saying I no longer need the service, they are just refusing to fund the service). However they are now talking about personal budgets. Therefore I wondered whether they are basically withdrawing a service i buy through direct payments and then allowing me to buy the same service but through a personal budget. Kinda robbing peter to pay paul, kinda loophole type situation.