Direct Payments

What are Direct Payments?

If you think you need care or support services, Cumbria County Council's Adult Social Care service will carry out an assessment of your needs.  

Once we have carried out this assessment, there are three ways in which the services you need can be arranged:

• we can give you a Direct Payment so you can arrange your own services in the way in which you prefer; or
• we can arrange the services for you; or
• you can have a combination of the two.

A Direct Payment is money we can give you, to enable you to arrange and be in control of the services you choose to meet your needs.  For example, you can use the Direct Payment to:

• pay a care agency to provide you directly with services;
• employ your own staff;
• design your own service that fits your choices and needs;
• buy equipment that better fits your lifestyle;
• arrange your own respite care to offer you or your carer a break; or
• a combination of any of these.

However, there are some rules. You must spend your Direct Payment on things that your assessment shows that you need.  You can never use your Direct Payment to buy:

• services from the local authority
• long term residential care; or
• anything that does not meet your agreed needs.