Direct payments for adults

A Direct Payment is a method of managing some, or all, of a residents’ personal budget.

Through a Direct Payment, we make regular financial payments to the resident so they can arrange and manage their own care and support.

This gives residents more choice, control and flexibility over how their agreed care and support needs are met. This makes it easier to arrange care and support that fits their needs, routine, culture and lifestyle.

Who can get a Direct Payment

Anyone who is eligible for funding from Croydon Council Adult Social Care can choose to receive it as a Direct Payment.

This means they will have had:

a care and support assessment (sometimes called “a good conversation”) to find out whether their needs are eligible for adult social care support and to set their personal budget
a financial assessment to find out whether they need to contribute towards the cost of their care

Anyone aged 16 or over, with eligible care and support needs, can receive a Direct Payment.

How to get a Direct Payment

Residents should discuss using a Direct Payment to manage some or all of their personal budgets as part of the care and support planning process.

Once this is agreed, residents will sign a Direct Payment agreement which sets out the rights and responsibilities of Croydon Council and of the person receiving the Direct Payment

If the recipient later decides that a Direct Payment is not suitable for them, we will use their personal budget to arrange care and support services on their behalf.

If someone does not have a social worker, they can contact us to discuss their needs and request support for an adult.

What can a Direct Payment be spent on

With a few exceptions, a Direct Payment can be used in any way that meets a resident’s assessed care and support needs under the Care Act 2014. For example:

personal care, such as help getting up, washing and dressing
practical support, such as preparing meals, shopping and housework
support to get out and about, go to work, visit friends or relatives, or take part in leisure activities
support to look after their child if they are a disabled parent
support looking after the person they care for, or to give them a break from caring, if they are a carer

There is flexibility in how residents can use their Direct Payment to meet the needs outlined in their care and support plan. For example, if their support plan says their Direct Payment can be used to access the community, they should not need to ask permission for every individual activity.

The Small Good Stuff Directory has a list of small micro providers offering local, personalised services. Which could include help with washing, dressing, having a good meal, getting out and about, managing their home and garden, or providing carer respite. These organisations are available to Croydon residents aged 18 or over.

You can also find support using the Croydon Care Directory.

What a Direct Payment cannot be spent on

Residents cannot use a Direct Payment to pay for:

any unlawful activity
gambling or speculative investments
buying food, drink, alcohol or cigarettes
paying for anything that other departments or statutory organisations provide, for example, the NHS
paying any rent or household bills, for example gas and electricity bills
permanent residential placements
paying for services from Croydon Council
anything that financially benefits the person managing the Direct Payment
anything other than what is specified in the support plan and related to meeting agreed outcomes

If a resident is unsure whether they can use their Direct Payment for something, they should check with their social worker before spending the money.

Who is a Direct Payment paid to

Direct Payments can be paid to the resident, or to someone they nominate. If a resident lacks capacity, a nominee can be authorised to receive the Direct Payments.

Friends, family members or unpaid carers can also help a resident manage their Direct Payment. However, if a friend or relative manages their Direct Payment, they cannot also be a paid carer or receive payment from the Direct Payment account.

How Direct Payments are received

If the resident must contribute towards the cost of their care and support, we will deduct their contribution from their personal budget. The Direct Payment a resident receives will be the difference between their personal budget and contributions.

Almost all Direct Payments are paid into a dedicated Zempler bank account managed securely by the Kingston Centre for Independent Living (KCIL).

KCIL have been chosen by us to support residents to manage their Direct Payments. This can include support with employing Personal Assistants, understanding their legal duties as an employer and financial administration, for example, paying wages or invoices.

Once a Direct Payment is paid by us, KCIL will make payments on the residents’ behalf.

Where we agree that the resident can manage the Direct Payment themselves, they may be offered a dedicated Zempler bank account provided through Kingston Centre for Independent Living (KCIL). The resident will manage the account themselves, but KCIL and Croydon Council will be able to view transactions for monitoring purposes.

In exceptional circumstances, we may instead approve payment into a nominated high-street bank account. This must be a separate account used only for the Direct Payment, not their personal bank account.

Residents responsibilities for Direct Payments

A managed account does not remove a resident’s responsibilities, or those of their nominee, for tasks such as:

arranging the services in their support plan
directing their care and support services
keeping records that show how the money has been spent
legal obligations as an employer if they employ someone to directly support them

The records residents need to keep will depend on the size of their weekly Direct Payment budget, (for example, evidence of every payee or every transaction.

Residents do not have to manage everything on their own as KCIL can support financial administration.

How we protect public money

We will protect public money it manages by:

reviewing how residents spend their Direct Payment to make sure it meets the care and support needs identified in their assessment
asking residents to repay some or all of the money, or take legal action including prosecution, if they do not use it in line with their support plan
using residents’ information to prevent and detect fraud
sharing their information with law enforcement agencies and other organisations responsible for auditing or managing public money

Contact the Direct Payment support service

Residents can ask questions or raise concerns about Direct Payments via the following routes:

Kingston Centre for Independent Living (KCIL)

Telephone: 020 8546 9603
Email: croydon@kcil.org.uk
Website: https://kcil.org.uk/croydon/

Croydon Council

Website: Request support for an adult
Telephone: 0208 726 6500

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