A direct payment is a cash payment from Community Care Services in lieu of a service they arrange for you, such as home help, meals on wheels, a day centre place, or a place in residential care. You take the responsibility of using this payment to organise the support best suited to your needs.
We can help you do this.
Unlike other services which are provided for you, the scheme allows and encourages you to be at the centre of your life and be in charge of a system you create and manage for yourself.
A direct payment is intended to promote independent living. Direct payments money may be used to assist you on an ongoing basis with a range of personal and domestic tasks.
But a direct payment could also be a one-off payment from RBK Community care Services that will enable you to...
You can download our Guide to Kingston's Direct Payments Scheme or contact us to request one. Meanwhile, read on!
Today, 150 disabled and older people, aged 18 months to 100 years, enjoy new levels of choice, control and freedom in their daily lives using Kingston's Direct Payments Scheme.
They arrange and manage their own support services so they can live life the way they want to – instead of receiving a service from the council, such as home help, meals on wheels, a day centre place, or residential care.
This choice could be yours.
Kingston centre for Independent Living and the Royal Borough of Kingston are committed to promoting direct payments across the borough to all people who may be eligible to receive them.
Instead of getting services organised by Community Care Services, you'll be offered money to do this yourself.
If you qualify for the scheme on an on-going basis, you can use the money to get out and about, buy equipment, or to employ your own staff of 'personal assistants' (or 'PAs' for short) who will assist and support you as you require.
You'll decide who you have as personal assistants, what tasks are carried out, how these tasks are completed, and when they take place.
You'll benefit from having personal control and choice over how you use your direct payment.
The scheme is funded by the Royal Borough of Kingston [RBK], and managed jointly by RBK and Kingston Centre for Independent Living [KCIL].
The Direct Payments Support Service at KCIL offers a full range of support and advice to new and experienced users as they manage the responsibilities of the scheme.
A direct payment can be used for assistance with things like...
Different people use direct payments differently. Look at the choice, control and freedom direct payments offer Mental Health Service Users, older people, people with Learning Disabilities, and parents of disabled children under the age of 16.
These ideas will help you think about how a direct payment might work for you.
If you don't already have a care manager, a social worker, a care-co-ordinator or an occupational therapist, you'll need to get in touch with RBK's Community Care Services.
You'll first need to have your support needs considered by a member of staff from Kingston Community Care Services to see if you are eligible for a service. Ask for an assessment - it will be carried out in complete confidence.
To get ready for your assessment, you can keep a diary, or request or download a copy of our Guide to Self-Assessment.
You'll be asked what kinds of personal and domestic tasks you require assistance with, and the number of hours per week required to complete these tasks.
If you're already receiving a service, you can, if you wish, ask your care manager (or social worker, care-co-ordinator or occupational therapist) to arrange a direct payment instead of a directly provided service (such as home help, meals on wheels, a day centre place, or residential care).
You'll be referred to us - the Direct Payments Support Service at Kingston Centre for Independent Living - and we'll arrange to meet with you to help you get started.
The philosophy of the Independent Living Movement - or Disability Rights Movement - is based on the principles of self-determination, self-help and control.
Independent living is living just like everyone else. It's having opportunities to make decisions that affect your life and to pursue the activities of your choice, limited only in the same ways that non-disabled people are limited.
Independent living is all about self determination. It means having the freedom to learn from your experiences.
Direct payments give people the flexibility to live their lives the way they want to, and this can be very empowering and satisfying. Kingston scheme users say:
"Inadequate and limited 'home help' arrangements caused frustration, hopelessness and despair. The Direct Payments Scheme gave me flexible, adequate assistance. I became liberated, more fulfilled and light-hearted."
"A direct payment made all the difference to my mother's quality of life, and took the stress and strain of her daily care off my sister and me. I only wish we'd known about it sooner!"
"As soon as I came on the scheme, it enabled me to work."
"You have everything to gain, and nothing to lose, by taking up a direct payment."
You can also read some first-person accounts of how direct payments change lives.
This will depend on the outcome of your Care Manager's assessment. The amount of money provided will depend on how much assistance you need to live independently in your own home, as well as on the availability of funds.
You'll be fully involved, with advice and support, in working out how much assistance you need. Once the amount is agreed, you'll be given a budget to work to.
You'll find the details of your allocation on the Commissioning Form your Care Manager will send you.
If you'll be receiving a direct payment on an on-going basis, you'll need to set up a "Direct Payments bank account." The Direct Payments Support Service at KCIL will give you advice on how to do this.
Initially, you'll receive a start-up cheque from KCIL; subsequently, you'll receive this money directly into your "Direct Payments bank account" on a quarterly basis.
If you'll be receiving a one-off payment, this will come in the form of a cheque from the RBK Finance Department. You won't need to set up a separate bank account.
Your Care Manager (social worker, care co-ordinator or occupational therapist) will tell you what you'll need to do.
Yes. Your Care Manager (social worker, care co-ordinator or occupational therapist) will explain these to you.
You can complete a financial assessment to ensure that you are not charged any more than you can afford to pay.
A direct payment is intended to promote independent living. Direct payments money may be used to assist you with ongoing personal and domestic tasks, such as...
A direct payment could also be a one-off payment from RBK Community care Services that will enable you to...
If you decide to take up a direct payment you will have some responsibilities.
If you'll be receiving a one-off direct payment, the responsibilities are straightforward and simple. Your Care Manager (social worker, care co-ordinator or occupational therapist) will explain what you'll need to do.
If you join the scheme on an on-going basis, you'll be taking on the responsibilities of an employer – but support and advice are always available to assist you as you take on these responsibilities.
For example, your employer's insurance will be arranged and paid for, and we offer employment-related advice and templates of forms that you can use (such as a contract of employment for your PAs).
When you join, you'll be required to sign a Direct Payments Scheme Agreement with KCIL and Royal Borough of Kingston, and it will spell out your responsibilities in full, but these will include:
Remember, the Direct Payments Support Service can help you with all of these! We'll make things as easy as possible for you. If you have any questions or concerns, contact us.
There are many lines of support open to you, and you can always get as much support as you need.
The Direct Payments Co-ordinator at Kingston Centre for Independent Living, Rosemary Green, and her staff team are able to assist and support you on every aspect of using the scheme, from taking on and managing staff, to keeping simple records. Contact us.
People already using the scheme meet regularly to provide support, share advice and arrange training. You can read about the Personal Assistant User Group Meetings to find out what these are like.
But direct payments users are also happy to offer one-to-one support. You can contact us if you'd like to talk to someone using direct payments as you think about whether you'd like to receive one.
Your Care Manager (social worker, care co-ordinator or occupational therapist) will be able to advise and support you. If you haven't got a Care Manager (or social worker, care co-ordinator or occupational therapist), contact Royal Borough of Kingston Community Care Services to find out how to get started.
Together, these sources of support will assist you in considering how you might use a direct payment, and to learn the skills you'd need to be an active and confident employer.
If you find it difficult to manage the scheme, all you need to do is arrange to meet with the Direct Payments Co-ordinator and/or your Care Manager (social worker, care co-ordinator or occupational therapist) to discuss your need for additional support, or for alternative services.
If you wish to close down your direct payments account, we can help you.
You may be wondering whether you might be eligible to get a direct payment, and, if so, how it could give you greater choice and control in your life.
The information on these pages gives you a general sense of what Kingston's Direct Payments Scheme is about, and how it works. But you may wish to contact us.
Rosemary Green, the Direct Payments Co-ordinator, and a dedicated staff team, make up the Direct Payments Support Service at KCIL. We're here to assist and support you on every aspect of using the scheme, all throughout the process of taking up a direct payment. We're happy to help you - phone or email us.
| Name | Position | Phone Number | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rosemary Green | Direct Payments Co-ordinator | 020 8481 1448 | rosemary.green@kcil.org.uk |
| At work Monday – Friday, from 9 am – 4 pm | |||
| Julie Turner | Direct Payments Outreach Worker | 020 8481 1441 | julie.turner@kcil.org.uk |
| At work Monday – Thursday, from 9 am – 2:30 pm | |||
| Sheila McLeod | Direct Payments Assistant | 020 8481 1440 | sheila@kcil.org.uk |
| At work Monday, Wednesday and Friday, 10 – 3 pm and Tuesdays from 10 am – 1 pm | |||
| Anne Frayda | Direct Payments Information Officer | 020 8481 1449 | anne.frayda@kcil.org.uk |
| At work Tuesday – Friday, from 10 am – 4 pm | |||
They can give you general information about the Direct Payments Scheme, and can refer you to a Care Manager, who can advise you on whether you might be eligible to receive direct payments. For general information, to request an assessment by a Care Manager, or to ask for a Care Manager, contact:
Customer Services will tell you which Community Care Team will be able to work with you to discuss your support needs.
For information about service charges for the scheme, speak to your Care Manager, or phone Home Care Accounts on 020 8547 6102.
You can find out more about direct payments on these websites:
