Prepaid accounts
Most people have their direct payment paid into a prepaid account. This is a bank account arranged for you by us. It works like an ordinary bank account where the funds go into the account and you can use them to pay personal assistants or services.
If you receive your direct payment into a prepaid financial services account, you can visit the prepaid card portal.
Managed bank accounts
If you need some extra support with your direct payment, you can receive a direct payment via a managed bank account. This is where your direct payment is paid to a third party who use the money to pay for things on your behalf.
With a managed account they provide documentation to us on your behalf so you don’t need to keep records. You are still responsible for making care arrangements and being the employer if you choose to employ a personal assistant.
The payroll providers on the Derbyshire personal assistant register, all have managed bank accounts for you to choose from.
Paperwork
When you start on a direct payment, you will sign the direct payment agreement. This is a contract which you sign to say you agree to use the direct payment only to meet your outcomes. This will be documented in the support plan.
If you employ someone, you will need to complete some paperwork to set up their employment. Such as providing them with a contract of employment, setting up a payroll provider and purchasing insurance. Blue Sky Brokers can help you with all of this.
You need to keep all receipts, invoices and timesheets related to the direct payment. If you have a direct payment via a managed account, they will keep these for you.
If you receive your direct payment via a prepaid account, you just need to keep these safe. We can audit the prepaid account with no work to you, and mostly people don't have to send in any paperwork.
We may request paperwork though, so you need to keep all these safe in case we do.
Examples of direct payments
Some examples of how direct payments have been used in Derbyshire to meet people's individual circumstance:
Adam, Ben, Chris and Denise have learning disabilities. They previously attended a day centre together. They now each have a direct payment they use to contribute towards a shared personal assistant. They go out into the community together with the personal assistant, sharing the costs of the support. This means that they maintain their friendship with each other, access the community, engaging in social activities in a meaningful way.
Steven and Andrea are a couple who both have a visual impairment. They both receive a direct payment. Andrea has a direct payment which is used to employ a personal assistant to support her with activities of daily living. Steven has his own direct payment which is used to fund a special app on his phone which helps him to be independent. If he needs extra help, he can pay his partners PA to support him from his direct payment.
Mary is an older woman who has a direct payment which she uses to arrange support at home from a care agency. Care staff help her with getting washed and dressed in the morning and evenings. They also support with shopping and meals. This means she contacts the agency directly when she wants to make changes to her care and gives her some flexibility. We provide her with money, which she uses to pay invoices from the agency.
Megan is 22 and has complex health needs and a significant learning disability. Her support is jointly funded with Continuing Health Care. Having a direct payment means Megan can access a number of bespoke services such as a specialist day centre, domiciliary support and personal assistants. Megan didn’t respond well in residential respite but her direct payment means that her parents could be creative. Megan now takes her PAs to stay with her in an accessible rental property, giving her parents a much-needed break.
Amir has a physical disability and needs help with general activities of daily living such as getting dressed, getting a wash and preparing meals. He also needs some help getting out and about. He uses his direct payment to employ personal assistants who visit every day. He likes to save some of his social hours so he can sometimes go out for longer days to the seaside.