Paying for social care
Unlike health services, social care services are not free. If you are found eligible for support after an assessment, your local authority will do a financial assessment to determine how much you will need to contribute.
They will ask you about any benefits you receive, any pension or private income (such as earnings from rented property), and any savings you have. The amount of savings you are allowed may vary depending on where you live.
- Find out about paying for care in Scotland and Wales
- Rules in England and Northern Ireland
- Direct Payments
- Personal Budgets
England and Northern Ireland
- Your local authority must not charge you if you get Income Support, income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance or Pension Credit (guarantee credit only) and your overall income is less than a certain amount. They can, however, take into account any severe disability premium that is added to any benefits you receive.
- They should not take your earnings into account, or your partner’s.
The Disability Living Allowance care component is taken into consideration when charging for care. - They should only take your savings and capital into account if they are above a set limit.
- Your home cannot be taken into account when they assess your capital (although it can be counted if you are moving permanently into residential care).
- They should offer you advice on social security benefits that you are entitled to claim.
When assessing your contribution to the cost of your services, the local authority should take account of the ‘additional cost of disability’. This can include many different things – such as the additional cost of heating, if you have to use the heating more than would be expected, or additional laundry costs.
This can also protect some of your savings (for example, if you can show you need to save to replace an adapted vehicle or other specialist equipment). Ask for such costs to be taken into account.
Direct Payments
Direct Payments are cash payments given by Local Authority Social Service Departments to people who have been assessed as needing community care services.
By receiving money instead of a social care service, people are able to make their own decisions about how their care needs are met and how services are delivered.
You might use Direct Payments:
- To help you do your shopping or to pay someone to do it for you.
To pay for some care while your carer has a break.
- To provide your own care via personal assistants or an agency
- To employ a relative to help you as long as they are not living with you.
- In Scotland it may be allowed to employ a close relative, provided the Local Authority is satisfied that this is necessary to meet your need for the service. For more information on direct payments in Scotland visit www.selfdirectedsupportscotland.org.uk.
- You can decide at any time that you don't want to get Direct Payments any more, and would rather have services arranged for you.
Personal budgets
With a personal budget, you and your social worker agree a Support Plan. This looks at outcomes – what you would like to achieve – rather than simply focusing on how the money is spent.
For example, you can use it to pay for something such as gym membership – provided that it is helping you to achieve the outcomes agreed in your Support Plan.
Find out more about personal budgets on the Department of Health website, and more about personalisation through the National Centre for Independent Living.
