Your Care - Better care and support using personal budgets

Cumbria County Council has made a major step forward to improve the care and support adults receive in Cumbria. From November 2009, we started to offer personal budgets to adults who need social care and support.

Using personal budgets, we can offer people who need support greater choice and control over the support they receive. For example, someone can use their personal budget to pay for a carer to take them out to a football match or bingo night rather than go to a day centre. Personal budgets can offer people more flexible support so they can decide what support they receive, who provides this, when and where. The important thing is that personal budgets must be spent on things which meet people’s assessed needs. Bernie could have gone to a day centre but decided to use direct payments to employ her own personal assistants. They help her go out and have enabled her to develop a busy work and social life. Bernie says: “By employing my staff, I tend to choose friends or people that know me. If I had life without this, I wouldn’t be able to do the things I’m doing. Life is so much better for me and I prefer it that way.”

How do personal budgets work?

People who need social care have an assessment  from us which works out how much money could be made available to meet their needs. They put together a support plan – with help if needed – which sets out what services they would like to meet their needs. Once the support plan is agreed, the funding is released and this becomes their personal budget.People can have their personal budget as a direct payment.  This is money we pay them to enable them to arrange their own support. Alternatively, we can arrange the support on their behalf.

Who can have a personal budget?

We are offering personal budgets to older people, people with physical disabilities and people with learning disabilities. Personal budgets apply to people living in the community. Different arrangements apply to people in residential and nursing homes and people wanting occupational therapy equipment. We are planning to offer personal budgets to carers and people with mental health problems later in the year.

How can I find out more?

If you are already receiving support from us, you do not need to do anything. We will discuss personal budgets with you at your next annual review. If you are not receiving support from us and think you may need this, please contact Customer Services at your local Adult Social Care office and ask for an assessment. We have new booklets and a DVD which tell you more about personal budgets. Social workers will share these with customers or you can see these on our website cumbria.gov.uk/adultsocialcare/sds