Adult care: Personal budgets and direct payments
A personal budget or direct payment is the amount of money we provide to meet your agreed support needs.
A personal budget gives you the independence to:
- choose and control the support that is best for you
- be fully involved in decisions about the help you need to live independently
- support yourself in ways that suit you
How do I get a personal budget?
You can only receive a personal budget or direct payment, if you have been assessed by us.
The assessment is simply a discussion with you to help us understand the type of support you might need.
Requesting support
See: Getting in contact to discuss your needs
Managing my personal budget
Your personal budget can either be paid directly to you or to someone else who supports you if you aren't happy dealing with the money yourself.
Alternatively, we can arrange for a service provider to manage your personal budget for you.
The Care Act
- The Care Act places personal budgets in law and clarifies the responsibilities of the local authority to place them at the heart of their care and support planning
- Everyone whose needs are to be met by Swindon Borough Council must receive a personal budget as part of their care and support plan
- The budget must give you clear information about the amount of money provided to meet your needs, how much you may need to contribute, and how much the council will contribute
- The personal budget must be enough to cover the costs of the assessed needs but will exclude any costs for services where the council is not permitted to charge
- The provisions of the Act apply to both adults and carers with care and support needs