York People First: People’s Parliament – Direct Payments – good support and managing your own support

At York People First’s last People’s Parliament the theme for this meeting will be:

Direct Payments – good support and managing your own support

If your local council decide you’re eligible for help with any social care and support you need you’ll be given a personal budget to spend. The money in your personal budget can be paid to you, to help you make more decisions about how it’s spent. This is known as a direct payment.

Direct payments give you more flexibility over how your care and support is arranged and provided.

For example, you could choose to hire care workers or personal assistants who:

• are always the same people and available when you need them
• speak the same language as you
• have experience working with your care needs
• are a specific person that has been recommended to you
• can help you get to shops or social events

There are many ways you could choose to use the money. It’s your choice as long as you’re spending your personal budget on things that meet your agreed care plan.

There will be a guest speaker, Pippa Murray of IBK Ininiatives Ltd to talk through how people manage their direct payments and how you can be in control of this.

There will also be case studies and group discussions covering issues people face, what good support looks like and how you can become a good employer.

The meeting commences at 10am although there will be registration and drinks from 9.30am.

Lunch will be provided between 12-1pm.