Direct Payments – working or not working?

The advent of the coronavirus pandemic afforded an opportunity for people involved with direct payments to reevaluate how they should work. Although direct payments are explicitly encouraged in the Care Act (2014) for people accessing care and support, experience has shown that they don’t always meet people’s aspirations for a more independent life. At the core of the report is a table showing what’s working and not working, which will be of interest to commissioners, social workers and people with a direct payment.

This document re-articulates what’s needed to enable people to arrange the care and support which best meets their needs and aspirations in line with the original intentions of the policy, and ultimately to contribute to a wider reform of social care.