Before a direct payment is arranged, a social worker or care manager will talk to you about how many hours support you will receive. Once this has been agreed, it will be set out in your Support Plan. You will be sent an offer letter based on this information. This letter will explain to you how much money you will get for each hour of support you need. You will be asked to sign an agreement with the Local Authority. The agreement will explain what you can expect of the Local Authority and what the Local Authority will expect of you.

You will need to open a separate bank account for your Direct Payments, into which the money will be paid on a monthly basis in advance.