Sometimes it can seem daunting to set up a direct payment, but here at Shetland Community Connections we provide independent support to guide you through the initial set up to ensure that this is not a barrier to you making this choice.
A direct payment is sometimes called option 1 of self directed support. You can receive a direct payment when you are eligible for social care support, this is decided with an assessment from a Social Worker. The assessment will look at how much support you need, they will then allocate you a budget.
You can use the budget to meet those support needs. This allows you to be in control of the support that you use and gives you more flexibility to meet your individual needs.
Shetland Islands Council have a good leaflet that you may want to look at:
It is important to remember that when choosing this option you will often become an employer, this means you have to take on the responsibilities of being an employer. For example, if you decide to employ staff, often called Personal Assistants (PA’s), we can help you think about what questions you may want to ask at interview, how to collect references and what things you need to think about to be a good employer.
Here is a guide to becoming a PA employer from Self Directed Support Scotland:
https://www.sdsscotland.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Being-a-PA-Employer.pdf
