Personal Budgets for Adults

After you have had a care and support needs assessment, you may be allocated a Personal Budget to use to pay for your care and support.

If you receive a Personal Budget, we will give you some advice to help you plan how to use it.

A Personal Budget can be used in three ways. You can:

• Take your personal budget as a direct payment that you then decide how to spend
   
• Ask West Berkshire Council to arrange, manage and pay for your support (this is called a commissioned service)
   
• Choose a combination of both

Please note: Personal Budgets are for social care needs. There is a separate system called Personal Health Budgets, run by the NHS, for people with long-term health issues and disabilities.
 

Direct Payments

Receiving a Direct Payment means that you take responsibility for arranging and buying your care and support, to meet the needs that have been agreed in your support plan. 

People who decide to take direct payments have more choice and flexibility about how their support needs are met. 

Our Direct Payment Guide [249KB] provides details on the stages of setting up a Direct Payment and the help that we can offer.

Direct Payments can be used flexibly to:

• employ a Personal Assistant
• fund day activities or replacement care
• directly employ an agency
• or use a combination of council commissioned services

West Berkshire Council will need to agree your plan with you. If you decide on Direct Payments, you will need to sign a contract which clearly outlines your responsibilities and shows you understand them. This is called a  Direct Payment agreement [313KB] .

Once the Direct Payments are set up, we will make arrangements with you to monitor and review your account from time to time.
 

Paying for Adult Social Care Services

Adult Social Care services are chargeable. How much you pay will depend on your needs and your ability to pay for them.

We need to consider your individual circumstances and perform a financial assessment to work out how much you need to contribute toward your care.

You can find out more about charges for your care here.
 

Finding a Care and Support Provider

You may decide to use your personal budget to employ a personal assistant. 

You can read more about finding a trustworthy and approved personal assistant on the Assured care and support page.