Individualised budgets

Self Directed Support

Surrey County Council has been working with Service Users and their Carers, Voluntary Sector Organisations and Surrey Care Association to develop a new approach to how social care in the County is organised and provided. This approach is called Self Directed Support.

Self Directed Support is based on the understanding that people and their carers should have more “choice and control” in their lives. They should be directly involved in thinking about how the money being spent on their social care needs could be used in better ways. This will be partly about meeting basic support needs like help in the home. It could also be about people and their carers thinking about how some of the money could be spent in a way that recognises their individual circumstances (e.g. in terms of family relationships) and interests.

This approach also takes account of the support needs of those people who provide assistance to disabled people as unpaid carers.

Individualised budgets

'Individualised budgets' are not yet available in Surrey, however there are plans to introduce them in 2009/10 for all new users of social care services, and existing users there after. Individualised budgets will bring flexibility and transparency of funding to the provision of social care services allowing either:

• A direct payment, enabling you to arrange your own care services.
• To have that payment made to a broker or advocate who will help you arrange suitable services.
• To have services commissioned directly by Social services as they are currently.

Even though individualised budgets are not yet available, 'Direct payments' are available now to anyone over 16 who has a care plan stating they have a care need. Click on 'Direct Payments' to find out more.

Who or What are Brokers?

Brokers are individuals or organisations who enable service users to make informed choices about the type of care they want to purchase.
Brokers are independent of social services and care providers, so they have no alliance with any commissioner or provider of services, but work on behalf of the individual needing care.
They have no right to agree or veto a plan of care, or to talk to other people (e.g. Care managers), to get or share information about the person they are working for, without their consent.
The scope of the brokers role can be wide ranging and include:

• Helping people to identify the changes they want to make to their lives with their care.
• Sourcing support services and community opportunities.
• Negotiating with providers to achieve the best price for care.
• Cost and write a support plan on behalf of their client.
• Initiate the implementation plan for the care agreed.

As Surrey moves forward with Individualised we will update this page to keep you up to date.