Aiming High for Disabled Children (AHDC): Direct payments

Contact:

Aiming High for Disabled Children implementation team
ahdc.implementation@dcsf.gsi.gov.uk

Provider:

DCSF

Topics:

Aiming High for Disabled Children, Health, Parents, carers and families, Social care, welfare, protection, Voluntary and community sector, Workforce reform and training

Type:

Information and guidance

Date:

May 2008

This set of resources provides information on direct payments: cash payments in lieu of social services which, following implementation of the Health and Social Care Act 2001, must be offered to parents of disabled children, giving greater choice and flexibility in how they receive services.

It is now mandatory for local authorities to offer the choice of direct payments. Because direct payments come under the Children Act 1989, direct payments should safeguard and promote the welfare of children in the same way as direct services.

The Government wishes to encourage further uptake of direct payments which provide more choice and flexibility about how service users have their needs met. In September 2004 nearly 2400 families with disabled children were in receipt of direct payments compared with about 29,000 families receiving services.  

The offer of direct payments should follow an assessment using the Framework for the Assessment of Children in Need and their Families (2000). Local authorities should refer to Direct Payments Guidance; Community Care, Services for Carers and children's services (Direct Payments) Guidance, published by the Department of Health in 2003.

Further information about direct payments is available on the  Department of Health website.

To help you select the resource most appropriate to your needs, we have provided some detail of the contents here:

Parents Guide to Direct Payments - a guide is for people with parental responsibility for disabled children who are considering using direct payments to purchase part or all of the services required by their child. It also provides advice on being an employer, how to advertise for a post, carry out interviews, and undertake checks and references.

Direct Payments Guidance - this guidance, issued in September 2003, assists local councils in making direct payments. This includes guidance on how local authorities can manage and administer direct payments.

Direct Payments FAQs - a resource created by Scope and the Council for Disabled Children dealing some of the most frequent questions asked about direct payments.

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Associated documents

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Last updated on 01/05/2009