Understanding the diverse sources of funding accessible for social care can be quite confusing. At Trimar Care, we are dedicated to streamlining the process, ensuring that people have full information available to them.

With the Government forecasting to personalise adult social care services even further, many people can now access Individual Budgets, Personal Budgets, Direct Payments and Independent Living Fund Payments.

Personal Budgets

Personal Budgets are a provision of funding to meet assessed needs. This permits a person to have control and choice over how their care and support needs are met and by whom. It can either be taken as a Direct Payment or left with councils to commission services, or a amalgamation of both. There is, therefore, a choice for people who do not want to take on the accountability of Direct Payment themselves. Personal Budgets are being introduced by councils over the next three years.

Individual Budgets

Individual Budgets – sometimes called Individualised Budgets – differ in that they cover a multitude of funding streams, besides adult social care, e.g. Supporting People, Disabled Facility Grant, Independent Living Funds, Access to Work and Community Equipment Services. Similar to Personal Budgets, an Individual Budget can be taken as a Direct Payment or left with the council to administer. It can also be given to another organisation to be managed on behalf of the individual, or any combination of the above methods, giving the person choice about how they obtain and manage their care/support package.