Direct payment information for new users

If your Social Care Assessment shows that you have eligible social care needs, you can decide: 

• to arrange the care and support yourself
  or
• to have the support arranged by the Council

You will have a financial assessment to identify how much you may need to pay towards the cost of your care. The Council will pay the remaining amount, this is called a Personal Budget.

If you choose to arrange the care and support yourself, we will give you the personal budget to you to arrange your own care and support. This is arranged as a Direct Payment.

The Direct Payment can be used in a variety of ways, but it must meet your social care needs reflected in your assessment.

A Direct Payment will let you arrange and manage your own support. You can choose the people who support you whether this is from a care agency or employing your own staff. Services can be flexible to suit your social care needs and you will arrange for a suitable person to support you with managing the Direct Payment.

Factsheet

If you would like more information about Direct Payments and how to manage your own support at home, please read our factsheet:

Managing your own support for your care at home

Should you choose support from a care agency we strongly recommend that they are CQC registered. You can find available care agencies in Cornwall using the CQC webpage.  You can find other local support by using the links on our Community Directory. 

Setting up a Direct Payment - what happens next?

If you have chosen a Direct Payment following your social care needs assessment, a Direct Payment Officer will contact you to arrange setting up your Direct Payment.

The Direct Payment Officer will provide advice if you have chosen to arrange a care agency or employ your own staff. You will need to read and sign the Direct Payment Declaration, as well as set up an account for the Direct Payment to be paid into. The Council has a preferred method of payment when providing money to you. This is an online bank account ‘AllPay’ which is preloaded with your monthly Direct Payment amount.

The Direct Payment money will then be paid into this account on four weekly basis.

The Direct Payment Officer will arrange an initial review within the first three months to check how things are going. An annual review is then arranged. We may advise a different review period for you but this will be discussed following your initial meeting.

Support with your Direct Payment

You can arrange for a suitable person to support you with managing your direct payment.  You or your suitable person can also arrange support from a service to help manage Payroll of the Direct Payment. We call these managed accounts.

Existing Direct Payment users often use one of the following:

• Solicitor
• Accountant
• Managed account or Payroll provider

Included in your personal budget is an amount to cover the costs of a managed account.

Direct Payment Declaration

The Direct Payment Declaration sets out the responsibilities for:

• the Council, and
• the individual receiving the Direct Payment

The Declaration will include details such as:

• your reference number (MOSAIC) which you can quote if you need to contact us
• the Council’s responsibilities and your responsibilities
• confirms requirements such as:
  • reporting expenditure
  • returning unspent funds
  • changes in the support you receive

The Direct Payments Team will support you with the setup of your Direct Payment and share the Declaration with you.

Declaration document

Direct Payment Fees 

How will I receive my Direct Payment

If you have chosen a Direct Payment to arrange your own care and support you will be paid your Personal Budget via AllPay. This is the Council’s preferred method of providing you with your Personal Budget monies.

Managing your Direct Payment with an AllPay account

The Direct Payments team will help you with setting up the account. Once you have activated the account, we then load the account with your Direct Payment funds every 4 weeks (in advance). 

The account works the same as a bank account and you can make telephone or online payments. You will also be able to pay in your financial contribution towards the cost of your care.  You must pay your assessed contribution to ensure you have enough money to pay to meet your care needs. Your contribution is the first part of the payment. The council will ‘top up’ to the agreed personal budget amount. The account works the same as a bank account so you can arrange to pay your chosen agency, personal assistant and other eligible needs.

You cannot withdraw cash or use the account to make payments through a card machine.

If you are managing a Direct Payment on behalf of someone else, we can still arrange the setup of the AllPay account for you.

Managing your Direct Payment via an AllPay account removes the need to submit bank statements to the Direct Payments Team. We can view your expenditure information via the AllPay account. The responsibility of the Direct Payment remains with you, or the person supporting you with management of the Direct Payment. We cannot make transactions on your behalf.   

Some more benefits of the AllPay Account include the following.

• The AllPay account is separate to your ordinary bank account.
• Transactions can be completed over the telephone or online
• We can support you easily when you have queries regarding your Direct Payment because we can see the activity on your account
• You can’t go overdrawn on your AllPay account
• You can easily track spend and manage your Personal Budget
• You won’t need to send in copies of bank statements from an ordinary bank account as we can review the transactions
• There is no charge for the issue or use of this account
• Your account is pre-paid, which means that you can only spend available funds in the account

Signing up for AllPay

Are you currently using a bank account to manage your direct payment? Would you like to switch to an AllPay card? If so, please contact us. We can assist you with the change to AllPay.

If you are setting up a new Direct Payment with the team, we issue you with your AllPay account at the start of your Direct Payment.

Read our factsheet on having an AllPay Account

How to setup an AllPay account

You will need to confirm your identity to confirm who you say you are and sign a card holder agreement. To confirm identify we ask the following documents are shown to the Direct Payments Team when setting up the account. 

• Photographic information e.g. a Driving Licence or Passport
• Proof of address e.g. a bill for water, electricity or gas
• A national insurance number

Once we complete your account set up, you have to register the account it to get activated. This is quick and simple step which you can do by calling AllPay Ltd on 0330 808 0102.

Please read the Agreement and ID check requirements for more information.

• AllPay ID Check
• AllPay Agreement

Returning fund balances

Funds on your card will be returned to the Council and we will talk to you to make sure we don’t owe you any money.

Contact AllPay

Visit the AllPay website

Or call AllPay Ltd Customer Services on 0330 808 0102.

This service will cost the same as a local rate call from your landline and mobile and may be included in inclusive call plans

About AllPay Ltd

The AllPay prepaid card is issued by AllPay Ltd pursuant to license by Mastercard International Incorporated.  AllPay Ltd is a company regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FRN 900539) for the issuance of electronic money.  Head Office and registered address:

Fortis et Fides
Whitestone Business Park
Whitestone
Hereford
Herefordshire
HR1 3SE

(Company No. 02933191)
Mastercard® is a registered trademark of Mastercard International Incorporated.