Welcome to www.CompassDisabilty.org.uk

About Compass Disability Services and Direct Payments

Compass Disability Services actively supports and promotes independent living and self directed care. We are able to tender for support services in any County within the South West, whether this is for users of Direct Payments, Independent Living Fund or Individualised Budgets. We are also able to supply some of our services to people who fund their own care.

Compass Disability Services embraces the definition of disability contained in the Disability Discrimination Act 1995. Our emphasis, however is not on the individuals' impairment, but rather on the barriers which disabled people face in their everyday lives. We see Direct Payments and other funding for independent living as a means of achieving this through giving independence, choice and control to the disabled person, or the parent of a disabled child. Our aim is to support people in managing their funding to achieve this control over thier lives.

We are currently contracted by Wiltshire County Council to manage their Direct Payment Support Service. Please click here to find out more (WDPSS).

Several of our staff have extensive experience working for Direct Payment Support Services and our Chief Executive, Richard Pitman, has been a Direct Payment user for almost 10 years. He is still a member of the Somerset County Council Self-managed Care Group. He has overall management of the Direct Payment Support Services that are run by Compass Disability Services.

What is a Direct Payment?

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A Direct Payment is a cash payment made to an individual instead of direct care so that they can make arrangements that suit their particular situation. Since 2003 Social Services has a legal duty to offer a Direct Payment to anyone who is eligible for community care services and meets the Direct Payment eligibility criteria.

A Direct Payment gives you choice, control, flexibility and more independance when arranging the help you need. If you wish, you can use a Direct Payment to pay for some of your care and ask Social Services to arrange the remaining care. This is a good way to see if a Direct Payment is what you really want.

Who can have a Direct Payment?

• Anyone over the age of 16 who has been assessed by a social worker as needing community care. This includes people with a physical disability, learning disability, people who use mental health services, older people and those with sensory loss.
• Parents of a disabled child can receive a Direct Payment to pay for care for their child.
• Carers aged 16 and over who have had a carers assessment.
• To receive a Direct Payment you must be able to manage the money either alone or with help. You can have as little or as much help as you need, someone else can manage the Direct Dayment for you full time if necessary. The most important thing is that the person whom the Direct Payment is for decides how the money is used and who should be their carer.
• You must also give your consent. You cannot be given a Direct Payment if you do not want one. The law gives guidance on how someone with a learning disability might give consent.
• Some people can not have a Direct Payment. These are mainly those who can not arrange their own care under certain mental health or criminal justice legislation.

A Direct Payment is paid into a seperate bank account, so that it is kept seperate from your own money. It can only be used to pay for your assessed needs according to your care plan.