Direct Payment Support Service
Service available to Hammersmith & Fulham residents only
What is a Direct Payment?
Money is made available by Hammersmith and Fulham Council to individuals who are eligible for social care services. This is called a Direct Payment.
A Direct Payment gives you the opportunity to purchase your own support. The goal is to empower you by giving you more flexibility, choice and control over how services are provided to you.
What is a Direct Payment?
Set Up
If you want to receive a Direct Payment your social worker or assessor will make a referral to us. From there, we can meet at our offices or in a convenient location (including your home) to support you in setting up and managing your Direct Payment. This can include:
- Options for managing your payments and support
- Choosing a suitable agency or provider
- Paying for activities in your community
- Explaining how the Council monitors your payment
Recruiting a Personal Assistant
We can support you in hiring a personal assistant.
- We will help you write a job description outlining what kind of person you are looking for and detailing the tasks involved
- We can place adverts on job sites
- We can also assist with interviews, references, DBS checks, setting up insurance and providing contracts of employment
Advice and Information
Are you thinking about using a Direct Payment, but would like more information? We will be here to any answer any questions you may have.
We can also:
- Introduce you to other people who use Direct Payments
- Signpost other helpful organisations
- Provide ongoing support while you are using your Direct Payment
Training
We can direct you and your personal assistant (PA) to any relevant training that may be needed.
Action on Disability hosts a range of training. Information about training can be found here or Email: info@aod.org.uk or Call 0207 385 2098.
Skills for Care have funding available for individual employers. We can help you apply for this funding. For more information, click here to visit their website.
Keep an eye on our website for more information on Action on Disability training!
Upcoming Training:
List of training- in person
- First Aid Training – 6th February 2025 (in-person training, open now):
A 1-day course which identifies the role and responsibilities of first aiders, and details ways to minimise risk of injury. It also includes how to deliver emergency first aid at work, allowing learners to practice putting people into the recovery position, CPR, and how to recognise and treat scalds, shock, and cuts.
This qualification will allow learners to assess a person’s level of consciousness and determine the status of their airway (whether it is blocked). It is a valuable qualification to have to ensure staff members and clients are safe in the workplace.
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/first-aid-training-tickets-1207493087329?aff=oddtdtcreator
- Being an Independent Employer (online training, coming soon):
This session will introduce current IEs and people who are becoming an IE to Employment legislation, Recruitment, Inductions, Supervision, Boundaries, Disciplinary & Grievances, Health & Safety incl. risk assessments and the role of the Support Service.
- Dementia Awareness 4th February 2025 (in-person training, open in now):
This course is designed to explain what dementia is and how to deal with dementia in people
- Epilepsy Awareness – 20th March 2025 (in-person training)
This course is designed to explain epilepsy and how it can affect people
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/epilepsy-awareness-tickets-1214852409259?aff=oddtdtcreator
- Handling Challenging Behaviour – 4th March 2025 (in-person training, open now)
This course covers how to recognise and address challenging situations using strategies developed through psychological theories and relevant case studies. You’ll learn how to recognise the warning signs of conflict occurring or escalating and use strategies to deal with situations where aggression is escalating.
Direct Payment Peer Support Group
The Peer Support Group is facilitated and attended by people who receive a direct payment in Hammersmith and Fulham. They support each other in lots of ways. The meetings give you a chance to meet other DP recipients, raise concerns, share ideas and listen to speakers who are invited along to talk on different topics.
The group meet regularly at AoD’s offices, Centre for Independent Living, Mo Mowlam House, Clem Attlee Court, London, SW6 7BF. The group send information shared at each meeting to everyone who has signed up. This means that people who can’t attend don’t miss out!
Meetings are accessed in person at our offices or via Zoom. Please contact us for the meeting link, we can also send you some guidance on how to use the platform.
Contact:
Please send an email to
Or a text or WhatsApp message to 078 2499 0072
For us to add you into our mailing list.
Factsheets
We have created some useful factsheets, which are available in Easyread formats on request. These factsheets were co-produced with our partners Ruils and the Direct Payment Peer Support Group. We will continue to create more factsheets to help you understand Direct Payments and your employer responsibilities, so keep checking the website for updates. Click on the buttons below to download the factsheets.
