Direct payments
Direct payments give you greater choice and control over how your care and support needs are met. Instead of the council arranging services on your behalf, payments are made directly into your direct payment account, allowing you to arrange and purchase the support that works best for you.
Direct payments are flexible. You can choose the services and support you prefer, as long as you can demonstrate that they meet your assessed needs, as detailed in your Care Act assessment. If the council has determined that you are eligible for social care support, you may be able to receive direct payments, depending on the outcome of your financial assessment.
You would then arrange your own care and support following your care and support plan. Kirklees Council ensures your personal budget will meet your unmet needs. This gives you more control and flexibility, but also more responsibility.
How you can receive your direct payment
You can choose to receive your direct payment in the following ways:
- Prepaid card to manage your direct payment - This is the simplest and easiest way for you to manage your direct payment, which looks similar to a debit card and works in the same way.
- Direct payment to a bank account - This is where money is paid into a normal high street bank account. This would involve you submitting regular evidence for monitoring purposes such as bank statements. The account must be in name of the person receiving the direct payment, but must be a separate account from your usual bank account to clearly show the money being spent on your support.
- Managed accounts
Support to manage your direct payment
Hiring support
- Employing a personal assistant
- Self-employed personal assistant
- What a personal assistant should expect from their employer
- Care agency
Services
The council will monitor direct payments to ensure they continue to meet your needs. Your support plan will be reviewed by the council within the first three months, and then at least annually.
Your Care Act review is an opportunity to look together at how things are going for you, whether the outcomes in your care plan are being met and see if they still feel right for you. It's also a chance to check if anything has changed in your care and support needs, and to make sure any risk assessments are up-to-date.
Policy and guidance
We've updated our direct payments policy and guidance - this will be introduced as user agreements are updated from Summer 2026.
How to contact adult social care services
The Community Health and Social Care Hub is the contact for anyone that would like further information or advice on adult social care and support services available in Kirklees.
Contact adult social care services
Better Care Support
Instead of phoning you can complete an online self-assessment of your needs through Better Care Support . This will help you find the support you need and to self-refer to social work teams. The information you give will help teams to work with you to find services that meet your care and support needs.