What Support is Available?

You can have as much support, as you need to help you to use Direct Payments. You can also choose who helps you to use Direct Payments. This may be a family member or an advocate.

You may need support when thinking about using Direct Payments; or when you first start to make your own care arrangements with your payments; or indeed, you may need some assistance on an ongoing basis to support you with the administration and management aspects of Direct Payments.

An information and advice service is available from Penderels Trust. They can help you with:

• Explaining what Direct Payments are
• How to access Direct Payments
• What Direct Payments can be used for and how they can be spent
• How to employ personal assistants and support workers with advice on how to be a good employer
• Contingency planning for emergency situations

Other than payroll services, there is no charge to you for advice, information and support from Penderels Trust.

A support network of people already using Direct Payments also meets regularly in Worcestershire to give people the opportunity to meet other recipients of Direct Payments to share ideas and information. Penderels Trust can give you information about the network and when they next meet.

You can contact the information and advice service at:

Penderels Trust
Unit 327
Hartlebury Trading Estate
Hartlebury
Kidderminster
DY11 4JB

Tel:   01299 253 225
Fax:  01299 251 206
Website: www.penderelstrust.org.uk
Email: worcester@penderelstrust.org.uk