Direct financial payments (or vouchers) can be made by children’s services to the parent/carer of a disabled child to enable them to buy services directly themselves.
If children’s services:
- Assess that a child as being in need, and
- Agreed to provide support
then there is a right for the child and family to ask for direct payments.
The money or vouchers can be used to buy the services the child has been assessed to need. This is instead of children’s services providing the support directly. In most cases children’s services should agree to give you direct payments.
Young disabled people aged 16 and 17 are also eligible to receive direct payments to buy in their own care support. Their carers can also be assessed for support which can be provided in the form of direct payment hours.
It is important that families have specialist advice about whether direct payments should be made to meet their child’s needs. See the Disabilities (including learning disabilities) section of our Useful Links page for some relevant organisations.