The overall purpose of the Direct Payments Steering Group is to:
- enable more people in Hammersmith & Fulham to have a direct payment
- ensure support for direct payments is working well so people get the right help to use and manage their direct payments
Direct payments are payments that are made to people who are eligible for social care support, as an alternative to support that is arranged by the council.
Direct payments are important facilitators of Independent Living as people have choice and control to arrange their own support. People can put in place support that is flexible and right for them to improve their quality of life based on what matters to them.
Disabled people have pushed for better direct payment support and co-produced what good direct payment support should look like. This has resulted in HF now having a Direct Payment Support Service that is run by Action on Disability, a local disabled people’s organisation.