It is a statutory duty as defined by the Care Act 2014, to offer a person a Direct Payment as a cash alternative to a directly commissioned care and support service where a person has been assessed as having eligible needs. This applies both to carers and people in need of care and support. The regulations of the Children Act 1989 also place a duty on Local Authorities to offer a Direct Payment to disabled children.

The review of Direct Payments was presented to the Adult Social Care and Public Health Committee on 29 November 2022 and approval was given to explore how a Personal Assistant (PA) register could best be delivered with the intention of increasing the numbers of people, carers and families choosing to use a Direct Payment. This report sets out the options as they relate to the Personal Assistant (PA) register as identified by the Direct Payments working group. The proposed model (Appendix 1) and Implementation Plan (Appendix 2).

This review has been a collaborative exercise and included, as equal partners, officers of the Council, people with lived experience, and representatives from Cheshire and Wirral Partnership NHS Foundation Trust (CWP) and the Wirral Community Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust (WCHCFT). The report supports the following priorities from the Council’s Wirral Plan:

· Working for safe and vibrant communities where our residents feel safe and are proud to live and raise their families.

· Working to provide happy, active, and healthy lives for all, with the right care at the right time to enable residents to live longer and healthier lives