The Individual Budgets Pilot is an exciting new initiative that aims to transform the way social care services are delivered.

Bath and North East Somerset is one of only 13 councils selected by the government to participate in this 2 year pilot project.

Individual budgets are designed to help people to take control of their own social care budgets, manage their support and choose the services that suit them best.  They put the user at the centre of the planning process, and recognise that they are the person best placed to understand their own needs.

Key elements include: Transparency: people are told how much money they are entitled to spend on their own support. Support Planning: people can develop their own plans, with support if necessary.Flexible Funding: people are allowed much greater flexibility in how they spend their funding.

The pilot initially involves social care funds but will gradually implement other funding streams: supporting people funds, equipment services, independent living fund and access to work.

A key benefit of combining funding streams is that, people who use Individual Budgets won't have to repeatedly provide the same information to different agencies.

We are aiming to recruit a total of 80 people onto the scheme and will be targeting people with learning difficulties, older people and people with physical impairments.   

If the pilots prove to be successful, Individual Budgets will be rolled out to all local authorities by 2010.

Who's Who

Pam Richards is the Project Lead and oversees the whole project

Claire Cope is the Project Manager and is responsible for the day to day running of the project

Susanna Watson is an Individual Budgets' social worker and is involved in development work and support planning

Helen Thomson is a support planner and helps people with learning difficulties to write their support plans

Deborah Wales is a support planner and helps people with learning difficulties to write their support plans

Sandrine Humphreys is a support planner and helps older people and people with physical disabilities to write their support plans

Lucie Cooper is the project administrator