A 'nominated person' is different to someone appointed as a 'suitable person'. A suitable person manages and operates the direct payment on your behalf if you lack capacity to make decisions yourself.
If you want to take up the offer of direct payments, but not sure whether you can manage it by yourself, there is support available to you.
Firstly, it is important to note that we provide a Direct Payment Support Service through Dewis Centre for Independent Living (CIL) to help you manage a number of aspects of your direct payments, including recruitment, payroll, general advice etc. Dewis CIL will allocate a case worker to you who will be there on hand to help you manage your direct payments.
However, you may feel that you need a little more help and so you can nominate someone that you trust to assist you to manage with aspects of your direct payments such as reading letters, speaking on your behalf etc. We call this person a 'nominated person'.
You will still be solely responsible for your own direct payments with this assistance as a nominated person does not have any legal responsibility for the direct payments.
We would need to be satisfied that anyone you nominate is appropriate and is also willing and able to provide the support you need. Your nominated person would also be able to access the support provided by Dewis CIL.
Both you and your nominated person will have to sign the Direct Payments Agreement.
You should also note that your nominated person cannot be employed by you as a personal assistant with your direct payments. This is because there would be a conflict of interests, so you should consider this if you were thinking about employing this person as your personal assistant, as they cannot take on both roles.
If you would like to have a nominated person to assist you to manage your Direct Payments please let your social worker know.
