Individual Service Funds

We call it “Your Support Money.” It’ll help you get the most from your life:

We currently support over 150 people through Individual Service Funds, or ISFs. When we talk to you about it, we’ll call it “Your Support Money.”

With Your Support Money, you direct how your budget is used, without having to directly handle the money. Dimensions does that for you. This opens up completely new ways to get the support you need to have a good life.

The best way to understand ISFs is to read about how they are changing people’s lives whilst often saving the public purse significant sums of money:

Managing ISF Finances

We’ll help you understand what your support money can and can’t be used for, and we’ll work together to help you get the most out of your life – safely.

We start by exploring what matters most to you and what will help you thrive.​ We help you focus on achieving your goals in life. We’ll convert your assessed care hours into a flexible, spendable budget meaning you can spend your budget creatively and purposefully, and change the spending decisions you make over time.

We’ll work with you and your loved ones to track how you use your funds in line with your support plan, using practical tools such as virtual wallets and exploring new concepts such as https://monika.org.uk/. This ensures we’re transparent and accountable while we all celebrate your successes together.​ 

Whatever balance of support, equipment or activities you spend your money on, it’ll always be you in the driving seat and it will always be aligned to the life outcomes you are aiming for.  

Quality support

George and Stewart, Andrew and Jack’s stories all show quality driving outcomes.

In every case, investing in additional management time, professional Positive Behaviour Support and a higher quality support team led to people living a better and fuller life with choice and control, often alongside longer-term savings for commissioners.

Individual Support Funds can work for people of all gifts, abilities and needs – whether you’ve mild to moderate or profound and multiple learning disabilities, complex health or forensic support needs.

We prioritise community, supporting you to get to know your local shop and cafe owners and be helpful to your neighbours. We’ll support you at faith groups, discos, health & exercise groups and other activities in line with your interests.  We’ll ensure you get the right healthcare and are comfortable and safe in a home that meets your needs. And most importantly, we get this right by working in close partnership with families .

Goal setting

You are at the centre of your support – we call this person-centred, active support. We’ll plan together for work, hobbies, relationships, health, home and housemates. Your support plan helps us find out what is important to you, and for you, and is created with you and the people that matter to you.

Your support plan is personal, creative and collaborative – expressing your gifts, ambitions and needs in a way that means something to you. It is an active document that you own.

We’ll see the potential in every moment of your day. We’ll set goals with you in different parts of your life, and then work out steps to help you achieve those goals. Your ISF will give us the flexibility to spend Your Support Money on the right things for you.

Every year, we’ll celebrate your achievements and your life through a Person-Centred Review. This reminds us all what matters to you, helps you to see what’s possible, identifies challenges and agrees how we can best support you to live the life you choose with ever-greater choice and control.

This sets you up for a full and happy life.

If you don’t want Dimensions’ support any more…

That’s ok too. We can charge a small amount to simply continue to manage the money and support you to choose how to spend it, whilst keeping you safe and sticking to legal and ethical standards.