Individual Service Funds

An Individual Service Fund, or ISF, is a way of managing the money agreed for a person’s care and support. The council agrees the budget, and a provider or another organisation looks after it on the person’s behalf. At Dimensions, we call this Your Support Money.

The person directs how the money is used, with any help they need to make decisions. The organisation holding the ISF keeps the records, arranges payments and explains what has been spent and what is left. The aim is to give the person more control over their support and their everyday life.

There are three main ways a personal budget can be managed:

• The council manages the budget and arranges support with the person.
• An ISF provider manages the budget and works with the person to arrange support flexibly.
• A direct payment goes to the person, or someone who can receive it on their behalf, so they can arrange support. Help with managing the payment can be available.

Different parts of the budget can use different arrangements. The person and their social worker should talk through the options and what each would mean in practice.

The organisation holding an ISF may also provide some or all of the support. It can also buy support from other organisations. A support broker may concentrate on helping the person find, arrange and manage support provided by others. The agreement should explain which jobs Dimensions will do and what it will charge.

In conventional commissioned support, the council manages the money and arranges support.

In a Direct Payment, the person (or nominee) manages the money and arranges their own support, with help where needed.

In an Individual Service Fund, a provider (like Dimensions) or other organisation manages the money. The organisation works with the person to organise support in line with their choices and needs.

We’ll start by talking about the person’s life, what matters to them and what they would like to change. We’ll work with the person, the people they want involved and their social worker.

The council remains responsible for assessing needs, agreeing a suitable plan and budget, and reviewing them.

1. We’ll explain the choices. We’ll talk through how an ISF works and what other options are available. We’ll use information the person can understand and give them time to think. And we’ll find out how their council agrees ISF arrangements.
2. We’ll find out the starting budget. We’ll ask the council to share the assessment, the goals in the care plan and an initial budget. This gives everyone an amount to plan with. The cost of existing support can be a starting point, but the final budget must cover the agreed needs.
3. We’ll make a plan together. We’ll describe the support that could help the person live the life they want. We’ll work out what it will cost, including any ISF fee. We’ll show how their needs will be met and how the plan will cope with changes or unexpected costs.
4. We’ll agree the plan and budget. We’ll follow the council’s process for agreeing the arrangement. We’ll  be clear about what can change without asking again and what needs council approval. If the money is not enough, we’ll explain the shortfall to the council and work through it before starting.
5. We’ll put the arrangements in writing. We’ll explain the budget, fees, payments, statements and responsibilities in an agreement the person can understand. We’ll include how to ask questions, make a complaint or leave the arrangement. We’ll check who can sign or make each decision, and agree when support will start.
6. We’ll check how it is going. We’ll agree an early conversation with the person and a date for the council’s review. We’ll ask whether the support is working, whether the person can influence it and whether the money is enough. And we’ll raise problems as soon as they become clear.

The council’s care plan describes the needs to be met and the agreed goals. The more detailed ISF plan shows what will happen and what it will cost. The ISF agreement explains how the person and Dimensions will work together.