The role of principal social workers (PSWs) is pivotal in ensuring that direct payments are used effectively and ethically, supporting the overarching goals of the Care Act 2014 to promote wellbeing and independence among people receiving care.
What does good practice look like?
While it is recognised that some PSWs do not have management responsibility for all social work or other social care practitioners who may be involved in direct payments, they play a central role in leading social work practice development and bridging any gaps with other leaders and managers.
Total control or complete freedom?
Key questions to consider are
- How clear do care and support plans (and support plans for unpaid carers) need to be?
- How much detail?
- How are they used by audit to agree or challenge expenditure?
The perspective from some finance and audit staff consulted in the development of this guidance was that care and support plans aren’t prescriptive enough; they lack detail about what individual people can spend their direct payments on, making it harder to audit because of the lack of clarity. On the other hand, social work practitioners talked about wanting to write more creative and flexible care and support plans, requiring the audit process to be more relaxed and permissive.
There is clearly a continuum of approaches, from detailed financial control backed up by detailed care and support plans, to permissive financial control, based on outcomes-focused, flexible care and support plans (and support plans for unpaid carers).
This reflects the tension between auditors wanting to be able to demonstrate full, detailed accountability for how public money is being spent and social work practitioners wanting to support people with the flexibility to arrange their care and support in ways that make sense to them, recognising that people’s needs can change from day to day and that there can be many different approaches to meeting eligible needs and achieving personal care and support outcomes.
The positioning of a council on this continuum depends on many factors and prompted one of the workshop participants to say, ‘We need strong and clear national guidance on how to audit direct payments – it makes no sense that there are 150 ways it’s being done!’
Some councils have tried to manage this tension by introducing policies that do not permit direct payments to be spent on particular things or putting controls on how people can use pre-payment cards. These approaches do not comply with the Care and Support Statutory Guidance, which states:
12.4 For direct payments to have the maximum impact, the processes involved in administering and monitoring the payment should incorporate the minimal elements to allow the local authority to fulfil its statutory responsibilities. These processes must not restrict choice or stifle innovation by requiring that the adult’s needs are met by a particular provider and must not place undue burdens on people to provide information to the local authority. An effective monitoring process should also go beyond financial monitoring and include aspects such as identifying wider risks and issues, for example non-payment of tax, and provision of employers’ liability insurance where this is appropriate.
I have confidence in those supporting me with my direct payment and that they are applying any legal frameworks fairly and proportionately.
How finance and audit staff and managers can ensure compliance, transparency and person-centred flexibility
Good practice in administering direct payments involves ensuring compliance, transparency, accountability, and person-centred flexibility.
Clear and accessible policies and guidance that make sense to finance and audit staff and managers, principal social workers, social work practitioners, people who draw on care and support and unpaid carers on how to manage direct payments are a key starting point.
- Workshop participant
Effective financial management and oversight needs to include robust financial controls to prevent fraud while allowing flexibility for personal choice. Getting the balance right between financial oversight and person choice is essential. Regular audits and monitoring of how people are using their direct payments should be provided to support and guide recipients with budgeting as well as meeting local authority requirements. Avoiding being overly bureaucratic is key. To do this there needs to be a range of different payment models on offer such as prepaid cards, managed accounts, and direct bank transfers, to suit different people’s preferences and needs. Finance and audit staff and managers should not try to have a one size fits all approach. Any record-keeping system needs to ensure people using direct payments can understand their financial responsibilities without feeling overburdened by the record keeping system.
Any financial model for managing a direct payment should be person-centred and flexible. It should promote choice and control by enabling people to tailor support to their needs and minimise unnecessary restrictions that may prevent innovation in the way people organise their care and support. It needs to ensure that payments are timely and consistent to avoid financial hardship for people. Automated payment systems and accessible support for users who may struggle with financial management are crucial.
To prevent fraud and to safeguard people, risk assessments should be proportionate without discouraging take-up. If misuse of funds is identified, finance and audit staff and managers should work closely with social work practitioners to balance risk management with empowerment.
Finance managers should offer training and resources to people, carers, and support organisations on how to manage funds. There should be clear escalation routes for resolving disputes or seeking additional support and collaboration with voluntary and independent sector organisations that can help people manage their payments. Finance managers should involve people in policy development to create a system that works for them.
Finance and audit staff should ensure clear communication about financial monitoring, reporting, and spending rules without being overly restrictive. People should feel confident that the council is fair, transparent, and supportive in managing their direct payment. Prevention of misuse or fraud should be balanced with empowering people.
Finance and audit staff should be fair and consistent in the application of legal frameworks, making sure that direct payments are administered in line with the Care Act 2014, the Mental Health Act (1985) the Mental Capacity Act (2005), and NHS Continuing Healthcare policies.
Finance and audit staff and managers should apply policies consistently to ensure service users aren’t unfairly restricted or disadvantaged in how they use their direct payments. All processes should be proportionate and person-centred, avoiding unnecessary bureaucracy. Finance and audit staff should ensure that people understand how their direct payment is calculated, paid, and reviewed. Accessible support should be provided for people who may need help managing their budget and buying their services or employing staff. This might include prepaid cards, managed accounts and support from third-sector organisations. All financial processes should be easy to navigate and ensure people feel supported rather than scrutinised.
When finance and audit staff and managers are considering risk management and safeguarding, they should ensure compliance with spending rules while respecting people’s autonomy. People should feel that safeguarding checks are in place to protect them, not to restrict their independence. Risk assessments should be fair, proportionate, and person-centred, ensuring freedom of choice in using direct payments.
Finance and audit staff and managers should work closely with PSWs and front-line practitioners to ensure direct payments policies are fairly implemented. They should support and expect co-production with people in designing finance policies so that they build trust and confidence.
If people lack confidence in the financial management of their direct payments, finance managers should actively seek feedback to improve policies. Finance managers should regularly review direct payments processes to ensure they remain transparent, fair, and user-friendly.
What this means for finance leads in practice is that people will be able to express high confidence that financial processes are working well. If not, finance teams may need to simplify processes to reduce bureaucracy, improve transparency in financial decisions, provide better communication and support and ensure the fair and consistent application of policies and processes.
How PSWs can provide leadership on effective administration of direct payments
"People don’t need to be placed into a box when it comes to outcomes. If you list the ‘activity’ being used to meet the outcome, the person and the service feel obliged to stick to that; this isn’t open for any flexibility when workers do this. We encourage them to list the needs and outcomes with a few examples of ‘activities’ but let the person know they can change the activity as long as the outcome is met. If you get this right, the audit is less onerous. It also stops people going back to the social work practitioner to see if they are allowed to change the activity. which is time consuming."
Workshop participant
For PSWs, providing leadership on effective administration of direct payments involves ensuring compliance, transparency, accountability, and person-centred flexibility, whilst upholding the values of choice, control, and empowerment for people.
PSWs have a key role in ensuring legal and policy framework compliance in line with statutory responsibilities. PSWs need to make sure that policies align with the principles of self-directed support and personalisation. PSWs should make sure that direct payments policies and procedures are coproduced and support person-centred and strength-based approaches.
PSWs should highlight the value of direct payments as a way of promoting independence, choice and control over care and support. Assessments and care and support planning should always be strength-based and enable a person to use their direct payment flexibly and creatively.
PSWs should ensure that social work practitioners are well-trained on direct payment legislation, policies, and best practices. Social work practitioners should have regular training on risk management, safeguarding, supporting people with direct payments and on Mental Capacity Act (MCA) assessments when a person’s ability to manage their direct payment is a concern.
PSWs should make sure that the application process and review process for direct payments is clear and simple. This should include advice and guidance on how direct payments work, what they can be spent on, what record-keeping is and what the reporting responsibilities are. All guidance should be available in different languages and easy-read formats. Independent advocacy support should be available where needed, under the Care Act 2014 and, where relevant, under the MCA 2005.
In the context of risk enablement and safeguarding, PSWs need to balance proportionate oversight with autonomy. PSWs need to encourage positive risk-taking while implementing safeguarding checks and support people who might struggle with managing finances by offering managed accounts or Individual Service Funds, third party arrangements and managed accounts.
PSWs should encourage continuous improvement and feedback, using case reviews and audits to identify barriers and improve the administration of people’s direct payments They should collect feedback to enable PSWs to improve and promote best practice. PSWs should share learning across regional networks and national forums to develop better policies.
Leading collaboration is an important part of PSWs role. PSWs should work closely with finance teams, health partners, community organisations, and personal assistant (PA) agencies. PSWs should ensure a seamless transition between social care and NHS Continuing Healthcare and support peer networks and user-led organisations to assist people in managing their support.
PSWs have a key role in ensuring equity and Inclusion by promoting direct payments uptake among under-represented groups, such as people from diverse communities. PSWs should challenge barriers to access, including discriminatory policies, unconscious bias, and digital exclusion, whilst championing fair pay and sustainable employment conditions for PAs.
PSWs should encourage continuous improvement and feedback, using case reviews and audits to identify barriers and improve the administration of people’s direct payments. They should collect feedback that enables councils to improve practice and to promote best practice. PSWs should share learning across regional networks and national forums to develop better policies.
By embedding person-centred, flexible, and accountable practices, Principal Social Workers play a critical role in ensuring direct payments empower people while maintaining financial sustainability and safeguarding.
Ensuring a person-centred approach to social work practice is a fundamental part of PSWs role. Trust and confidence in direct payments processes mean that people feel listened to, respected, and supported. PSWs should ensure that social work practitioners empower people to manage their direct payments in a way that promotes choice, control, and independence. PSWs should ensure that social work practitioners teams use a strength-based approach, supporting people without being overly restrictive.
PSWs should ensure social work practitioners are applying the Care Act 2014, Children Act 1989, MCA 2005, and NHS Continuing Healthcare guidance fairly and consistently. People who draw on social care and support should not feel that legal frameworks are being used to limit their choices unnecessarily. PSWs should ensure policies are transparent and clearly communicated so that people understand how decisions about their direct payments are made.
If people lack confidence in direct payments processes, PSWs can and should advocate for fairer, more accessible systems. PSWs should Identify systemic barriers to direct payments, such as excessive bureaucracy, delays, or restrictive policies, and work to improve them, with finance colleagues, where relevant. PSWs should promote equitable access for everyone.
PSWs should ensure that social work practitioners are taught to confidently support people with direct payments, and those considering taking up a direct payment, while applying the law in a balanced and proportionate way. PSWs should provide clear guidance on direct payments policies and should encourage professional curiosity in finding creative, flexible solutions. PSWs should enable co-production with people who draw on care and support to develop better direct payments policies grounded in lived experience.
PSWs should ensure social work practitioners are supporting positive risk-taking, rather than using safeguarding concerns to restrict choices. People should feel protected but not controlled – balancing safety and autonomy. Where valid, PSWs should offer alternative support options for people struggling with direct payments management, such as managed accounts or pre-paid cards.
By working collaboratively with finance teams, legal services, NHS partners, and advocacy groups to streamline direct payments processes, PSWs should promote joined up working between health and social care to ensure a consistent approach to direct payments across different funding streams.
If people express high confidence in their direct payment, this suggests direct payments systems are working well. If confidence is low, PSWs should review processes, seek feedback, and drive improvements. PSWs should monitor direct payment uptake and outcomes to ensure systems are inclusive and effective.
What this means for PSWs in practice: If people trust the direct payments system, PSWs can focus on further refining best practice. If trust is lacking, PSWs must review and simplify processes to reduce barriers and improve communication between social work practitioners and people with direct payments.
PSWs should advocate for flexibility and fairness in applying policies and promote training and cultural change to ensure direct payments processes feel empowering, not restrictive.
I have support to manage my direct payments from social care and finance staff who promote my feelings and preferences and respect my right to choice and control."
Rita is a 62-year-old woman with early-stage dementia and a history of anxiety.
After moving in with her daughter following a hospital stay, Rita’s family were offered a traditional day service—but it didn’t suit her interests or pace of life. Instead, with a Direct Payment, Rita and her daughter chose to do things differently.
They used part of the budget to employ a local art graduate as a PA for 10 hours a week. Together, they run creative sessions at home and visit quiet galleries and coffee shops—spaces where Rita feels calm and inspired. Rita also uses some of her budget for therapeutic gardening sessions at a nearby community allotment, which provides gentle structure and familiar routines.
Her Direct Payment means support fits around her life, not the other way round. It’s improved her mood, helped retain cognitive skills, and delayed the need for more formal interventions—while costing no more than a standard service.
How finance and audit staff and managers can ensure that direct payments are designed around the needs, values and preferences of people
Financial managers must ensure that direct payments systems are designed around the needs, values, and preferences of people, rather than being purely transactional. Budgeting, payment processes, and financial monitoring should be flexible and responsive, allowing people to exercise choice and control over their care and support. Policies should enable creative, personalised approaches to support—rather than imposing rigid, one-size-fits-all financial constraints.
People should feel confident that financial managers apply direct payment policies fairly and consistently. To do this, clear, jargon-free communication around funding decisions, audits, and spending rules are key, as they build trust and engagement. People should feel they are partners, not just recipients, in financial decision-making.
Financial governance should be robust but not overly bureaucratic, ensuring that fraud prevention and compliance do not stifle people’s choices. Risk management should be proportionate, enabling positive risk-taking rather than imposing unnecessary restrictions.
People should feel that financial monitoring exists to support them, not to police them.
Direct Payment administration should reflect the diverse needs and values of different communities, ensuring equitable access and cultural sensitivity. Financial managers should identify and address barriers that prevent certain groups from accessing and managing direct payments.
What this means for financial managers in practice: If people feel that financial processes align with their values, it suggests trust and satisfaction in the system. However, if confidence is low, financial managers may need to make processes more user-friendly and clearer, ensure financial policies enable personalisation rather than restricting choice, work with social work teams to improve financial literacy and support for people and regularly engage with people to refine policies based on their needs.
How direct payments should be administered
PSWs should ensure that direct payments are administered in a way that aligns with people’s values, priorities, and aspirations. PSWs should encourage social work practitioners to empower people to make decisions about their own care and support rather than imposing overly restrictive approaches or discouraging direct payments. Care and support planning should be flexible and co-produced, recognising cultural, social, and personal preferences.
PSWs should ensure that social work practitioners should uphold values of dignity, respect, autonomy, and fairness when supporting people with direct payments. People should feel that their voices, choices, and rights are respected in how their care or support is designed and delivered.
Direct payments processes should not reinforce power imbalances but instead promote trust and collaboration between social work practitioners and direct payments recipients.
PSWs should ensure social work practitioners receive training on values-based practice in direct payments, cultural competence and anti-discriminatory practice, strength-based support planning and risk enablement and positive risk-taking. Social work practitioner belief in the right of people to choose direct payments and their confidence in using the direct payments processes are essential to ensure they do not discourage take-up of direct payments. PSWs should foster a culture of shared learning, where social work practitioners reflect on how their attitudes and practices affect people’s experience of, and willingness to take up, direct payments.
Promoting choice, control, and independence is an important part of the role of PSWs. PSWs should encourage the system to make sure that people with direct payments get support, where required, to hire PAs they trust and relate to, make choices that align with their personal values and use their direct payments in ways that enhance independence and wellbeing. PSWs should challenge restrictive practices that limit creativity or flexibility in how people can use their direct payments.
PSWs should encourage multi-agency working so that social care, finance teams, and health services work in partnership with people rather than making decisions for them. PSWs should challenge unfair financial policies or bureaucratic barriers that prevent people from exercising full choice and control. People who draw on social care should be actively involved in shaping direct payments policies and support services.
If people feel that the other practitioners. supporting them do not align with their values, PSWs should gather feedback from people to understand concerns, review social work practice to identify training needs, challenge policies or processes that limit personalisation and work with other senior leaders to embed a values-driven approach to direct payments.
PSWs should promote ethical employment practices for PAs and ensure people can fairly pay and support their PA workforce.
I am supported by social care and finance staff who prioritise the care and support that makes sense for me above organisational financial considerations."
How finance and audit staff and managers can work collaboratively with social care teams
Financial decisions should prioritise people’s needs and outcomes, rather than being solely cost-driven. Budgeting and financial oversight should be flexible enough to allow for creative, personalised solutions in how direct payments are used. Finance and audit staff and managers must work collaboratively with social care teams to ensure direct payments budgets reflect a person’s assessed needs, rather than being arbitrarily capped or constrained by budget pressures.
Direct payments should be used to provide choice and control, rather than simply being a cost-saving mechanism. Financial policies should ensure fair funding allocations while respecting the legal requirement for personalisation in care and support planning. Any financial restrictions should be transparent, evidence-based, and proportionate, avoiding unnecessary bureaucracy.
People should be supported to use their budget creatively and effectively, provided the spending aligns with assessed care needs. Finance and audit staff and managers should enable flexible payment methods (for example, using pre-paid cards or managed accounts) that help people spend their direct payments in a way that works for them. Particular methods should be agreed with the person, not imposed for the convenience of the council. The focus should be on value for money, choice and control and meeting needs effectively – not just cost-cutting, ensuring that people can achieve the best quality of life possible within available resources.
Cost control is important, but financial policies should not override a person’s right to shape their own care and support. Budget monitoring should be proportionate – avoiding excessive paperwork or restrictions that discourage direct payments uptake.
Finance and audit staff and managers should encourage transparent conversations between finance staff, social work practitioners and people who draw on care and support, to find solutions that balance affordability and personal choice. Financial decisions should be fair and equitable, avoiding disparities between direct payments recipients and those receiving directly commissioned services.
Finance and audit staff and managers should challenge rigid or outdated spending rules that prevent people from using funds in innovative ways that improve their independence and wellbeing. Cheaper is not always better: quality of care and the impact on a person’s life should be prioritised.
What this means for finance and audit staff and managers in practice
If people feed back that cost appears to be the main driver in decision-making, finance and audit staff and managers may need to check to ensure direct payments budgets are based on assessed need, not arbitrary cost limits. Finance and audit staff and managers should support social care teams in applying flexible, person-centred spending rules, to minimise bureaucratic barriers that prevent people from using funds effectively. They should work towards fair, transparent financial policies that balance cost control with people’s choice and independence.
Keeping choice and control at the heart of decision-making
Choice and control must be at the heart of decision-making about people’s direct payments rather than purely financial considerations. Direct payments should be tailored to the person’s needs, preferences, and outcomes, rather than shaped by budget constraints. The legal duty to personalise care and support planning must be upheld, ensuring people can choose how best to meet their needs.
While value for money is important, PSWs should ensure that financial policies do not override the right of people who draw on support to shape their own care. Social work practitioners should challenge restrictive funding decisions where they conflict with a person’s well-being and support needs. PSWs should reinforce to both social work practitioners and finance staff that people should be able to spend their budget flexibly, provided it meets their assessed needs in a legal and appropriate way.
Direct payments should enable innovative support options beyond traditional services, such as PAs chosen by the person, technology that promotes independence and community-based or social inclusion activities.
PSWs should collaborate with finance teams, commissioning, and legal teams to ensure direct payments policies align with social work values. PSWs should advocate for joined-up approaches that ensure budgets do not restrict choice unnecessarily and should listen to advocacy groups to understand how financial policies impact people’s lives and independence.
PSWs should ensure that social work practitioners are able to challenge unfair restrictions. They should support social work practitioners to be confident in supporting people using direct payments to make the most of their personal budgets.
Training needs to include navigating financial policies while upholding personalisation, advocacy skills to challenge restrictive cost-driven decisions and co-production and involving people in decision-making
PSWs should encourage social work practitioners to see the person first, not just the budget when assessing and supporting the use of direct payments.
PSWs should ensure equity and fairness in direct payments administration. PSWs should work to ensure fair and transparent funding allocations, avoiding inequities between people using direct payments and those receiving commissioned services. They should challenge rigid or outdated financial policies that prevent people from using funds in a way that meets their needs best, and work with finance colleagues to revise such policies and procedures. PSWs should ensure people with complex needs are not disadvantaged by cost-driven decision-making.
What this means for PSWs in practice: If people feedback that financial considerations are limiting their choice, this should be reported to the council. PSWs should advocate for policies that prioritise personalisation over cost-cutting and support social work practitioners to apply a strengths-based, flexible approach to direct payments support, challenge rigid spending rules that limit independence and well-being and work with finance teams to balance cost control with person-centred care.
I get clear information, advice and guidance about direct payments which reflects the law and is relevant to me."
How finance and audit staff and managers can clearly explain financial policies and decisions
Financial policies and decisions should be clearly explained to people, ensuring they understand how their budget is calculated, what they can and cannot spend it on, any financial monitoring requirements and ensuring that any restrictions or conditions applied to a direct payment are fair, legally justified, and clearly communicated. If this is done by social work practitioners rather than finance staff, then finance staff should work with social work practitioners to ensure they understand the financial policies and decisions that have been applied. If this is not done, it is unlikely that they will be able to explain them to people who draw on care and support.
Finance and audit staff and managers must ensure that people receive consistent and easy-to-understand information about how to manage their direct payments funds responsibly. This includes setting out available support options, such as prepaid cards or managed accounts. Financial jargon should be avoided, and accessible formats (such as, easy-read guides and forms, translations, online tools) should be provided where needed.
People should feel confident that finance teams are acting in their best interests, not just enforcing cost controls. Any changes to direct payments funding or policies should be communicated in advance, with clear reasons given. Finance and audit staff and managers should engage with people to ensure financial processes feel supportive rather than bureaucratic.
People should receive fair and consistent advice, avoiding conflicting messages from finance and social care teams. Discretionary decisions about direct payments use should be explained transparently, ensuring that all people understand their rights and options. Finance and audit staff and managers should work collaboratively with social work practitioners to ensure policies are applied in a person-centred and legally compliant way.
People should be able to make informed decisions about how they spend their budget, knowing the financial implications. Finance and audit staff and managers should be satisfied that direct payments support staff can explain the financial implications of available support options (such as, pensions, national insurance (NI) and tax or redundancy provisions required, when directly employing PAs), and encourage open discussions about financial risks and responsibilities without creating unnecessary fear or restrictions.
Finance and audit staff and managers should ensure people in receipt of direct payments know where to go for financial advice and who to contact with concerns. They should implement clear, accessible complaint and appeal processes for those who disagree with financial decisions. Finance and audit staff and managers should be approachable and open to discussion, rather than relying solely on rigid policies.
What this means for finance and audit staff and managers in practice: If people feel finance and audit staff and managers are clear, honest, and supportive, it builds trust and confidence. If transparency is lacking, finance and audit staff and managers may need to simplify financial processes and advice to make them more accessible. They need to ensure all decisions about direct payments funds are explained clearly and fairly, work closely with social care teams to align financial and person-centred support and provide proactive, honest communication to prevent confusion and frustration.
How PSWs can offer people clear, unbiased advice
People need to trust that the advice they receive is clear, unbiased, and in their best interests. PSWs should encourage social work practitioners to explain all aspects of direct payments management (eligibility, spending rules, financial monitoring, risks, and responsibilities) in an open and jargon-free way. There should be no hidden agendas or overly restrictive interpretations of how direct payments can be used.
PSWs need to support social work practitioners to feel equipped to ensure that advice is straightforward and practical ensuring people fully understand their rights and options. Information should be tailored to people’s needs (for example using easy-read formats, interpreters, or advocacy services if required). People should never feel misled or pressured into accepting decisions they do not understand or want.
People must be able to make informed choices about how they spend their budget, in line with their personal values and needs.
PSWs should make sure that social work practitioners discuss all available options with people, including, hiring PAs vs. agency support, creative ways to use direct payments (such as, paying for driving lessons, specialist sensory loss equipment, support to achieve a qualification or stay in employment or other community-based support), different financial management options (such as prepaid cards or managed accounts). Risks and responsibilities should be explained honestly, without discouraging autonomy.
PSWs should support social work practitioners to ensure that the advice they give is fair, legally sound, and consistent across the council. PSWs should check that direct payment policies are applied equitably, avoiding inconsistencies between different teams or workers. People should never feel that policies are being selectively applied to limit their choices unfairly.
PSWs should ensure their social work practitioners are trained in ethical, person-centred decision-making and apply this when advising on direct payments.
Reflective supervision and case discussions should encourage social work practitioners to be open about why certain decisions are made, challenge restrictive interpretations of direct payments policies and empower people rather than focusing on risk-avoidance.
PSWs should strengthen co-production by getting people actively involved in shaping direct payments policies and support structures. Regular feedback from people who use direct payments should be used to improve how direct payments advice is provided. By working with user-led organisations, PSWs can work towards ensuring that guidance remains relevant, fair, and empowering.
If a person disagrees with the advice they receive, they should know how to challenge it. PSWs should make sure that clear processes exist for reviewing direct payments decisions, appealing financial restrictions, accessing advocacy or complaints procedures and making sure that social work practitioners remain open to discussion and revision of decisions, if a person feels their direct payment is being managed unfairly.
What this means for principal social workers in practice: If people feel that social work practitioners are clear, honest, and supportive, it builds trust and confidence. If they feel misinformed or restricted, PSWs should focus on improving how social work practitioners explain direct payments policies and spending rules. PSWs should ensure social work practitioners provide advice that aligns with the person’s best interests, not just financial or risk-avoidance concerns. PSWs should create a culture of openness, co-production, and ethical decision-making and ensure there are fair, accessible mechanisms for reviewing and challenging direct payments decisions.