If you have been awarded a Direct Payment following a social care assessment, you have been given something valuable: the ability to choose how support is arranged at home. Instead of having services organised for you, a Direct Payment allows you to decide who supports you and how.
ilarna is designed to support that choice. Many people use their Direct Payment to arrange support through ilarna, working directly with independent, self-employed ilarna Personal Assistants to build something that feels consistent, personal, and suited to their day-to-day life, without relying on a traditional agency model.
What is a Direct Payment?
A Direct Payment is one way of receiving your social care personal budget. Rather than the local authority arranging support on your behalf, the budget is paid to you or held in a managed account, giving you the flexibility to choose how it is used. The intention is straightforward: to give you more choice and control over your own support.
Using ilarna alongside a Direct Payment
With ilarna, you browse profiles of local, independent, self-employed ilarna Personal Assistants and decide who feels like the right fit for your home and your preferences. You can have a conversation before agreeing anything, and ilarna Personal Assistants complete identity and background checks before appearing on the platform, helping you make an informed choice.
On the practical side, the platform supports invoicing and secure payments. Records can be downloaded and kept for your own reference or shared with your local authority if needed, which can make managing a Direct Payment feel more straightforward.
The value of a direct arrangement
One of the things many people value most about using a Direct Payment with ilarna is the directness of the arrangement. Because rates are agreed directly with your chosen ilarna Personal Assistant, more of your budget goes toward the support you have arranged rather than agency overheads. And because you choose who supports you, there is no uncertainty about who is visiting on a given day. Over time, that consistency can make a real difference to how settled and familiar support feels.
Getting started
Whether you already have a Direct Payment or are in the process of applying, you can explore how ilarna works at your own pace. Our team can explain how the platform works, how payments and records are handled, and what using ilarna would involve in practice. You can then browse profiles and speak with ilarna Personal Assistants before deciding who you would like to work with.
If you would like to find out more about using your Direct Payment through ilarna, get in touch using the form below, or call us on 0208 050 4805.
