Advice for self-funding your care

If you are able to pay for the full cost of care or do not want to tell us your financial information, you are considered a self-funder.

You can arrange your care and support with a provider of your choice and pay the provider directly.

There's more information available in our booklet, Adult Social Care Contributions Policy 2024 (HTML and pdf versions available).

Your right to advice if you self-fund your care

You have the right to advice and support if:

you pay for your own residential care
you didn't have a social services assessment before you went to live in a care home
you pay for care in your own home

You can ask social services to review the care you're paying for and make sure your needs are being met.

Even if you do not receive our services, we can offer you information and advice, as well as an assessment of your needs.

As someone in a care home, you are a vulnerable person. Social services can check you are being looked after with dignity and respect.

Social services can provide you and your family with information about being in a care home.

Information is available in different formats

If you need information in another format please contact us. We will work with you to meet your needs. If your first language is not English, we can provide you with an interpreter.

We can also put you in touch with other people and agencies who can help you, including personal, face to face help.

Organisations that can help you

For financial advice about paying for your care and support, you can contact the organisations below.

Paying for care

Citizens Advice
Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) have a range of advice and information on sourcing financial advice
SOLLA is a not-for-profit organisation helping people to find trusted financial advisors
SAGA helps provide care funding advice for people who need to pay for their own care needs
Paying for Care is a not-for-profit organisation. They can give advice on paying for care and have an online care fees calculator and a care cap calculator
Money Advice Service provides a range of free and impartial money advice

Quality of care

If you are arranging care and support for yourself or someone else, think about any checks you can make. Think about the safety and quality of the service and what you can do if you think something is wrong. There are organisations that can support you.

Care Quality Commission (CQC) is the regulator for health and social care. The CQC monitors and inspects health and social care services. It publishes assessments of services. It also provides advice on what makes a good service and how to complain about a service.
Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) helps employers make safer recruitment decisions. It carries out DBS check and keeps a list of people barred from providing care and support. It also decides whether people should be on the barred lists.
Buy with Confidence Scheme is a vetting and monitoring service run by the government’s Trading Standards Agency. Trading Standards staff check and approve every business on the list.
Advocacy Matters
AGE UK
Citizens Advice Bureau
Employing a personal assistant (PA)
Walsall Disability Hub
Walsall Society for the Blind