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.
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.
You can receive information and advice from us, even if you do not receive our services.
We can help you by offering:
- information and advice
- an assessment of your needs
- information and advice
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.
Contact us if you would like information and advice from social services.
Advice is available in different formats
Advice is available via:
- printed information
- website links
- the telephone
We can also put you in touch with other people and agencies who can help you, as well as personal, face to face help.
You can receive information in any format to suit your needs including:
- other languages (printed and audio)
- large print
- Braille
- audio
- British Sign Language (BSL)
We can also email you for more help.
We can provide you with information in any other format you need. If your first language is not English, we can provide you with an interpreter.
Organisations that can help you
For financial advice about paying for your care and support, you can contact one of the below organisations.
- 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
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
- Walsall Deaf People’s Centre
