We want you to be able to get good advice and support when you are planning how to spend your budget. Once you have agreed the outcomes you want to achieve with the social care worker, you will be provided with information and advice about what services are available in your local area and help to think about different ways that you can get support and how much it will cost.

You will then create a support plan which describes how you will use your money to achieve the results you want - your outcomes. You can complete it yourself, with or without support, or you can get someone else to complete it for you. The social care worker can help you develop your support plan. We also have other support planning services who may be able to help you. Your social care support worker will discuss these with you.

Your plan must set out what you want to achieve (your outcomes) and how the support will be arranged and delivered. You and your family are expected to think about getting best value for the money when choosing services and developing your support plan. Your
support plan will need to be agreed with your social care worker. If you are not able to create your own support plan because you do not have the mental capacity to do so, we will need to be satisfied that those who take responsibility for developing it have acted in your best interests.

The plan must include the following: 

• Your needs identified in your assessment
• What is important to you
• What you want to achieve - your outcomes
• What help you need to achieve your outcomes. This will include support that we have agreed to provide.
• Your support network
• How you will receive and manage your personal budget
• If you need help, who will support you to manage your personal budget 
• How you intend to spend your personal budget
• How you would prepare for any unplanned changes to your support. For example, if someone who provides care to you was suddenly unable to support you.

Other sources of funding or support will be taken into account when completing your support plan. This is because social care funding cannot be used to pay for things such as NHS-funded care, regular household bills, or needs that are already being met.