I've just had confirmed information that family members CAN be hired through direct payments, as long as they dont live in the same house.
I know a lot of people on here probably know this, but if anyone else was getting fobbed off the way I have been for the past year I thought I would post!
All I've got to do know is be allowed direct payments! Anyone know the criteria?

My understanding is that you have to be assessed by Social Services as needing some kind of support / service / help (and meet their criteria for support) - then Direct Payments is just another way of providing this support. So instead of using Social Services employed Home Carers for example - you can employ who ever you choose, or instead of going to a Day Centre you employ support workers to support you going to places of your choosing...etc etc

My mother when she was terminally ill got payments so she could pay her neighbour to do shopping and make her her meals. It seems a lot of seriously ill people are not aware that they can get extra money. My mother would not have known but for my niece discovering this by accident on the net.

Yes there doesnt seem to have been a lot of publicity about it, I only found out by accident too, then kept getting told by different people different rules about it. Basically I just want to have a few hours a week where I can pay my mum to look after my son so I can do the food shopping ect - its impossible to push a wheelchair and a trolley!

you need to take advice about employing anyone as you will be responsible for thier employment, training, H&S etc. Direct payments are also usually set at a lower rate per hour than social services would normally pay another agency, this can have a knock on effect to the quality of people you would be able to employ for the lower hourly rate.
My experience is that social services are happy to give you direct payments as they have a quota to meet as its cheaper for them.
hope that helps

you have to be referred and assessed in the normal way via the access team 2734908. you have to have a care need and the person who is to be the carer can not live in the same house . the one being cared for becomes the employer and the carer is the employee. You have to be careful of sickness and holidays and make sure you have carers to cover for these periods. we receive many calls from people who have direct payment when their carer just takes off and fancies a career change and leaves them in the lurch.