Deaf ID

If you already receive direct payment from your local council and already getting support from another organisation but would like to change to Deaf ID, you would need to contact your local council who agrees your direct payment package with you and let them know that you wish to change to Deaf ID. We can help you with this.

If you are feeling you need more support in your day to day living, need to increase your independence, and do not want to feel limited on a day to day basis? You can apply for direct payments from your council. This funding allows you to have a personal budget so you can ‘buy’ your day to day support. We would be delighted to offer you some advice, support and help you through this process.

If you do not meet the criteria to get direct payments or would prefer to pay for support yourself, we can still help. We will meet with you to agree a personal plan for you so that we can make sure we suggest as much support for you with our holistic approach to working with you so you can maximise your independence and be able to live life without limits.

If you/ your child has an Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan then your local authority must prepare a personal budget covering the support identified. If agreed with your council, you can ask for the social element of the EHC budget to be direct payments so that you can buy in your / your child’s social care budget which could pay for the support that Deaf ID provides to children and young people

There are other funding streams that could help pay for your support. Every individual’s personal circumstances are different and so we will work with you to identify the best route to funding your support.

If you are feeling you need more support in your day to day living, need to increase your independence, and do not want to feel limited on a day to day basis? You can apply for direct payments from your council. This funding allows you to have a personal budget so you can ‘buy’ your day to day support.

The first step is to contact your Council’s Social Services team and ask them for a Direct Payment assessment. A successful application depends on your personal circumstances. We can support you through the process. 

If your application is successful, you will receive a budget that will be paid into your bank account or into an agency of your choice’s bank account. If you wish to use Deaf ID’s services, then you will need to use that budget to pay for this. We can provide you with training and support on how to manage this. Some people would like to use Deaf ID for some services and another organisation for different services, or you can become an employer yourself and employ your own staff. This is fine as long as this is agreed with your council.  

Yes, we can help you by sharing information with you, giving advice, preparing your application, assessment and if needed, further support. 

Every council has their own criteria and rules. We cannot tell you how they will assess you, but the process is similar.  

You can ask for your package to be transferred from one council to another but you may need to be re-assessed for Direct Payment. We will help you through this process.

We provide our service from the Borders (Berwick) to Teesside.  

a) Fill in the referral form (we are happy to receive a referral from you, a professional, your appointee, a family member, etc)

b) After receiving your referral form, we will be in touch to arrange a meeting with you. This meeting will be to ask you questions about what you think you need, for us to give information and share advice. This meeting can be at our office, your home, another safe place or via a video call. The choice is yours. 

c) After the meeting, we will put together a personal plan for you and check with you if this is what you are happy with and proceed with your package. This could include help with applying for funding, the hours and type of support you wish and other information. Remember, you are free to change your plan with us at any time. We will explain how you can do this.

The people on our team are selected carefully to work with Deaf ID. They are selected according to their skills and experience. They are all fluent in British Sign Language (minimum of Level 6 or equivalent). They have been trained, police checked and have support and supervision from the Deaf ID team.