A direct payment is money paid to you by your local council or, for some health needs, by the NHS, so you can arrange your own care and support, rather than the council or NHS arranging it for you. Instead of being offered a service the council has chosen, you decide who supports you and how.

The main difference is control. You choose who provides your support, not just what kind of support you get. That might mean employing your own Personal Assistant instead of using whoever a care agency sends, or it might mean paying for support at times that actually suit your routine rather than a fixed rota.

It also means the money can be used flexibly, as long as it meets the needs set out in your support plan. Some people use it for one regular PA; others split it between a few different types of support. What it looks like is up to you.

A direct payment comes with some responsibilities, since you're managing the money rather than the council managing it on your behalf.

• Assessment. Your council carries out a needs assessment, and usually a financial assessment, to work out what support you need and how much you'll receive.

• A support plan. You agree this with your council. It sets out your needs and how the direct payment will meet them. This is what any spending gets checked against later.

• Somewhere to manage the money. You'll need a way to receive the payment and keep it separate from your own finances, whether that's a fund you manage yourself or one that a specialist organisation (like PPL) manages on your behalf. Either way you'll need to keep a record of what you've spent, so that the Council can check.

• Employer responsibilities, if you hire a PA. Employing someone directly means registering as an employer, running payroll, and arranging things like DBS checks and employer's liability insurance.

• Reviews. Your council will check in periodically to make sure the direct payment is still meeting your needs, and any unspent funds usually need to be accounted for or returned.

None of this is meant to put you off! Most people manage it fine once it's set up, and a lot of the admin can be minimised (see below).

• Somewhere to manage the money. PPL Portal includes Virtual Wallet, which gives you a secure account to manage your funds, so there's no separate bank account to open yourself.

• Records. Every payment is logged automatically, so instead of keeping your own spreadsheet or shoebox of receipts, your records are just there when you need them.

• Employer responsibilities. Our payroll service runs PAYE, and timesheets get approved and signed off online rather than on paper.

• Reviews. Because everything's already recorded properly, your council review isn't a last-minute scramble as the information's ready when they ask for it.