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Individual Service Funds
What is an Individual Service Fund?
An Individual Service Fund (ISF) is an arrangement where a local authority transfers the funds agreed for a person’s care and support arrangements to an organisation of their choice, so that the person can be in control of how their support is designed and delivered. An ISF is one type of personal budget.
How does an ISF work?
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The person chooses an organisation to hold their ISF on their behalf.
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The local authority has a flexible contract arrangement with that organisation, so it can hold the person’s budget.
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The organisation has a ‘two-way agreement’ with the person to determine how their ISF will be managed.
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The organisation works with the person (and their family/circle of support, if appropriate) to design and set up their support using the ISF.
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The local authority pays the ISF directly to the organisation. The money is protected so it can’t be spent on anything else.
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If a change needs to be made to the person’s support, the organisation can make the change straight away without waiting for confirmation from the person’s social worker.
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The ISF can be used flexibly to provide support – such as paying for services in the community, services from other providers or assistive technology – as long as it meets the outcomes identified within the person’s Care Act assessment.
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The organisation must provide a regular report to the person about how their budget is being spent.
How will we use ISFs at Affinity Trust?
Affinity Trust is setting up a small number of ISF pilots to test and develop the ISF model.
Staff involved with people who have chosen an ISF will receive training and resources to support the process.
We are now able to work with people with learning disabilities and/or autism who have Individual Service Funds in Wakefield.
Think Local Act Personal
Think Local Act Personal is a national partnership of more than 50 organisations committed to transforming health and care through personalisation and community-based support. See our entry in the Think Local Act Personal directory.
Contact us
Affinity Trust’s work to develop Individual Service Funds is led by Sarah Holmes.
Sarah has worked operationally and strategically with health and social care providers for the past 20 years. She is also accredited as an independent support broker with the National Brokerage Network.
Email: sarahholmes@affinitytrust.org