Co-producing the National Direct Payments Guide

A four-month project including online sessions and the development of a national resource on Direct Payments.

Partners in Care and Health commissioned Curators of Change as part of a consortium to support the development of a practical web-based guide on Direct Payments. The consortium also included Self-Directed Futures, Colligo Labs and the National Direct Payments Forum.

The aim was to equip adult Principal Social Workers with the confidence and clarity to provide strong social work practice leadership in relation to Direct Payments. The resource was also designed to support council finance and audit staff to work more effectively with operational colleagues — and with people who use Direct Payments — to ensure that finance and audit processes are both effective and proportionate.

Using our Over a Brew methodology, we brought together people with lived experience of Direct Payments, family carers, social work practitioners, Principal Social Workers, finance managers, commissioners, and providers from both adult and children’s services. The process created safe, informal spaces for open conversation, shared learning, and honest reflection about what works — and what gets in the way.

To ensure the resource was grounded in evidence and real-world practice, we:

• Undertook an extensive search and review of existing materials and guidance
• Facilitated three co-production workshops and a roundtable discussion
• Worked with existing lived experience stories related to Direct Payments
• Captured additional stories to deepen learning and sense-making

By combining national policy context, practice insight, financial governance considerations, and lived experience, we supported Partners in Care and Health to produce a guide that reflects the complexity of Direct Payments while remaining practical and accessible.

Participants consistently reflected the value of the sessions:

“Very interesting discussions.”
“Thank you, very interesting to hear views — and thank you for the dynamic adaptations!”
“Really great session — thank you.”
“Very informative, thank you.”
“Thank you so much for all the invaluable advice and information.”
“Fabulous session. Really helpful. Emphasises the importance of co-production.”

By supporting Partners in Care and Health to co-produce this resource, we helped create more than a guide — we helped build shared understanding across professional and lived experience perspectives. The result is a practical tool that supports better conversations, stronger leadership, and more balanced financial governance, while keeping people’s rights and experiences at the centre.

Resource: Direct Payments Guide for Principal Social Workers