Individual service funds (ISF)

These are the steps you will need to take to get an individual service fund:

1. Contact us for a Care Act needs assessment to find out if you have eligible needs.
2. If you have eligible care needs, you will need to have a financial assessment.  You may have to pay something towards your care.
3. If you are entitled to financial help from us, talk to your social worker about whether an ISF is right for you. If you both agree it is, we will give you a list of accredited ISF providers/brokers to choose from.

You will then need to decide which provider you would like to work with.

Your ISF provider/broker will help you to work out what support best meets your needs and interests. They will then manage the arrangements on your behalf. This can be flexible and may vary from week to week.

Support available that could meet your needs, and in your area, can be found on our Community Directory of Services in Dorset on the Help and Kindness website.  Our brokerage team can also offer guidance.

The provider of your choice will work with you to deliver your care and support plan, using a mixture of:

• CQC registered providers
• community providers
• voluntary providers
• micro providers

Together you can agree how you would like your outcomes delivered. For example, you could use:

• day opportunities
• the gym
• leisure activities
• community groups
• wellbeing hubs

To find out more about how an ISF could work for you, speak to your social worker if you have one. You can also find out more about individual service funds from Skills for Care.

Individual service funds (ISF) providers can deliver some of your care and support plan.

Individual service fund (ISF) brokers will only source the support necessary and not provide the day-to-day plan. This could be one of our brokers or an external provider.

You can only use your ISF to pay for things in your support plan such as:

• employing a personal assistant to support you in your home and/or in the community
• different activities in your area
• transport costs
• equipment
• subscriptions to services
• supporting your carers
• a care agency
• almost anything else you can think of that will help you meet your outcomes

You cannot use an individual service fund for:

• food, clothing or other general living expenses
• goods or services that are not part of the agreed care needs and outcomes in your support plan
• healthcare services
• paying to live in a care home - apart from agreed respite stays
• anything that is against the law

If you are unsure about something you want to buy, ask your social worker.

There are some rules you must follow. We will explain these when you have chosen a provider. You will also have to sign an agreement with us. 

We will pay your individual service fund direct to your ISF provider/broker every two weeks. This will be in advance of when you need to spend it.

The ISF provider/broker will use your ISF to buy your care and support on your behalf.

They must keep individual records of spending against your ISF. This is to show it has been used for things outlined in your support plan.

Our Individual Service Funds Policy