- Individual Service Funds (ISFs) are transforming commissioning by shifting power and control to individuals through personal budgets. - ISFs allow assessed funds to be held by an organization chosen by the individual to arrange flexible support outside of a traditional commissioned package. - Key benefits of ISFs over commissioned support include increased choice, control, and flexibility to adjust support as needed without going through commissioners.

1. How Individual Service Funds are
transforming commissioning

2. • Spent early career as a support worker for older people and adults with learning
disabilities
• Spent time working in local authority managing innovation grants and improving
local care and support services for adults with learning disabilities
• Worked on hospital closure programme moving 154 people into their own homes
in local communities
• Lead on Dorset Transforming Care programme and the Autism and Learning
Disability partnership boards
• Set up a council Individual Service Funds offer in 2015
• Now have own company that works with local authorities and CCG’s to improve
access to personal budgets
• Run a ‘Community Micro Enterprise’ in Dorset supporting people with learning
disabilities, autism and people with mental health issues (ThreeSixty Inclusive)
• Associate consultant with PeopleToo and the Institute of Public Care at Oxford
Brookes University
Linkedin CV: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christopher-watson-frsa-10268a22/
About me

3. Consultancy
The Centre provides practical assistance, training and
consultancy to a whole range of organisations including:
support providers, voluntary and community sector
organisations; clinical commissioning groups; local
authorities and others who aspire to make radical change
for the benefit of citizens.
The collective knowledge, skills and experience of the
Centre means that we are able to provide practical advice
and support on a whole range of issues.

4. • Co-production & visioning
• Commissioning support
• Training
• Market engagement
• Stakeholder consultation
• Coaching & mentoring
• Evaluations
• Culture Change
Furthering Self-Directed Support

5. Shifting conversations towards citizenship
© Simon Duffy

6. Progress in the commissioning of care in past
20 years
or

7. Social services setting up ‘support’ for 12
months+

8. Disempowering by commissioning ‘for’

9. Shifting the power balance through
personal budgets

10. A simple way to unlock flexibility –
Individual Service Funds
• Assessment and support plan
details who the person would like to
hold their ISF
• Agreement between the funder and
the ISF holding organisation
• Agreement between the person and
their ISF holding organisation
setting out how they will work
together to use their budget
© Self-Directed Futures

11. Underpinning Legislation

12. Examples of ISFs in practice
• Bev – flexible sleep ins
• Luke – flexible day services
and confidence building
therapies
• Trudy – swapped day
services for pooled budget
with friend and an allotment

13. So why are ISFs important?
• Place choice, control and power with people
and families over their support arrangement
• ASCOF in 2018 on average 71.5% of people
in England still have a council commissioned
service
• Nearly all the benefits of Direct Payments but
without the administrative burden of being an
employer
• Providers can make adjustments to day to
day support without having to go back to
social work teams or commissioners (as long
as it meets outcomes)

14. Benefits of ISF vs commissioned support?
ISF Commissioned
Paid like a direct payment – usually in
advance (4 weeks to 12 months)
Paid in arrears via invoice
Working in stronger partnership with
social services to deliver support as
trusted reviewer
Deliver support as specified by social
services
Co produce support plan with the person
and keep it ‘live’ and make decsions day
to day with the person
Given a social services support plan to
follow
Can lead commission and organise other
services that the person needs - more
flexible
Social services commission all elements
of support package – less flexible

15. Choosing an ISF provider
© Simon Duffy

16. Common misconceptions around ISFs
• It is optional for commissioners to
offer them so we don’t need to act
• We will lose income by offering ISFs
• We will have to make staff redundant
• There will be no need for
commissioners/providers
• We won’t be able to change our
systems and culture
The Skills for Care guidance covers all of these issues in detail

17. Impact of ISFs on Direct Payments
Source: Devon County Council MPS 2020

18. Progress on ISFS nationally
https://citizen-network.org/resources/map-of-isfs-in-england.html

19. Expanding personalisation (new models of
care & commissioning)
✅ Essex County Council
✅ Bristol City Council
✅ Norfolk County Council
✅ Dorset Council
✅ Somerset County Council
✅ Luton Council
✅ Warwickshire County Council
✅ Cambridgshire County Council
In conversations with:
✅ Powys County Council
✅ Dudley MBC
✅ Sheffield City Council
© Self-Directed Futures

20. Q&A

21. Further Reading
https://www.skillsforcare.org.uk/D
ocuments/Events/ISF-events/IPC-
DCC-Individual-Service-Funds-
evaluation-report.pdf
https://www.skillsforcare.org.uk/Docume
nts/Leadership-and-
management/ISFguide/Individual-Service-
Funds-guide-Aug2020.pdf

22. Further Reading

23. https://citizen-
network.org/resources/
selfdirected-support-
network.html

24. Contact Us
Chris Watson, Self-Directed Futures/Centre for
Welfare Reform
Chris.watson@selfdirectedfutures.co.uk