This page is designed to answer the following questions:
- 1.2 Define the terms: a. personalised service, b. self-commissioned service, c. self-directed support, d. micro-employer (Level 4 Diploma in Adult Care, Understand Personalisation in Care and Support Services)
NOTE: This page has been quality assured for 2023 as per our Quality Assurance policy.
For this assessment criterion, you will be required to define the terms ‘personalised service’, ‘self-commissioned service’, ‘self-directed support’ and ‘micro-employer’.
Personalised service
A personalised service refers to care services that are tailored to the unique needs, wishes and preferences of the service user.
Self-commissioned service
A self-commissioned service is a care service that is commissioned by the service user, rather than a central agency, such as the local authority. This will be funded either by the individual themselves or as a direct payment of their personal budget from the local authority.
Self-directed support
Self-directed support refers to service users being able to make their own decisions about how their personal budget is spent and choose the type of support they receive and when and where they receive it. For example, an individual may choose to let the local authority or a third-party service provider manage their personal budget, or they may wish to manage it themselves by having it paid directly to themselves.
Micro-employer
A micro-employer is an employer that employs a small number of employees (between 1 and 9). An example would be a service user that directly employs their own small care and support team.