The number of people with disabilities is growing in Ireland and in order to accommodate their needs and wishes, the role of personal budgets is being fostered and amplified.

One of the main reasons why their take up to date hasn’t been extensive, is that they were viewed as being a lot of trouble to manage. The main reason being the necessity in many cases for the disabled person to become an employer and therefore manage payroll, admin and working time directive issues.

The Home Care Direct platform has removed all that bother and made it much easier to manage a personal budget without the need to become an employer and everything that entails, including the cost. It also gives full control to the disabled person over the selection of previously vetted carers and their management, as well as providing full insurance cover.

Personal budgets are growing rapidly in other countries such as the UK and Australia and Minister Finian McGrath has made it clear through his specially set up task force, that he wants the same to happen in Ireland.

We are already working closely with disabled people and various organisations to bring his vision to fruition, ensuring disabled people are empowered to live as full and independent lives as possible.