Recovery budgets for mental health

Recovery budgets are one-off direct payments to help carers recovering from a mental illness buy something to help:

• improve their sense of well being
• engage with their community
• support their caring role

How to get a recovery budget

You have to have been assessed as needing care and have a care plan before you can apply for a recovery budget.

What not to use a recovery budget for

You can’t use a recovery budget to buy a service or equipment that social care or other health services would provide.

Apply for a recovery budget

To apply for a recovery budget, contact:

Next steps

You and your coordinator can decide how best a recovery budget can meet your needs.

Your care coordinator will fill in an application form with you.

Then send us the application form.

The recovery budget process

This is the recovery budget process:

• ordinary users can get up to £300, carers up to £250
• we will ask you to sign a direct payment agreement to say you will use the money only for what it has been agreed for
• send us a receipt showing how you have spent the money
• we will send you a letter confirming the process and the amount of money you will get