A Third Party Supported Account (shortened to TPSA) is for those people who wish to receive a Direct Payment (DP) but, for any one of a number of reasons, would not be able to manage this themselves e.g. someone who has experienced difficulty managing money (and who now may have problems opening a new bank account), a vulnerable person who has previously been the victim of financial abuse or a person with a learning disability which is sufficient to prevent them from understanding their financial responsibilities (and who has no family to support them with this).

In these instances, your social worker or care co-ordinator will decide whether such an account is a suitable alternative to a standard DP and if so, will ask for this service on your behalf. In addition if you have an Individual Budget (IB) you could choose to ‘buy' a TPSA from Penderels Trust, for example, with some of your IB money, if you felt this would contribute to the achievement of your agreed outcomes and was included in your support plan.

How a Third Party Supported Account works

All the funding for your care package (including any contributions payable) is made to an organisation acting as a third party e.g. Penderels Trust.