Direct Payments: Creating a Two-Tiered System in Social Care?

In 2003, the UK government placed a mandatory responsibility on local authorities offer direct payments to eligible people. Given the extent to which the government committed to extending the number of people using cash payments and research that shows the enormous benefits to users, then some areas of research into the take up are sadly neglected. For example, is it the case, as some literature suggests, that direct payments are by being disproportionately utilized by middle-class, affluent disabled people, effectively creating a two-tiered system in social care? The research in this paper provides some insight into this question by reporting a unique study to look statistically significant differences in the financial situation of direct payment users compared with users of traditional services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]