This paper reflects on the role of social services departments and social workers in the system of direct payments. By means of the Community Care (Direct Payments) Act, 1996, care services can be commissioned directly by the user. Social services departments have a role in setting up the local direct payments system and individual social workers may promote and facilitate its use by disabled people. There are indications from regional evaluations, however, that for a variety of reasons, organizations and their individual employees are sceptical and reluctant to implement this legislation. Given this, together with the government's commitment to the system as a means of promoting the full citizenship of disabled people, the authors question whether social workers and social services departments have any future in this area of social care