Personalisation of social care for adults is a key policy objective in the UK having gained wide acceptance as essential for the empowerment of service users and as a means of making the system sustainable in the face of the increasing population demand. However, despite huge investment in 'transformational change' over the past decade there is little evidence of its effectiveness. This is particularly true of personalisation policy and practice applied to older people. Evaluative studies show poorer outcomes compared with other user groups and question effectiveness in terms of actual empowerment experienced and value for money achieved. The conditions required for what is essentially a consumerist model of personalisation are frequently stated but rarely, if ever, wholly achieved. A qualitative study of eight cases in two local authority areas in England explored older people's experience of using (or refusing) a direct payment with the aim of obtaining user perspectives to inform future policy and practice. The study was concerned with understanding the relationship between participants' personhood, or experience of 'Self , and personalised services. The locus of personalisation was found to reside within the interpersonal dynamics of helping relationships rather than control over the means of procuring services. Participants experienced personalisation when carers perceived and accommodated their 'special requirements of Self'. This was achieved in most cases despite the consumerist model of personalisation rather than because of it. In a number of cases participants and their front line carers were exposed to considerable risk and dilemma in the process. These user perspectives provide a valuable starting point for the development of an alternative theoretical framework within which existing policy and practice might be reviewed and redeveloped. Key words: Older people, personalisation, personhood, Self, direct payments.