Personal Budgets

What is a Personal Budget

In general a Personal Budget (PB) is a sum of money that is made available to someone who needs support.  This comes from either their local authority social service or NHS Commissioners and is allocated to an individual or family to spend on help and support to meet their assessed eligible needs and to achieve agreed outcomes.

Personal Budgets are now being extended to children and young people who qualify for the new Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) because of their special educational needs and/or disability (SEND).  It is also intended to support some health needs.  When the money comes from the NHS it is referred to as a Personal Health Budget.

Who can have a Personal Budget and how can it be secured?

Families of children and young people with complex special educational needs and/or disabilities and who qualify for an Education, Health and Care Plan have the right to request a personal budget.  The request can be made when the local authority has completed a EHC needs assessment and confirmed that it proposes to issue a Plan. 

To find out more about personal budgets, how they can be managed and what they can be used for, please refer to the downloads available on this page.