SENDIASS
A Personal Budget is money that can help pay for the support you need if you have an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP). This plan is for children and young people with special educational needs (SEN).
The money can come from different places – like education, health, or social care – and it’s used to help you reach the goals in your EHCP.
There are different ways your Personal Budget can be managed:
The council, your school or college can look after the money and arrange support for you.
You or your parents can get the money directly to manage it yourselves – this is called a Direct Payment.
Someone else (like a charity or trusted person) can manage the money for you – this is called a Third Party Arrangement.
Or it can be a mix of the above.
Sometimes the local council might say no to giving you a personal budget – if they do, they must explain why. But you can’t appeal this decision in a tribunal.
You can only use your personal budget for the support that’s written in your EHCP. That might include:
You can’t use it to pay for your school or college place, but it might help cover extra support (like specialist help or therapy) if your school or college agrees.
Personal budget
Direct payment
The money is given directly to you or your family,
You manage the money and decide how to spend it,
You are responsible for buying and paying for the support,
You must agree this with your school or college if it’s for education.
The amount you get depends on what your EHCP says you need. It is different for everyone because everyone needs different support.
Your local authority must give you enough money to pay for the services written in your EHCP.