Personal Budgets for Children

Personal Budgets are a pot of money that can be applied for to meet a child’s specific needs with either Education, Health or Social Care. This is not money for ‘extras’ such as clubs or home tuition.

Personal Budgets are not suitable for all children because most children’s needs can be met by the school or Health or Social Care systems.

Parents/carers or young people can ask to be considered for a Personal Budget, Personalisation or Short Breaks to support a child in either Education, Health or Social Care.

A Personal Budget in health and/or social care is an agreed amount of money allocated to an individual to manage their care and support needs. The amount is determined by a needs assessment and outlined in a care plan. You can apply for a Health and/or Social Care Personal Budget for a child with or without an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP).

No, your child will need an EHCP and be 0-25 years to apply for an educational Personal Budget.

Yes, your child will need an EHCP and be 0-25 years to apply for an Education Personal Budget and this need and support must be within the EHCP.

Personal Budgets can be applied for when an EHCP is first in draft form, when it is finalised and then during each EHCP review. There must be a clear need for support that normal Education, Health and/or Social Care cannot meet without a Personal Budget.

Personal Budget amounts will vary from child to child and the amount paid is determined by the child's individual needs, as per their assessment. 

There are four ways you can use a personal budget:

1. The LA/school/college pays directly to the person supporting your child. This is called an Arrangement or a Notional Budget.
2. The money goes through you and you use it to pay the person providing the support. This is called a Direct Payment.
3. The money is handled by a payroll company of your choice. This is called a Third Party Arrangement.
4. A mixture of all three types of payments above.

If your request for a Personal Budget is turned down, then there is no appeal, however you can ask for this to be reviewed.

You could ask about Personalisation. This is not about a budget for your child, but about giving more choices around how support is given to your child or the young person.

To find out more about Personal Budgets or Personalisation, please find the contact details below:

For Health and/Social Care

• Tel: 01302 737448
• Email: CWB@doncaster.gov.uk

For Education

• Tel: 01302 737211 (lines open 9am-1pm)
• Email: SEN@doncaster.gov.uk 

You can also find further information in chapter 9 of the SEND Code of Practice.