Personal Budgets for Children

Personal budgets and personalisation allow people who need support to have more choice and control about how they are provided. Personalisation does not involve additional pots of money but rather using resources more flexibly where appropriate.

Doncaster Council has been an "early adopter" of social care personal budgets. Where parents have been assessed as needing a short break, the arrangements for short breaks have been increasingly personalised and this often includes the use of direct payments. It will continue to be the case that where there is an assessed need for a short break or other social care need that this will still be provided under the Children's Act 1989 and associated regulations and this will usually be within a personal budget and in many cases using direct payments. These can still be accessed whether there is an Education, Health and Care Plan or not. There is a separate document "Guide to Children's Personal Budgets" published by DMBC which will remain particularly relevant for cases where there is a social care/short breaks personal budget but no Education, Health and Care Plan. 

The Children and Families Act 2014 introduces personal budgets across Education and Health, which can be combined with social care personal budgets. The wider scope of a personal budget will only be available where an Education, Health and Care Plan is in place. Personal budgets across Health and Education are very new and will be developed over time. Personal budgets will not be appropriate for every child with a disability. All provision will be on the basis of assessed need. Where it is agreed that the outcomes associated with such assessed needs may be made by means of personal budgets, including direct payments, then a personal budget will be put in place. It should be noted that personal budgets are also available in Adult Social Care therefore 18 - 25 year olds may continue to have a free-standing Adult social care personal budget but this could be aligned into a wider personal budget IF the young adult has an Education, Health and Care Plan. 

Personal budgets do not necessarily mean parents and young people having to handle finances themselves. The Aiming High Business Unit part of Doncaster Council has a team which can help families set up and operate a personal budget. For further information please see the contact details below. 

T:01302 862332 

E: aiminghighbusinessunit@doncaster.gov.uk 

W: www.doncaster.gov.uk

Last updated: 12 December 2017 16:28:26