What is a personal budget?

A personal budget is is an amount of money (identified by the local authority) that pays for the provision specified in a child/young person’s Education Health and Care (EHC) Plan. They can give young people (and their parents) greater choice and control over the services they require.

The EHC Plan will offer a personal budget for aspects of the provision outlined in it, if the parents or young person request it and are deemed eligible. Any requests for a personal budget must be discussed with the SEN Officer when an EHC Plan is being drafted or reviewed/ re-assessed.

A personal Budget must be used to effectively deliver some or all of the provision that has been agreed in an EHC plan and must support an agreed approach to meeting the child or young person’s outcomes

A personal budget will require the agreement of the local authority and education provider.

You can find out more about personal budgets on the Gov website.

Who can request a personal budget?

A child or young person aged 0-25, assessed to receive an EHC plan, or their parent carers, can request a Personal Budget. However, a personal budget must be an effective way of delivering the outcomes that have been agreed in an EHC Plan and securing the provision that has been agreed to support those outcomes. The personal budget should also be an efficient use of resources and must be used appropriately to deliver the provision agreed.