What is a personal budget?

A personal budget is the total cost of meeting the special educational needs of a child or young person. It offers parents or young people more choice and control over their provision.

There are four ways of getting a personal budget:

• Direct Payments
  Is where you receive the funding directly so that you can buy and manage services specified in the EHC plan yourself.

• An arrangement or notional budget
  The council, school or college hold the funds and commission the support specified in the EHC plan

• Third party arrangements
  Where direct payments are paid to and managed by an individual or organisation on behalf of the child’s parents of the young person

• A combination of the above

Please see the personal budget process plan for more details on how personal budgets will work.

Funding available for direct payment or third party arrangement

This will change year on year as commissioning arrangements are reviewed.

Any provision to be delivered by a direct payment in an educational institution must be agreed by that institution.

Services already commissioned by the council or CCG will not initially be available as a direct payment as this could destabilise local services.