A personal budget is a sum of money allocated to a disabled child and their family as a result of an assessment of their needs.
In Nottingham City, Social Care Personal Budgets have been available for children and young people with disabilities to help meet their health and social care needs for a number of years. Education Personal Budgets have been available as of 1 September 2014 as part of the reforms introduced by Part Three of the Children and Families Act 2014 (hereafter referred to as the “Act”).
The Act has brought in the right to a Personal Budget and Local Authorities are now required to provide details of:
- The services across education, health and social care that currently lend themselves to the use of Personal Budgets
- How that funding will be made available
- Clear and simple statements of eligibility criteria
- The decision-making processes
Who are our services for?
A disabled child or young person and their family can receive an education, health or social care Personal Budget. The Personal Budget will be outlined in an EHCP. If no educational need is identified, an EHCP will not be required. This does not mean the child or young person may not be eligible for a health and/or social care Personal Budget. In these cases, the care required will be outlined in a Support Plan.
A social care or health budget can be accessed without going through the EHCP process by direct referral for an assessment to the Disabled Children’s Team or the Children’s Continuing Care Service.
The right to a Personal Budget applies to any child or young person, age 0-25, with Special Educational Needs and/or Disabilities (SEND) who has an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) or a Health and/or Social Care Support Plan where are Personal Budget has been requested and agreed.
Parents have control of a Personal Budget up to the end of year 11 (post compulsory school age). It is then the young person who has this responsibility, as long as they have the mental capacity as defined by the Mental Capacity Act, unless they elect for their parent/carer to manage their funding.
How is our service accessed?
A Personal Budget can be received in the following ways;
- Through a direct payment either to the young person (if they are over 16), parent or representative, or a 3rd party
- Through an Individual Service Fund where a service provider holds the funds
- As a “virtual” budget if a young person wants to access services provided by the local authority
- Or a combination of the above.
Who to contact
Telephone: 0115 8763500
