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A personal budget is an allocation of money identified to provide support for the eligible person to meet their identified needs, which must support the outcomes specified in the education, health and care plan.
There are three types of personal budgets that families may be eligible for if their child or young person has an EHC plan:
- Education
- Social Care
- Health
If the child or young person meets criteria specific to each agency, then they can either be provided with a personal budget on an individual basis from Education, Social Care or Health or, depending on a child or young person’s eligibility, a combination of the above. The personal budget is not all of the resources that are available to support a child or young person, just the amount that can be used flexibly by the family or young person to support the additional needs of the child or young person.
Eligibility for an education personal budget
To be eligible for an Education Personal Budget:
- A child or young person must have an EHC plan that requires High Needs Funding element
- It must be agreed through EHC process that the allocation of a personal budget is an effective way of meeting the child or young person’s outcomes as identified in their EHC plan
- It should be noted that without exception the local authority and its partners must ensure that public funding is used appropriately and provides value for money
It should also be noted that whilst the local authority might agree that the provision is needed, they may be unable, at that point in time, to release funding that is currently supporting provision of services to a number of other children and young people. High Needs Funding as a personal budget can only be included with the agreement of the school or college.
The final decision to allocate an Education Personal Budget will be made by the multi-agency panel of professionals as part of the EHC plan process or a request following an annual review.
Eligibility for a child and young peoples' continuing care personal health budget (PHB)
All children and young people that are in receipt of NHS Continuing Care have a right to request a Personal Health Budget (PHB) from NHS Blackpool Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG). The PHB options include notional budgets, direct payments and third party budgets.
- Notional budget – The Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS integrated care partnership will advise how much it costs to meet the needs of the child or young person, and will arrange and pay for the care and support outlined within the care plan.
- Direct payment for healthcare – The child or young person’s representative receives the money from the NHS (into a bank account) and arranges and pays for the care and support outlined within the care plan. The NHS/Local Authority will help individuals to do this as independently as possible, but will need to see how the money has been spent so will ask for information on a regular basis.
- Third party budget – Again, the NHS will advise how much it costs to meet the needs of the child or young person, but an independent organisation will arrange and pay for the care that the CCG fund. This could be a voluntary trust or charitable organisation. If you chose this option, support will be provided to help find an independent organisation.
Eligibility for a socal care budget
This information is being updated.
What a personal budget cannot be used for
- Education
Private School placements or private post 16 college institutions.
- Health
- Primary medical services provided by GPs;
- Vaccination or immunisation, including population-wide;
- Immunisation programmes;
- Screening;
- National child measurement programme;
- NHS Health Checks;
- Urgent or emergency treatment services, such as: Unplanned in-patient admissions to hospital; Accident and emergency; o Surgical procedures; o Specialist nursing care; Domiciliary care; Specialist Paediatrics; Some Specialist Medical Equipment; Prescription or dental charges; Child development services including therapies and paediatricians.
- Care
- Looked after child (LAC) in full time placements
- Therapies
- To purchase services directly from the LA (although a mixed package can be arranged, i.e. some services directly provided and some through a Direct Payment)
- Employment of family members living in the same household, other than on exceptional basis.
- Other
- Alcohol or tobacco, gambling, to repay debt, anything illegal or unlawful.
How to request a personal budget
- for Education
Once the local authority has confirmed that it will prepare a draft Education, Health and Care plan young people and their parents have a right to request a personal budget.
They may also request a personal budget during a statutory review of an existing EHC Plan.
Contact your SEND assessment officer or email SEND@blackpool.gov.uk
- for Social Care
Please email ehcpsocialcare@blackpool.gov.uk
- for Children and Young People’s Continuing Care
Options for a Personal healh budget can be discussed with the Continuing Care assessing Nurse or by contacting Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS integrated care partnership Continuing Healthcare Team on 01253 951230 or email c.careteam@nhs.net