Personal Budgets for support and care

A personal budget allows you to choose specific services, and gives you more control over your child's care.

Contents

  1. Overview
  2. What you can use a Personal Budget for
  3. Who can get a Personal Budget
  4. Payment options
  5. Support you will get from the Council
  6. Request a Personal Budget

Overview

A Personal Budget is an agreed amount of money that is allocated to your family from the Council, and in some cases, from other services.

After you have had an assessment, the Children's Disability Team Resource Panel will agree a care plan and the right level of funding for your child / young person's needs. 

Your Personal Budget will be the overall cost of the care and support the Council provides or arranges for you.

You will be able to decide how the money is spent to support your child / young person to achieve the outcomes in their care plan.

It means you can choose specific services for your child / young person, which suit your family and make sense to you.

It puts you and your child / young person in control, with the Council helping to organise support.

What you can use a Personal Budget for

You can use a Personal Budget to:

  • Employ a support worker for your child / young person to support them to access activities
  • Buy a service from the Council or another agency
  • Employ support for personal care
  • Access overnight short breaks

Who can get a Personal Budget

The Council will normally agree to a Personal Budget if:

  • the outcomes of the child's plan will be met
  • when your plan is reviewed, you continue to need support

Payment options 

There are different ways you can choose to manage a Personal Budget:

  • as a direct payment, paid straight into your bank account
  • in an account managed by the Council, but to be spent as you wish
  • paid directly to a care service provider or other organisation, as directed by you

You can also choose to arrange some of the care yourself using a direct payment, and ask the Council to arrange other aspects of your care.

Support you will get from the Council

The Children with Disabilities Team will:

  • Give you information about what funding may be available for your child or young person, so you can think about how it could be used, and whether you want to request a Personal Budget.
  • Give you, and those supporting you, information about Personal Budgets, and give you the opportunity to have your questions answered.

Request a Personal Budget

Speak to your Social Worker in the first instance. They will help you with further information and how to apply.