Personal budgets
A personal budget is funding for children, young people, adults and their carers to pay for care and support.
Personal budgets help children and young people with SEND, allowing their families to choose the care and services that are most appropriate to deliver support for them. Personal budgets are also often referred to as ‘direct payments’.
Our approach to personal budgets can be found in our personal budgets policy. This policy is currently under review and will be updated once available.
Personal budget elements
Personal budget payments can be made from one or more of the following elements:
- Education: children and young people with SEND may be eligible for financial support to help them meet the outcomes specified in their Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan. The personal budget could pay for different things, such as equipment, specific therapies or to support with transport to meet education needs
- Social Care: some children and young people with complex needs are eligible for a social care personal budget which can be used for different types of support or services, such as Short Breaks
- Health: we work closely with the NHS to help children and young people with complex health needs access a personal health budget. This can pay for things such as equipment, respite care or a personal assistant
Personal budgets can also be a paid from a combination of these service providers, which is also known as an ‘integrated personal budget’. KIDS personal budget guide can help you figure out which personal budget element you may need.
This video explains more about the different elements of personal budgets:
Find out more on this easy-read guide to personal budgets. (PDF)
Managing personal budgets
The person who receives the personal budget usually decides who manages it. There are 3 ways this can be done:
- direct payments: this is where you would receive cash payments to arrange and manage services yourself
- arrangements: we can manage your personal budget for you, or you may prefer another organisation or education setting holds the funds and pays for the services specified in the EHC plan. This arrangement can also be called a ‘notional budget’
- a combination of the above: it can be given partly through direct payments and partly through arrangements
Accessing personal budgets
Each type of personal budget has its own way for you to access it.
Education
Information about how to access this support is shared when we agree on an EHC plan, or during annual reviews.
For more information, contact your SEND case officer or our SEN Team by email on sen.enquiries@camden.gov.uk, or by phone on 020 7974 6500, Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm.
Social Care
Children and young people who are known to the Children and Young People's Disability Service may be eligible for a personal budget. Adults who are eligible for a personal budget will be told during their care needs assessment.
For more information, contact the Children and Young People's Disability Service (CYPDS) by email on dutydct@camden.gov.uk, or by phone on 0207 974 3597, Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm.
Health
Children, young people and adults with complex health needs who are receiving continuing healthcare can apply for a personal health budget through their healthcare professional.
Disagreements
If you disagree with our decision about a personal budget, you can get free, impartial advice from:
If you want mediation or need to complain about one of our services, find more information on our complaints, mediation and appeals processes.