Personal education budgets
A personal budget is the money needed to cover some or all of the cost of provision specified in an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP).
A Personal Budget can include funding from:
- education
- health
- social care
The personal budget will depend on need, eligibility and service delivery. It is there to help achieve the outcomes in the EHCP.
Most families are happy with the way schools or settings provide what is needed in the EHCP. If, however, families feel that support should be provided in a different way, a request for a personal budget can be made to the local authority (LA).
What can a personal education budget include?
Services or activities must:
- meet the assessed need and;
- help to achieve the EHCP outcomes
Personal education budgets vary depending on the school or educational setting.
Special Schools and colleges provide core, integrated specialist services. This means there is usually less need for a personal budget.
These budgets can provide:
- extra learning support
- some specialist input
- work experience or work-based learning opportunities
- additions to the technology available to a pupil to support their preferred learning style
They can't fund:
- the cost of a school place
- an existing service provided by the school or LA such as outreach
For details, see sections 9.110 to 9.118 of the SEND Code of Practice.
Funding a personal education budget
A personal education budget is not an extra amount of money or service. It:
- comes from the LAs high needs funding stream
- is a different way of detailing and possibly arranging the support agreed in the EHCP
- is dependent on locally commissioned services. And what schools and colleges normally provide as part of the local offer
Most of the services received by a child or young person will be part of the Southend Local Offer.
Personal education budgets and elective home education
Home educated children with an EHCP will not routinely receive a personal education budget if the LA believes the child's needs could be met in school, and that parents have decided to educate their child at home / make their own arrangements under section 7 of the Education Act 1996.
Although, as each decision is made on an individual basis, a budget could be provided if the authority decides it is necessary.
Considering a personal education budget?
A personal budget can be applied for by:
- a child's parent carer or;
- a young person over 16 years old
This can be done at any time during the:
- assessment
- drafting or;
- reviewing of an EHCP
Requests are considered on an individual basis.
The LA will assess if a personal budget is the most effective way to help achieve the outcomes. If the request is not approved, the parent carer or young person will get a written explanation.
There is no right to appeal. However, parent carers or young people can ask the LA to review their decision.
If the provision would normally happen at, or be provided by their:
- nursery
- school
- college
- training provider
the budget cannot be granted unless the Head of setting has given their approval.
How to apply for a personal budget
Email senteam@southend.gov.uk for a template form.
Or, parents can submit their own request. We advise you include the following information to help panel consider it:
- name of child/young person
- name(s) of parent(s)/carer(s)
- area of need (as stated in EHCP)
- outcomes (as stated in EHCP)
- provision (as stated in EHCP)
- delivered by
- resources/ equipment
- costings
Managing a personal education budget
There are 4 ways of managing personal budgets:
- a direct payment. This is where individuals receive the cash to contract, buy and manage a service themselves.
- an arrangement where the LA, school or college hold the funds and commission the support specified in the EHCP
- a third party arrangement where funds are paid to and managed by an individual or organisation on behalf of the parent carer or young person
- a combination of the above
Further information and advice
Please contact the Southend SEND Team. Phone 01702 215246 or email: SENTeam@southend.gov.uk
Organisations that can provide advice in relation to personal budgets include: