Personal budgets and direct payments

If your child or young person has an Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan, you may be entitled to request a personal budget. A personal budget gives families greater flexibility and control over how specific services and support for their child are arranged and delivered.

What is a personal budget?

A personal budget is an amount of money identified by the local authority to deliver certain parts of the support outlined in your child’s EHC plan. It allows you to make decisions about how this funding is used to meet your child’s special educational, health, or care needs.

What can a personal budget be used for?

A personal budget can be used to fund services that are agreed as part of the EHC plan, including:

  • Education: specialist equipment, one-to-one support, or therapeutic services to help your child access education
  • Health: health-related services such as occupational therapy or speech and language therapy if they are part of the EHC plan
  • Social Care: services such as personal care, respite, or community activities.

Further information 

You can find out more about personal budgets, who is eligible, types of personal budgets and how to request one in the Education Health Care (EHC) Plans section of the Local Offer.