Parent and Young Person Guide to Personal Budgets. October 2014
Guide for parents and young people
Personal Budgets
for
Children & Younger Adults
October 2014 version 2
Introduction / 3Definition of a personal budget / 3
Personal social care budgets / 4
Personal health budgets / 4
Personal education budgets / 4
Eligibility and how amounts are agreed / 5
How personal budgets are managed / 6
Initial discussion about personal budgets / 7
Process for requesting and agreeing personal budgets / 8
Further information and advice / 11
Introduction
This guidance is for parents and young people who are interested in personal budgets. It provides an overview of the different types of personal budget so you can begin to think about whether a personal budget is something that might benefit you.
Exactly what a personal budget can and can’t be used for depends on personal circumstances, so the information that can be provided here may leave some of your questions unanswered. Ultimately very detailed questions can only be answered as your support plan is being put together.
This information was last updated in October 2014 and will be reviewed by March 2015.
Definition of a personal budget
A personal budget is an amount of money identified to deliver certain aspects of provision set out in a support plan.
There are three types of personal budget:
Social care – this is the budget that will be made available if a young person or child is assessed as needing additional and individual support outside school or college, such as in the home and when out and about in the community.
Health – from April 2014, children or young people in receipt of NHS Continuing Care have had the right to request a personal health budget and from October 2014, this becomes a ‘right to have’. Others who may benefit from a personal health budget, including people with long term conditions who do not meet the eligibility criteria for Continuing Care may be able to ask for a personal health budget from 2015.
Education –These budgets are only available to people who are having an Education Health and Care Plan (EHC Plan) prepared or reviewed.The funding for this element of the personal budget will come from ‘high needs block’ funding. The availability of the budget will be determined by the learning outcomes in the plan, so will depend on individual circumstances. It will also depend on whether the education setting can identify funding that can be used as a personal budget.
If the personal budget is to be used in a school or college setting the local authority can only make the budget available with the agreement of the head teacher or college principal.
Eligibility and how amounts are agreed
- Children’s social care will carry out an assessment, identify relevant services and convert any personal budget elements into an amount of money.
- Health will carry out an assessment and the needs that are eligible to be taken as a personal budget will be identified.
- Education budgets will be determined by the indicative level of funding that is written into the draft EHCplan.
- Adult social care will carry out an assessment which results in the allocation of a notional cash amount. This is called a resource allocation system.
Some adult social care services are co-funded. This means they require a cash contribution from people. Personal budgets can’t be used to pay the co-funding element of care.
The amount of money identified, will be indication of what might be available. The actual amount will be determined once it is clear what the actual cost of proposed provision would be.
How personal budgets are managed
There are four mechanisms for managing personal budgets:
1You can have money as a direct payment which is paid into a dedicated bank account and make your own arrangements. If you do this it could involve you hiring your own staff or buying in a service from a provider. If you employ someone you have to thelegal responsibilities of an employer.
2You may prefer to identify a third party who may be an individual nominee or an organisation to manage the money or arrangements on your behalf.
3You could opt for an organised arrangement, where the organisation making the money available arranges the desired support on your behalf. (i.e spot purchase)
4Some people opt for a combination of the above.
Some assessments and planning work will be part of an EHC Plan. These plans replace Statements of Special Education Need. The plans bring together a child or young person's Special Educational Needs and set out the provision to meet those needs from Education, Health and Social Care Services. If you are having an EHC Plan prepared or reviewed, you can request a personal budget to meet educational needs.
Whether or not you have an EHC Plan, the assessment will consider all relevant circumstances, identify needs and desired outcomes. It will look at:
•The child or younger adult
•A family
•How the child or younger adult can change things to achieve their outcomes
•How we all can meet the outcomes identified and any future plans
Initial discussions about personal budgets
It is best to consider the pros and cons at an early stage in the assessment process. These considerations will be returned to in more detail later on in the assessment.
Key points to consider are:
•Arrangements will have to be put in place to manage the necessary paperwork, either alone or with help.
•The services which you intend to use your personal budget will have to be the best way to meet the outcomes identified within your plan
•A personal budget does not mean more money and that in some cases it may be a cheaper option for the local authority to be responsible for providing the service.
•If you are employing your own staff you will need to meet your legal obligations as an employer. You also need to consider contingencies, such as what happens if people suddenly leave or are sick.
The arrangements will be subject to a system of monitoring and reviewing arrangements.
Process for requesting and agreeing personal budgets
The assessment process will depend on your circumstances. People who are having EHC Plans prepared or reviewed will have an EHC Needs Assessment Facilitator to ensure smooth coordination, in other situations this may be someone from health or social care.
The information below is intended as a guide to the main steps of setting up a personal budget.
Step 1 – Request and consider – As your plan is being put together the person doing your assessment will work with you to look at how best to meet agreed outcomes. This will involve a consideration of the full range of services that are part of the local offer. At this point you may want to consider the pros and cons of a personal budget.
Step 2 – Agree which outcomes in the plan are to be met through personal budgets –Here you will agree
•Which outcomes are to be met through personal budgets,
•How much money will be available,
•How the budget or budgets are to be managed, monitored and audited.
•If personal budgets can’t be up and running at the point when your plan is signed off, time scales and interim arrangements will be identified.
If any personal budgets that have been requested can’t be agreed, you will be given an explanation why and the person doing your assessment will work with you to look at other ways of making your plan personal to your needs.
Step 3 – Personal budgets set up – Personal budgets will be set up within agreed timescales and any interim arrangements will be put in place. Where a personal budget is being taken as a Direct Payment arrangements need to be put in place for how this will be managed and monitored. This will involve the family or nominee setting up a bank account. Please refer to “Information Pack EHC Personal Budgets via Direct Payment Processes” booklet for further details.
Step 4 – Review and refine – Personal budgets arrangements will be reviewed at agreed dates. This is to ensure that personal budgets are being used for the intended purpose. If there are concerns about the way personal budgets are being used, this may also lead to a review. At school leaving age a young person who has the capacity to manage a personal budget, can request that the budget is paid to them.
Further information and advice
Local Offer
Framework of providers – list of organisations that you can purchase services from with your personal budget
Personal budgets and adult social care
Personal health budgets
Framework of providers – list of organisations that you can purchase services from with your personal budget specific link to be added by Linda Dale
Derbyshire Parent Forum
How personal budgets can benefit children and young people in school and college settings Personal budgets and the school day highlights how a personal budget can be beneficial in a school or college setting.
Employing a pa in social care and health
Register of approved personal assistants
Personal budgets to support people find paid work
Council for Disabled Children resources about personal budgets and personalisation
If you have any questions contact call Derbyshire on (01629) 533190
Last updated 16 October 2014
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