Personal Budgets
Visit Personal Budget on the SEND Local Offer for more information.
How a personal budget is arranged
- Parent or carer requests personal budget during an Education Health and Care Plan (EHCP) assessment or review.
- Caseworker gathers quotes from Alternative Provision (AP) Framework providers.
- An expected budget is calculated.
- Parent and LA co‑design provision.
- Funding method agreed (Direct Payment, Notional, or Third‑Party).
- Written agreement issued by LA.
What can a personal budget be spent on?
These items can be funded if written in Section F of an EHCP:
- Tuition (1:1 or group).
- Online learning subscriptions.
- Specialist teaching programs.
- Therapies (SALT/OT/PT).
- Learning resources (books, sensory tools, adaptive tech, laptops).
- Exam access arrangements.
- Training for parents only where required to deliver Section F provision.
What can a person budget not be spent on?
The following cannot be funded:
- Items not in Section F of the EHCP.
- Household bills or food.
- Room or venue hire.
- Extracurricular activities.
- Dangerous activities.
- Cash reimbursements.
- Independent AP where LA AP already meets needs.
Direct Payments
Parents receiving Direct Payments must:
- keep detailed receipts, invoices and bank statements
- provide evidence within 14 days when requested
- follow safe recruitment if employing staff including DBS checks and references
- maintain correct insurance if hiring tutors or personal assistants
- ensure provision matches Section F exactly
- track spending using the LA’s template
- engage in regular monitoring meetings