Self-directed Support budget as part of your child’s support
Once a Child’s Plan has been agreed for your child, everyone involved will need to work out how the support will be provided.
Some supports may only be provided by statutory services (school, the NHS or services provided by local councils). Or if your child’s support needs have been decided by a Children’s Panel, they may impose certain types of support.
You and your child have a choice in how any other support is provided. You will be allocated a budget that will enable you to choose how best to provide the support needed.
What can we use the budget for?
Every child and young person is different, so no two budgets will be used in the same way.
The budget has to be used to meet the child’s assessed needs. It can be used as flexibly as the family wants to, as long it meets this need.
Quite often, families may use the budget to pay for one-off things to help meet their children’s needs. One example is to pay for sports kit for the young person so they can take part in exercise that will help them stay healthy. There are many other examples.
If you know any other families whose child gets support, it may be helpful to speak to them to find out what they used their budget for. This will give you an idea of different things a budget can be used for.
You can also ask for advice from an Independent Support Organisation. These organisations are separate from the council and are there to help people get the support they need.
These types of organisation can help you think about what your child’s budget could be used for, to meet their needs. You can search for your local organisation using the Find Help search tool.
It is important that you and your child work with the professional involved in creating your Child’s Plan. You will agree together on what you are going to use your budget for, and agree how this will meet your child’s needs.
Who is responsible for decisions about the budget?
It is important that the views of the child or young person are listened to and taken into account throughout the process of assessment. This should be the same for making a Child’s Plan, and deciding how support should be provided.
However, the person holding parental responsibilities and rights is the one who has legal responsibility to make decisions and manage the budget on their child’s behalf. This is most often their parent.
Children aged 16 and 17 may manage their own budgets if this is deemed appropriate.
If a child or young person is not in the care of their parent/guardian, and is looked after by the local authority (council), it is handled differently. The Team Around the Child (which usually includes the person with parental responsibilities and rights) would discuss the best way of meeting their assessed needs, including budgets.
How much control and responsibility will I have around the budget?
There are four options available when it comes to managing the budget. These are designed to give you as much control and responsibility as you wish in deciding how to use it.
You can find out more about the options and what they involve in this section: Your options for controlling your support
There are some circumstances where you may not be able to choose how much control and responsibility you want to have around the budget. For example, in cases where a child requires alternative care, or is subject to certain protective duties.
In these cases, the council’s duty to safeguard the child’s wellbeing is the most important. This will inform the nature of the Child’s Plan and how that is delivered. This may still allow for some choice in aspects of that plan.
Will I have to contribute my own money towards the budget?
Adults who need support can be asked to contribute some of their own money towards the budget.
When it comes to children and young people who need support, there are only very rare circumstances where this may happen.
Where can I get help to understand how budgets work, and get support?
You may find it helpful to speak to an Independent Support Organisation. They can help you understand more about budgets and some can also help you manage a budget. You can search for your local organisation using the Find Help search tool.
Advocacy services can also help you and your child have your voices heard in meetings with professionals. You can find a local advocacy service here.
Next steps
Find out about the different options you have when it comes to managing your budget on the next page: Deciding how much control and responsibility you and your child want around their support
Many people are able to get the information and support they need when it comes to understanding and managing their child’s budget.
But we know that some common issues come up for people.
Here is what do to if any of these things happen to you.
I do not know what my child’s budget is
You have a right to know what level of budget is available to you.
It is a good idea to contact an Independent Support Organisation who can help you work with the professionals involved with your child to make sure you get the information you need. Find your local organisation using the Find Help search.
I do not think my child’s budget is high enough
If you do not agree with the budget you have been allocated, speak to the professional(s) involved in the decision.
Again, it is a good idea to contact an Independent Support Organisation who can help you work with the professionals involved with your child to understand your budget. They may also be able to advise you on making a case for a larger budget. Find your local organisation using the Find Help search.
The council says I cannot spend the budget in the way I want to
It is important that what you want to spend your child’s budget on relates to meeting their needs as agreed in their Child’s Plan. It helps if you can explain what difference that purchase will make to their life.
You can use the information in this Handbook to help explain that you should be able to use your budget flexibly.
You can find more information about the rules councils should follow around budgets in the What should happen section below.
You could also contact an Independent Support Organisation or Advocacy Service who can help you speak with the professionals involved about using your budget in a more flexible way.
The SDS Standards give guidance to local councils to tell them what they should do when it comes to arranging social care support (Self-directed Support).
These SDS Standards are not laws, but all councils have signed up to them. Councils should work to these standards.
When it comes to information about your support budget, here is what the Standards say:
- All decisions that affect your child’s choices, support, and personal budget should be recorded and shared with you.
- Different people with similar circumstances may require different budgets depending on their own strengths, assets, and family and community supports.
- You should be told the likely level of the budget you will have available, regardless of how much control and responsibility you choose to have for managing your child’s support.
- You and your child (if appropriate) should be involved in the development of your child’s budget.
- You should have maximum flexibility to use your budget in the way that you choose to achieve the outcomes that have been agreed.
- The way your council decides who gets what in their budget should be transparent and fair, for everyone.
- You and your child should have as much involvement as you wish, and as much help as you need through the budget process.
- You also have the right to choose not to be involved in discussions about your child’s budget, if you don’t want to.
- If you want to, you should be able to find out how much budget you would get for each of the four Options (you can find out more about these in this section: Your options for controlling your support).
- Your council should make it easy for you to see and understand how your child’s budget has been calculated.
- You should be involved in decisions about what you can and cannot spend your child’s budget on.
- You should be able to be flexible and creative in how your child’s budget is spent.
- You can spend your budget in any way that is legal and will help your child’s needs be met.
- You can pool your budget with another person – this means you can use some of both your support budgets together to help the money go further.
- Councils should make an effort to keep administration processes around budgets simple and clear.
- If there are any administration problems when it comes to your budget, your council should sort these out as soon as possible and in an understanding way.
- You can be flexible about how you spend your budget. You don’t have to spend the same amount every week or month. The professional working with you and your child might want to agree a limit for a maximum amount you can spend at any one time.
- Your child’s budget will be reviewed as part of the process of reviewing your child’s support. This will make sure you are using it to meet your child’s needs, and to find out if the budget needs to go up or down.
You can find the full SDS Standards here.