The Hub
5 - My budget
Information about your personal budget including where you can find support in Waltham Forest.
What is a Personal Budget?
A personal budget is an amount of money to fund support as part of an EHC Plan. It can include money from education, health and social care.
Who can have a Personal Budget?
Parents or a child with an EHC Plan, or a young person (if over the age of 16) who has an EHC Plan, can ask for a personal budget.
What is a personal budget used for?
A personal budget can be used only on the support set out in an EHC Plan. This can include funding for the special educational, health and social care support that will help achieve the outcomes set out in the plan.
What a personal budget is not used for?
A personal budget does not cover payment for a place at the school or college, or the general provision for children and young people, including those who need SEN support.
What are the different financial arrangements of a personal budget?
- An organised arrangement is where the Local Authority, School/College will look after the education amount of the personal budget for the child or young person. This is also known as a notional budget
- A Direct Payment is where the parents or young person may manage all or part of the personal budget themselves. Usually this relates to the social part of the personal budget so that families can have greater choice and control over how they organise their support. This is also known as a self-managed budget.
- A third party arrangement is where the parents or young person may ask for an organisation to manage the personal budget for them for example they can ask for Reaching Out East which is an organisation who help Waltham Forest families to manage their budget for activities
Parents and young people can have a mixture of these arrangements.
How can a direct payment be provided?
A direct payment is given to the parent or young person for some services through a pre-paid card system which allows the family or young person to have choice and control on using the funding to purchase support to meet the outcomes in the EHC Plan.
Are there other kinds of Personal Budget?
There are different types of personal budget and you can have a personal budget even if children and young people do not have an EHC Plan but need additional support with health and social care needs.
- A personal care budget is an amount of money to support identified care needs. Families have to complete either a self-assessment or they can have a social services assessment. Families have the right to request a direct payment for care needs or they can opt to use services that are already provided through short-breaks.
- A personal health budget is an amount of money to support a person's identified health and wellbeing needs. A personal health budget enables a person with a long term condition or disability to have greater choice, flexibility and control over the health care and support they receive.
Information, advice or support on Personal Budgets
There is a range of advice and support available for putting together a personal budget, both from the Local Authority and independent charities and organisations. Contact details can be found below.
For children and young people aged between 0 - 13 years
SEN Team - Wood Street Health Centre, 6 Linford Road, Walthamstow, E17 3LA
Telephone: 020 8496 6501/6500/6504
For young people aged between 14 – 25 years contact:
Transition Team - 30 Coleridge Road, Walthamstow, E17 6QU
Telephone: 020 8430 8473
For families requesting short-breaks for children and young people with disabilities:
Short Breaks - Juniper House, 221 Hoe Street, Walthamstow, E17 9PH
Telephone: 020 8496 3515
For any queries about the pre-paid card system:
Finance - Waltham Forest Town Hall, Forest Road, Walthamstow, E17 6HE
Telephone: 020 8496 4000
Waltham Forest SEND Information and Advice Service
Waltham Forest SENDIASS - Parkside Children's Centre, 82 Peel Close, Chingford, London, E4 6XQ
Email: Wf.sendiass@walthamforest.gov.uk
Telephone: 020 8496 5230
Free phone: 0800 587 2521
Independent Parental Support - This support is for parents/carers of children aged: 0 - 25
Barnardo's - Suite One, 49–51 The Broadway, E15 4BQ
Telephone: 020 8555 1880
Email: ISWalthamforest@barnardos.org.uk
For support with Direct Payments services for adults and for children’s respite packages in Waltham Forest please contact:
Reaching Out East - The North Hub, 58 Hall Lane, Chingford Mount, London, E4 8EU
Telephone: 020 8519 6369
Email: info@reachingouteast.org.uk
Direct Payments Team Email: directpayments@reachingouteast.org.uk