Personal budgets

If you have a learning difficulty, or are a friend or family member of someone with a learning difficulty, this is an exciting time. This is because local councils are introducing personal budgets, which mean people with learning difficulties can choose for themselves how to spend the money allocated to meet their needs.

When the local council has agreed your care and support it will tell you how much money you will have to spend.  You can decide how to spend it. The money can be spent on things like:

• Support from staff employed by a support provider
• Employing your own staff
• Aids and adaptations to your home
• Leisure activities
• Computer equipment that helps you communicate or be more independent.

As well as the personal budget from the local council, you may also be entitled to housing benefit or local housing allowance to pay the rent for a house or flat, and to income support and disabled living allowance, to pay for your food, clothing, transport and other costs.  You may also be able to get help with going to college or getting a job.

When you have your personal care services budget, you can ask the local council to arrange the support and other things you want or you can spend the budget yourself, with the help of your family.  A third option is to have the help of a service broker or provider broker.  These are organisations that will help you to create your own person-centred support plan and then help you to arrange the services and support you have chosen.

The whole point of personal budgets is that you can have as much control over your own life as possible as well as having the support you need to live your life the way you want.

For more information

For more information about how we can help, please contact us.

To find out how Care UK can help you to set up your own learning disabilities care and support plan, click here.