How to Use Your EHCP Personal Budget at Home
If you’ve ever stared at a half-empty cupboard and wondered how to make something out of nothing, you already understand the feeling of tackling an EHCP personal budget. It’s a powerful tool — a chance to shape support that genuinely works at home — but it can feel equal parts exciting and overwhelming! It doesn’t have to be.
This isn’t about adding more paperwork or buzzwords; it’s about helping you use what’s already available to make a real difference for your child. So, let’s break it down simply — step by step, with no jargon and no extra workbooks required.
What exactly is a personal budget?
Once your child has an EHCP, you may be offered a personal budget. This is the funding that pays for the extra support described in Section F of the plan — the part that lists what must happen to meet your child’s special educational needs.
A personal budget isn’t a bonus pot of money; it’s a way to make sure the support written into the plan actually happens. It can cover education, health or social care needs — or all three — depending on what’s written in the plan.
There are a few ways this budget can be managed:
- The local authority (LA) or school holds and spends it directly (called a notional budget).
- You can receive the money yourself through a direct payment, allowing you to arrange services or buy equipment.
- Or a third-party organisation can hold and manage it for you, if you prefer help with the admin side.
If you’re not sure which is right for you, SENDIASS (the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Information, Advice and Support Service) can explain your options.
Step-by-step: How to use your EHCP personal budget at home
Step 1: Check Section F
Start by looking carefully at Section F of the EHCP. Each item there describes what support your child must receive — for example, “weekly one-to-one teaching sessions,” “occupational therapy,” or “specialist communication software.” Those provisions can sometimes be arranged at home if the LA agrees.
Step 2: Find out who manages the money
Ask whether your personal budget is notional or a direct payment. If it’s a direct payment, you’ll need to keep records and show how the funds were used. It sounds daunting, but most LAs have templates to make this easy.
Step 3: Match the support to your home life
The real value of a personal budget is flexibility. Here are some examples of how families have used theirs at home (always linked directly to the EHCP’s wording):
- Sensory regulation: Funding for ear defenders, weighted blankets, or soft lighting if the plan lists sensory needs.
- Support worker or tutor: Paying a trained person to visit at home for the one-to-one hours named in the plan.
- Assistive technology: Buying communication apps, tablets, or other tools listed in the EHCP.
- Flexible scheduling: Arranging therapy or learning sessions at home when school hours aren’t ideal.
- Parent training: Using funds for family learning sessions if “staff training” is included in the plan — you’re part of the team too.
Positive Behaviour Support Training
Step 4: Keep simple records
You don’t need to be a spreadsheet wizard. Just keep short notes of what was funded, when it happened, and what difference it made. Research by In Control and Lancaster University found that around 80 percent of families saw better outcomes when they kept track of how personal budgets were used.
Step 5: Review and adapt
Life changes — and that’s okay. If a certain piece of equipment works brilliantly or a support worker’s schedule fits better at home, tell the review team. The SEND Code of Practice says EHCPs should evolve with the child’s needs and what’s working in practice.
Common pitfalls (and how to sidestep them)
- Using the budget for extras not in the plan.
Every penny must link to Section F — if it’s not listed, get it added at the next review. - Taking on too much.
Direct payments make you the employer. Payroll, insurance, and training may fall on you unless you use a third-party service. Ask your LA what support is available. - Not tracking outcomes.
Without a record, it’s hard to show progress. Short notes or photos of your child using funded equipment can be enough. - Assuming decisions are final.
You can request changes at reviews. The LA has a legal duty to meet the child’s needs — your feedback helps make that happen.
A realistic way to start
When I try a new recipe, I don’t cook the whole book — I start small. You can do the same here.
Open the EHCP and pick one piece of support that could work at home. Then ask: “How could this look in our setting?” Maybe it’s arranging therapy after school, or setting up a calm space for learning. Take that single step and note the outcome. Progress happens in these manageable pieces, not overnight.
Why this matters
A personal budget gives families more say in how support is delivered. It’s about tailoring help to real life — making sure your child’s needs are met consistently, both at school and at home.
Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA) and Positive Behaviour Support (PBS) both highlight how small, consistent environmental changes can create meaningful improvements in wellbeing. Managing a personal budget with intention is one of those changes. It’s kindness, made practical.
Final thought
You do not need to be an expert before you start. You simply need a clear understanding of your child’s needs and the confidence to ask questions. Review the EHCP, explore one provision that could work at home, and start a conversation about how to make it happen.
Progress rarely arrives all at once. It grows quietly through small, well-chosen steps, supported by compassion, collaboration, and persistence.
References
IPSEA (2018). Personal Budgets and Direct Payments.
In Control & Lancaster University (2018). Measuring the Outcomes of EHCPs and Personal Budgets.
Council for Disabled Children (2015). Personal Budgets for Post-16 Provision.
SEND Code of Practice: 0–25 Years (Department for Education, 2015).