Personal Budgets and Direct Payments

Information about personalised budgets and direct payments (social care).

Personalised Budgets, including Direct Payments are available to support children and young people who have more complex needs and have had an assessment to help meet their needs to access short breaks in Leeds. 

Personalised Budgets, including Direct Payments are available to children and young people who have more complex needs and have had an assessment to help meet their needs.

Children and young people

Personalised Budgets and Direct Payments help families have more choice and control over the support they receive.

Children’s Services give a budget to meet a child’s assessed needs. This budget is set for that child and is based on what support they need.

Decisions about Personalised Budgets and Direct Payments are made by a group called the RADAR Panel. The panel looks at information from an assessment.

The assessment will be one of the following:

  • a Child and Family Assessment completed by a social worker, or
  • an Early Help Assessment completed by a lead professional

The professional who completes the assessment shares their recommendation with the RADAR Panel. The panel then decides whether to approve the budget.

Knowing how much money is in the budget, and how it can be used, helps young people and families make choices about their support. The budget is not based on family income. It is based only on the child or young person’s needs.

Some families with higher support needs may choose to receive their Personalised Budget as a Direct Payment. This means the money is paid directly to the family so they can arrange support that works best for their child.

The child’s needs and goals will be written in:

  • a Child and Family Assessment, or
  • an Early Help Assessment

If the child has an Education, Health and Care (EHC) Plan, these needs will also be included in that plan.

Leeds City Council works with the Leeds Direct Payment and PA Support Hub to support families using Direct Payments.
They can help parents and carers with:

  • advice about Direct Payments
  • recruiting staff
  • employing personal assistants

The Leeds Direct Payment and PA Support Hub can be contacted on 0113 378 3936.

Click here for more information about personal budgets and direct payments in Leeds. 

Parents and Carers

When you get care and support through the council, you might get help to pay for some or all of it.

Care and support can include care in your home, day centres, and personal assistants.

Almost everyone is responsible for their own care and support costs.

You are not responsible for care costs if:

  • they are for reablement support services for a short period.
  • you have Creuzfeldt Jacobs Disease (CJD).
  • your care has been arranged and provided under Section 117 of the Mental Health Act 1983.
  • you qualify for full NHS Continuing Health Care Funding.
  • If something changes and you no longer qualify for NHS Continuing Health Care Funding, you will need to start paying for your care.

Click here to find out more about personal budgets and if you qualify for support.