Question 33
What is a personal budget for care in the UK?
A personal budget is the amount of money the council allocates to meet someone's assessed care needs. It can be managed in different ways — the council can arrange services on your behalf, or you can receive the money as a direct payment and organise care yourself. A personal budget gives more control over who provides care and when. The amount must be enough to actually meet the assessed needs — if it is not, you can challenge it. The council sets the figure based on what it would cost to meet eligible needs, not based on what it would like to spend.
→
If the personal budget offered seems too low to cover the care needed, ask the council in writing to explain how the figure was calculated — you have the right to challenge it.
What changes the answer
- Level of assessed eligible needs
- Whether a direct payment or council-managed option is preferred
- Whether the budget is sufficient to meet assessed needs