Section J: personal budgets in an EHCP

Section J records whether a personal budget is available for the special educational provision in the plan. A personal budget identifies the resources available to deliver some or all of the provision, giving families more control over how it is used — for example, arranging specific therapy themselves.

Key points

• A personal budget can include elements from the council, and in some cases health funding.
• It is not a cash award for anything you like — it must still deliver the provision specified in Section F.
• You can request one; the council must consider the request and give reasons if it declines (Children and Families Act 2014, s.49).
• Many drafts simply leave J blank because nobody asked.

How to raise it in your response

"Please confirm whether a personal budget is available for any element of the provision specified in Section F, and if not, provide the reasons and the council's policy on direct payments for special educational provision."

Even if you don't ultimately want one, asking establishes the size of the resources behind the plan — useful information.

The checker notes when Section J is missing so you don't forget to ask.