KIDS launches free suite of resources to support families with disabled children who will use personal budgets, commissioners and others in children’s services.

A press release from Kids:

Today KIDS launches a new suite of resources to support families and carers of disabled children who will be using the new personal budgets.

KIDS is a national charity that works with disabled children, young people and their families.

As part of the ‘Making it Personal’ project, sponsored by the Department for Education, KIDS has worked with a number of partners to develop a new suite of resources to explore how personal budgets can be used to their best advantage.

OPM, Disability Rights UK, In Control, NAFIS and the Daycare Trust have worked together with KIDS to develop guidance for commissioners and others in children’s services on how to commission for personalisation, along with a handbook for parents and carers of disabled children on what personal budgets are and how they can be used.

This work was developed in response to the Department for Education’s Green Paper Support and Aspiration: A new approach to special educational needs and disability (DfE 2011)

“To give parents confidence by giving them more control over the support their family receives, we will introduce more transparency in the provision of services for children and young people who are disabled or who have SEN. Parents will have real choice over their child’s education and the opportunity for direct control over support for their family.We propose the option of a personal budget by 2014 for all families with children with a statement of SEN or a new ‘Education, Health and Care Plan’, many of whom will have complex support needs. Key workers will be trained to advise families and help them navigate the range of help available across health, education and social care.”

Anyone wishing to access the Commissioner’s Guidance can download it here: http://www.kids.org.uk/information/100347/106207/106214/106216/for_commissioners/

Parents and carers of disabled children can download the Parent’s Handbook here:  http://www.kids.org.uk/information/100347/106207/106214/106217/for_parents_and_carers/

An eLearning package for parents and carers is under development and will be released during March 2013, supported by regional events.

For more information on this please email coe@kids.org.uk

If you want to find out more about the ’Making it Personal’ project, you can find more information here: http://www.kids.org.uk/mip