Introducing personal budgets - what we can learn from other countries

This report entitled The Transition to Personal Budgets for People with Disabilities: A Review of Practice in Specified Jurisdictions (2012) summarises the available evidence, across five countries – UK, US, Canada, Australia and the Netherlands - on the introduction of personal budgets as an alternative to directly-provided disability services. While there have been relatively few research studies on this, some key messages have come through

• The introduction of personal budgets provides an opportunity to promote people with disabilities’ level of choice and control over the support they may need
• Service users tend to be positive
• Because people have individual needs, a single model of personal budget may not suit everyone
• Personal budgets may not be the best option for everyone
• It is a challenge to introduce personal budgets alongside direct provision of services

A paper summarising the findings of the different individual studies reviewed is available on request by contacting us.