Resource allocation systems

Personal budgets involve the person who is eligible for support knowing, up front and early, what their budget is likely to be. This is so that they can begin to plan the support they need.

In order to be able to do this councils need a way of being able to estimate the budget the person might get. This is known as an indicative allocation.

In 2009, ADASS worked together with 18 councils, disabled people and family members, and In Control to develop the Common resource allocation framework.

This was published in October 2009 as part of a set of good practice guides called Making progress with Putting People First.

The Common resource allocation framework offers policy advice to support the implementation of all resource allocation systems as well as a set of practical resource allocation tools. The policy advice was updated in July 2010 to incorporate changes aimed at strengthening and improving the framework document in relation to carers.

In August 2010 two further products were published as a result of work undertaken in a resource allocation national learning set:

• Making resource allocation work in a financial environment
• Resource allocation systems benchmarking tool

The Common resource allocation framework was endorsed by the Audit Commission in the report Financial management of personal budgets, published in October 2010.

Further advice on resource allocation is available from the In Control at www.in-control.org.uk