If you're reading this, you've probably already done the hard part. You've recognised your child needs more support than the NHS or school alone can offer, you've found a private sensory service that feels right, and now you're staring down the question every SEND parent eventually faces: who is going to pay for this?
The honest answer is: it depends on your child's situation, where you live, and which doors you've already opened. The slightly better news is that there are more routes than most parents realise, and you don't have to choose just one.
This guide walks you through the main funding options for private sensory therapy in England, with a Nottinghamshire focus. None of this is legal advice — for that, please speak to IPSEA or your local SENDIASS service. Think of this as a map, not a manual.
Quick start: what you can do this week
If you're short on time, start here:
- Check whether your child has an EHCP. If they don't and you think they might need one, you can request an assessment yourself — you don't need a referral. In Nottinghamshire, you do this through the [EHC Hub](https://ehchub.nottinghamshire.gov.uk/).
- Ask your local authority whether your child's needs assessment includes a personal budget. If your child already has an EHCP, you have a legal right to ask for one.
- Apply for Disability Living Allowance (DLA) if you haven't already. It's not means-tested and can be used flexibly to support therapy costs.
- Bookmark Family Fund and Newlife. Even if you're not sure you qualify, the application process is straightforward.
- Speak to Ask Us Notts (the local SEND information service) for free, impartial advice on any of the above.
Now let's go through each route properly.
EHCPs and Section F: the most powerful route
What an EHCP actually is
An Education, Health and Care Plan is a legal document, issued by your local authority (not the school), for children and young people aged 0–25 in England. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have different systems with similar aims — if you're outside England, your local authority's information service is the best starting point.
The EHCP describes your child's needs and, crucially, what provision must be made to meet them. The section that matters most for therapy funding is Section F.
Why Section F matters
Under Section 42 of the Children and Families Act 2014, your local authority has a legal duty to secure the special educational provision specified in Section F of the plan. That isn't aspirational language — it's enforceable. If a therapy is properly written into Section F (with specific frequency, duration and delivery details), the local authority must arrange and fund it.
This is why families and SEND solicitors fight so hard over the wording of Section F. "Access to occupational therapy as required" is virtually meaningless. "Weekly one-hour sessions of sensory integration therapy delivered by a qualified occupational therapist" is enforceable.
Therapies commonly funded through Section F include:
- Speech and language therapy
- Occupational therapy (including sensory integration)
- Physiotherapy
- Specialist teaching and learning support
If you're going through the EHCP process and a therapy professional has recommended specific input, push for it to appear in Section F with quantifiable detail.
How to request an assessment
Anyone with parental responsibility can request an EHC needs assessment directly. So can a young person aged 16–25. You do not need a professional to make the request for you — though supporting evidence from your GP, paediatrician, SENCO or any therapist your child has seen will strengthen your case.
In Nottinghamshire, requests are made through the [EHC Digital Hub](https://ehchub.nottinghamshire.gov.uk/). The Integrated Children's Disability Service (ICDS) team can be reached on 0115 804 1275 if you need help getting started.
The 20-week timeline
The statutory timeline, set out in regulations under the Children and Families Act 2014, is 20 weeks from the date the local authority receives your request to the date the final plan is issued. Inside that window:
- By week 6: The local authority must decide whether to carry out an assessment.
- By week 16: They must decide whether to issue a plan.
- Between weeks 16 and 20: You get a draft plan and at least 15 days to comment, request a school placement, and push back on anything that isn't right.
- By week 20: The final plan must be issued.
There are limited exceptions — for example, if a key professional is unavailable for a sustained period, or the child is out of the area. In reality, many authorities miss the timescale. If yours does, it is a breach of duty, and you can complain or escalate.
If you're refused
You can appeal to the First-tier Tribunal (Special Educational Needs and Disability), often called SENDIST. Appeals are available if the LA refuses to assess, refuses to issue a plan after assessing, or issues a plan you disagree with.
Before you can appeal, you'll usually need to at least consider mediation — you'll be issued a certificate either way. You then have two months from the LA's decision letter (or one month from the mediation certificate, whichever is later) to register the appeal.
Many families find appeals daunting. They don't have to be. [IPSEA](https://www.ipsea.org.uk) offers free legal advice on EHCP matters and runs tribunal helplines. SENDIASS services (in Nottinghamshire, that's [Ask Us Notts](https://askusnotts.org.uk/)) offer free, confidential support.
Personal Budgets within an EHCP
What they are
If your child has an EHCP, you have a right under Section 49 of the Children and Families Act 2014 to ask the local authority to prepare a personal budget. This is the amount the LA has identified as available to secure specific provision in the plan — usually elements of Section F (education) and sometimes parts of Sections G (health) or H (social care).
A personal budget doesn't automatically mean cash in your bank account. It can be managed three ways:
- Direct payment — the money goes to you (or to the young person), and you arrange and pay for the provision yourself. This is what most families mean when they talk about "getting funding" for private therapy.
- Council-managed (notional) budget — the LA holds the money and arranges the provision, but you're consulted about how it's spent.
- Third-party arrangement — a nominated person or organisation manages the budget on your behalf.
Many families end up with a mix.
What a personal budget can fund
For SEND personal budgets, direct payments can only be used for the special educational provision specified in the EHCP — and they can't be used to fund a school place. In practice, this usually means specific therapy hours, specialist resources, or tailored programmes.
Health and social care elements of a personal budget have their own rules and can be used more flexibly, including for therapeutic interventions, equipment and short breaks.
How to ask for one
There's no national form. You ask the local authority — ideally in writing — to prepare a personal budget under Section 49. They must do so. They can, however, refuse a *direct payment* element if they think it would have an adverse impact on other services or wouldn't be an efficient use of resources. That refusal can be challenged.
A useful starting point is the local authority's Personal Budget Policy. Nottinghamshire's policy is published on the SEND Local Offer, and Ask Us Notts can help you read it.
Direct Payments under the Children Act / Care Act
Not every disabled child has an EHCP, and not every family needs one to get funded support. A second route runs through children's social care.
If your child is assessed as having social care needs under Section 17 of the Children Act 1989 (or, for young people 18+, the Care Act 2014), the local authority can provide a personal budget for those needs and that budget can be taken as direct payments.
These are sometimes called "social care direct payments" to distinguish them from EHCP-linked ones.
What they can fund
The exact list varies by local authority, but social care direct payments commonly fund:
- A personal assistant or support worker
- Access to community activities the child couldn't otherwise reach
- Short breaks and respite for the family
- Specialist play, leisure or therapeutic services
- Holiday clubs and after-school provision
Many families use them alongside (not instead of) EHCP funding. The two systems are separate.
How to start
Contact your local authority's children's social care or disabled children's team and ask for a needs assessment. In Nottinghamshire, this falls under the Integrated Children's Disability Service — the same team that handles EHCPs. The phone number is 0115 804 1275.
Be ready to describe your child's needs and the impact they have on your family. Social care assessments look at the whole picture, not just educational needs.
Self-funding: what to know if you're paying privately
If you're not eligible for statutory funding, or you can't wait the months it might take, many families self-fund some or all of their child's therapy. Some thoughts that families have found useful:
- UK private therapy rates vary widely. Speech and language therapy and occupational therapy sessions typically range from around £75 to over £150 an hour, depending on the specialism, region and whether assessment or ongoing therapy. Sensory and multi-disciplinary services price differently. Always ask for a written breakdown before you commit.
- DLA is not means-tested. If your child qualifies, the weekly payment (£30.30 to £194.60 per week for 2026–27 depending on care and mobility components) can go some way toward therapy costs. The award doesn't depend on diagnosis — it depends on the level of care and supervision your child needs.
- Some employers offer salary-sacrifice or healthcare schemes that include child therapy. It's worth asking HR.
- Block-booking is sometimes cheaper. Ask the provider whether they offer reduced rates for committed packages of sessions.
A small but important point: spending your own money on therapy *does not* weaken any future claim for statutory funding. Some families worry it does. It doesn't.
Charity grants worth knowing about
Charity grants won't usually cover ongoing therapy fees, but they can pay for assessments, equipment, specific programmes, and short blocks of sessions. Eligibility criteria change year to year, so check before you apply.
- [Family Fund](https://www.familyfund.org.uk/) — grants for families on a low income raising a disabled or seriously ill child. Decisions are based on a social model of disability (need, not diagnosis), and your child must need high-level support in at least three of seven key areas.
- [Newlife](https://newlifecharity.co.uk/) — equipment grants and emergency equipment loans for disabled children under 18.
- [Caudwell Children](https://www.caudwellchildren.com/) — practical and emotional support, including therapy and equipment grants.
- [Cerebra](https://cerebra.org.uk/) — supports children with brain conditions; offers grants, a research-backed innovation centre, and a lending library.
- Variety, the Children's Charity — equipment and sensory resource grants.
Local charities matter too. Mansfield and District Mencap and the Nottinghamshire Parent Carer Forum often know about smaller, region-specific funds that don't show up in national searches.
What Every Sensation accepts
We're glad to work with families who are funding through any of the routes above. As set out on our referrals page, we accept:
- Direct Payments (from EHCP-linked personal budgets or social care)
- Personal Budgets managed by the local authority or a third party
- Self-funding by families
If you're partway through an EHCP process and not sure whether your child can access our sessions yet, get in touch — we can usually work alongside what you've already got underway.
Next steps
If you take nothing else from this guide:
- If your child doesn't have an EHCP and you think they need one, request a needs assessment yourself through the [Nottinghamshire EHC Hub](https://ehchub.nottinghamshire.gov.uk/) or your own local authority. The 20-week clock starts as soon as you ask.
- If your child already has an EHCP, check whether Section F is specific enough to be enforceable, and ask the local authority in writing about a personal budget.
- If your child has unmet social care needs, request a children's social care assessment. This is a separate route to direct payments.
- Apply for DLA if you haven't already. It's a foundation a lot of other support sits on top of.
- Speak to [Ask Us Notts](https://askusnotts.org.uk/) or [IPSEA](https://www.ipsea.org.uk/) before any major decision. Both are free, both are impartial.
Funding private therapy in 2026 is rarely a single neat conversation. It's usually a patchwork — a bit of statutory funding here, a charity grant there, a chunk of self-funding to bridge a gap. That's normal. The aim isn't a perfect plan. The aim is your child getting the support they need this year, not eventually.
If you'd like to talk through how Every Sensation could fit into your family's mix, our team is happy to have a no-pressure conversation. Get in touch through our [contact page](/contact) and we'll take it from there.
