As a parent/carer of a child or young person with special needs, state benefits are there to enable you to look after your child/young person.
The organisations below can give advice on benefits. Receiving the correct support and benefits are your right, and the services listed in Useful Contacts in Related Pages can help support you when applying for benefits, and highlight any benefits that you may be entitled to.
Some of the key benefits and organisations you should know about include:
Carer's Allowance is a taxable benefit to help people who look after someone who is disabled. You may be able to get Carer's Allowance if you are aged 16 or over and spend at least 35 hours a week caring for a person who gets either:
You might be able to get Carer’s Allowance if all of the following apply:
As at April 2017 -
Carer’s Allowance is £62.70 a week to help you look after someone with substantial caring needs.
Claiming Carer's Allowance may affect any other benefits, allowances, pensions and entitlements you, or the person you care for, are receiving. You may have to pay tax on the amount you receive. You should still apply as benefits could be increased.
Carer's Allowance is normally paid directly into any account of your choice which accepts benefit payments; this might be a bank, building society or other account provider.
Further information is available on the GOV.UK website.
Tax credits are payments from the government. If you're responsible for at least one child or young person, you may qualify for Child Tax Credit. If you work, but are on a low income, you may qualify for Working Tax Credit. Depending on your circumstances you may be eligible to both types of tax credits and they aren't taxable.
To claim tax credits you have to fill in a claim form. You can only get a tax credits claim pack from the Tax Credit Helpline. It is a good idea to get the following together before you call:
on tel: 0845 3003900 or visit: www.hmrc.gov.uk/taxcredits
Contact a Family have a Benefits Checklist and a Factsheet called Benefits, Tax Credits and Other Financial Assistance.
To get either or both contact them on tel: 0808 8083555 or visit: www.cafamily.org.uk
Disability Living Allowance is a tax-free benefit for disabled children and adults to help with extra costs you may have due to a disability. It is not based on the type of disability that matters, but the needs arising from it and how that disability affects you.
Disability Allowance is payable for children from age 0 to 16 who meet the required criteria. If you child is 16 or over, then you must apply for help through the Personal Independence Payment scheme.
For information and advice on how to qualify and claim DLA for your child, please visit www.gov.uk
Personal Independence Payment (PIP) is a new benefit replacing Disability Living Allowance (DLA) for adults aged 16-64. DLA will continue as separate benefit for children aged under 16 years.
Initially PIP only applied to those making a new claim, but it is now also replacing existing DLA awards for some claimants.
For more information please visit www.gov.uk
Contact a Family supports families with disabled children across the UK. Whatever the condition, whenever they need us, wherever they are. We provide information, advice and support. We bring families together so they can support each other. We campaign to improve their circumstances, and for their right to be included and equal in society.
Most of us have debts of some sort or another. However research shows us that families with disabled children are more at risk of getting into debt as it costs more to raise a child with additional needs.
Contact a Family provide access to parent advisers on their helpline to answer some commonly asked questions around the subject of debt.
Information around where to get help is readily available on their website
Help with debt - where to get free and confidential debt advice, and an explanation of priority and non-priority debts.
Debt, benefits and grants - information around benefits, rent arrears and debts.
Problems with borrowing - more on borrowing and what to do if you are being harassed by creditors
Contact a Family are also accessible to help you get a full benefits check, if you would like to know more, call their freephone helpline on 0808 808 3555, Monday-Friday, 9.30-5.00pm.
Ruth Card
Volunteer Parent Representative
Telephone: 01942 721 323
Email: ruth.card@cafamily.org.uk
Family Fund is the UK’s largest charity providing grants for families on low incomes raising disabled or seriously ill children and young people. Last year, we provided 88,407 grants and services worth over £33 million to families across the UK.
We believe that all families raising disabled or seriously ill children and young people should have the same choices, quality of life, opportunities and aspirations as other families. Beginning with those on low incomes, and considering all conditions against our own eligibility criteria (based on the social model of disability),we aim to make a difference to outcomes for disabled or seriously ill children and young people and the lives of the families raising them across the UK.
We support this aim by providing grants for essential items such as kitchen appliances, sensory toys, family breaks, bedding, tablets/computers, furniture and clothing. It can be a struggle financially, emotionally and physically for families raising a disabled or seriously ill child, and these grants help break down many of the barriers families face, improving their quality of life and easing the additional daily pressures.
We also provide a range of programmes and services, as well as information and advice to families that apply to us, in order to help them access more of the support that may be of help to them in raising their child or young person.
Find out more at www.familyfund.org.uk, call us on 01904 550055, email us at info@familyfund.org.uk or join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.
To find out if you are eligible to receive a grant visit the Family Fund website.
Email: info@familyfund.org.uk
Telephone: 01904 550055
Textphone: 01904 658085
Fax: 01904 652625
Family Fund
4 Alpha Court
Monks Cross Drive
York
YO32 9WN
Working Families™ is the UK’s leading work-life balance organisation. The charity helps working parents and carers and their employers find a better balance between responsibilities at home and work.
Everyone who has a child usually has to consider their options for caring for their child whilst maintaining financial security. If you are finding it difficult to decide what to do for the best then it is worth checking what benefits and tax credits you are entitled to, or would be entitled to, if you make changes to your working life.
Working Families offers advice for rights at work to parents and carers to help them achieve a work-life balance.
For more information visit the workingfamilies.org.uk or use any of the contact details below.
Working Families
Cambridge House
1 Addington Square
London
SE5 0HF
Telephone: 020 7253 7243
Advice line: 0300 012 0312
Email: advice@workingfamilies.org.uk.
Please be advised that Working Families do not use encrypted email. As such please ensure that you do not provide personal information in your email content. If unsure, please use the advice telephone line.
All families whose child has an EHC plan will have a right to request a personal budget. The personal budget will allow young people or parents to buy support identified in the plan directly.
Download St Helens Personalisation & Personal Budgets Policy
As a higher education student living in England, you can apply for a Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA) if you have a disability, including a:
The support you get depends on your individual needs and not on income.
For more information, please see Disabled Students' Allowances (DSAs)
Students in higher education can apply for money directly from their university or college on top of any other student finance - you don’t have to pay this money back.
For more information please see - Bursaries, Scholarships and awards
You could get extra money from your university or college if you’re experiencing financial hardship.
The amount you can get is decided by your university or college and it is paid in a lump sum or instalments.
You usually won’t have to pay the money back, but in some cases you’ll get a loan that you will have to repay.
For more information please see - University and College Hardship Funds
The purpose of the Local Offer is to enable parents and young people to see more clearly what services are available for children with special educational needs and disabilities in their area, and how to access them.
"I like the pictures and I like the interesting information it has on the website" - Pupil from Allanson Street Primary School
