Carer's Allowance Carer's Allowance is a benefit to help you if you look after someone who is disabled.
Money
Benefits & Other
Government Funding
Use these quick links to make sure you know about all the government support you could or should be getting. The government support system can be very confusing, but help is available to make sure that you're getting all the benefits to which you're entitled - again, these are listed below.One quick tip - make sure you keep a copy of any forms that you fill in - it will save time when you're filling in subsequent forms that ask the same questions.Also, make sure you check out our grants section to find additional funding to meet your child's needs.
DLA for children
What is carers allowance
Direct payments & child benefits
Disability Living Allowance (DLA) for children
DLA for children can help you with the extra costs of looking after your disabled child. Your child must be under 16 and have difficulties walking or needs more looking after than a child of the same age who doesn’t have a disability. The DLA rate is between £21.55 and £138.05 a week and depends on the level of help your child needs. Your child might need an assessment to work out what help they need.
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Disability Living Allowance for Children Claim Form
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Disability Living Allowance telephone: 0345 712 3456
Carers Allowance
Carer’s Allowance is extra money to help you look after your child if they have substantial caring needs. You could also get Carer’s Credit so there won’t be any gaps in your National Insurance record. Carer’s Allowance is £61.35 a week. You don’t have to be related to, or live with, the person you care for. You must be 16 or over and spend at least 35 hours a week caring for your child.
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Carers Allowance Claim Form
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Telephone: 0345 608 4321
Help understanding the benefits system
Guide to financial support for parents and carers
Find details about a range of benefits, tax credits and other financial support that you may be able to receive as a carer. Includes carer's allowance, carer's credit, community care grants, child tax credit, the Sure Start maternity grant, direct payments for carers, the disabled child premium, the enhanced disability premium and much more.
Direct payments for disabled children
Direct payments can be used for a variety of services that offer your child stimulation, new experiences and independence. This includes short breaks, nursery placement with specialist support for your child, assistance to attend an activity, and personal care.
The Job Grant
The Job Grant makes a one-off payment of £250 if you have kids and have gone back to work after claiming benefits for over six months.
In Work Credit
In Work Credit pays lone parents £40 per week (£60 in London) for up to 52 weeks if they have gone back to work after claiming benefits for over a year. Find out more information at your local job centre.
Parental leave
If you have a disabled child, you may have the right to parental leave for up to 18 weeks' until their 18th birthday. To qualify, you must be an employee and have at least one year's continuous service where you work.
Taking time off
If you are an employee, you have the right to unpaid time off work to deal with emergencies involving a dependent - this could be your husband, wife, partner, child, parent, or anyone living in your household as a member of the family.
Flexible working
You have the statutory right to ask for flexible working if you have, or expect to have, parental responsibility for a disabled child under 18 who receives Disability Living Allowance. Under the law, your employer must seriously consider an application you make, and only reject it if there are good business reasons for doing so.
- Directgov: the Benefits Adviser provides information about all benefits, including disabilities.
- Adviceguide: run by the Citizens Advice Bureau.
- Benefits Enquiry Line: Freephone 0800 882200. Advice and a form-completion service for some benefits.
- Turn 2 Us: Freephone: 0808 802 2000. Benefits, grants and other help and advice.
Online benefits calculators
You may also be able to get extra financial support if you already receive or are eligible for the following:
- Income Support
- Housing Benefit
- Council Tax Benefit
- Working Tax Credit
- Child Maintenance
- The Disabled Child Premium and the Enhanced Disability Premium (child rate).
Contact your job centre or Citizens Advice Bureau - they'll be able to advise you in more detail.
Cerebra supports children under 16 years who have a brain injury, neurological disorder, mental disability or developmental problem. They have lots of services including...
Parent support workers can offer face-to-face help with filling in forms and attending meetings.
The grant scheme funds up to 80% of the cost of equipment and services. E.g. That might be by paying for a touch screen monitor for a little boy who can’t use a mouse so he can do his homework and play computer games like his friends.
Help you with your legal issues
Sleep service
They have a holiday home in Pembrokeshire, South West Wales which gives families a chance to enjoy some respite with a free week long holiday.
Provide adapted equipment and tailor made solutions to problems when there's nothing on the market that meets your child's need.
Direct payments are local council payments for people who have been assessed as needing help from social services, and who would like to arrange and pay for their own care and support services instead of receiving them directly from the local council.
Disability Living Allowance (DLA) is a tax-free benefit for disabled children to help with extra costs you may have.
This is a local council grant that helps towards the cost of adapting your home to enable you to continue to live there. A grant is paid when the council considers that changes are necessary to meet your needs, and that the work is reasonable and practical.
This grant is for adapting your home for your disabled child. There are two types: Mandatory grants - for essential adaptations to help toileting/sleeping and eating. Discretionary grants - for non-essential but really helpful things like a play area.You may also be able to get extra financial support if you already receive or are eligible for the following: Income Support Housing Benefit Council Tax Benefit Working Tax Credit Child Maintenance The Disabled Child Premium and the Enhanced Disability Premium (child rate).
Max Card
Max Card gives children with complex needs, friends and family a free or discounted access to some of the most exciting attractions across the UK! Save money on great days out at castles, zoos, museums and more. Each card is valid for two years and permits two adults and two children entry to participating venues.
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To hire-purchase a new adapted or standard car or electric wheelchair. (You need to be on higher rate DLA mobility to get a car).
NHS Personal and Household Finance
This site contains information on the help you can get if you have a low income. Help includes cold weather payments, which can be paid to you or the person you care for. Payments for your gas, electricity or water bills can be made directly from some means-tested benefits through schemes called Fuel Direct and Water Direct.
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Rightsnet
Provides access to the most up-to-date welfare rights and social welfare law information on the web.
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Sense is a national charity that supports and campaigns for children and adults who are Deafblind. They were established from a family support group in 1955 by parents whose children were born with rubella, and the experience, skills and views of families remain central to their work. You can see how they have developed over almost 60 years on their website.
Sense offers high-quality, flexible services across the UK, using skilled staff and a dedicated network of volunteers. They work with a wide range of Deafblind and multi-sensory impaired people, as well as those who have a single-sensory impairment with additional needs.
They work with children, young people, adults and older people with a progressive sight and hearing loss, offering a range of housing, educational and leisure opportunities. They also offer support to all Deafblind people in both the congenital and acquired Deafblind communities, not just those who receive direct support and services from them.
The Autism Directory is a national database to signpost families to all kinds of Autism Friendly help, information, resources, conferences, activities and much more in your area.
This website is an amazing resource and tool for families with autistic children.
The Discretionary Social Fund
The Discretionary Social Fund consists of grants and repayable interest-free loans that can help meet the costs that your weekly benefits can't cover.It includes: Budgeting Loans - interest-free, repayable loans for furniture, clothing etc. (You will need to be in receipt of a qualifying benefit.) Community Care Grants - similar to budgeting loans but you will not need to repay it. (You will need to be in receipt of a qualifying benefit.) Crisis Loans - emergency fire/flood etc.
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The Regulated Social Fund
This fund is to help you pay for specific extra expenses arising from maternity, a funeral, periods of cold weather and winter fuel payments. (You will need to be in receipt of a qualifying benefit)
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A benefits calculator that will calculate your entitlement to means-tested benefits and your eligibility to some associated benefits.
UK Power Networks
They keep details of their most vulnerable customers on a Priority Services/Special Needs Register. Although this won't necessarily mean they can restore your power more quickly, they can offer you additional help and support if you do experience a power cut.
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You don't have to pay VAT on certain goods and services that you buy, if they are to be used exclusively by someone who is disabled - a wheelchair or adapted computer hardware, for example. Certain building work can also be free of VAT.
You may be entitled to a free tax disc if you have a disabled child. To be eligible, you must get the higher rate of the mobility component of Disability Living Allowance.
Working Tax Credit
If you're claiming disability benefits for yourself or your child, you may qualify for extra tax credits.
