The Contact a Family Helpline receives thousands of enquiries each year.
Here are some of the more frequently asked questions (FAQs) to the helpline. Please don't hesitate to contact the helpline if you have a question that isn't dealt with here or would like further information.
Employment
My daughter has recently been born with a disability. I am considering reducing my hours at work to support my partner caring for our child. What are my rights?
Both mothers and fathers of children under 6, and disabled children under 18, have had increased employment rights, including the right to ask to work flexibly, although this request may not be granted. More information about employment rights can be found in the Contact a Family guide, 'Working'.
For more detailed advice you can call ACAS, Tel: 08457 47 47 47, Textphone: 08456 06 16 00.
Specific conditions
My child has Irlen Syndrome but I cannot find any information about this condition in the Contact a Family Directory.
Contact our helpline, who can provide further information about a range of conditions which are not in the Directory.
We may also be able to link you with another family caring for a child with the same condition, through our family linking service, Making Contact.
Education and support
I want my son to go to a mainstream school but the LEA is saying he would be better placed in a special school. What are my rights?
Within the Education Codes of Practice for the nations there is now a presumption towards mainstream. If you are unhappy with the school chosen, or any other aspect of the statement (or the coordinated support plan if you live in Scotland), you can appeal. Information about the appeals process, and organisations that can provide further advice, can be found in the Contact a Family Special educational needs guides for England and Wales.
If you would like more information about appeals call the Contact a Family Helpline or the Contact a Family Office in your area.
My LEA has advised me that a residential special school would be the most appropriate to meet my child's needs. Can you tell me how I find details of schools which will meet my son's needs?
Call our helpline, which has access to a range of publications giving details of special schools across the UK.
If your child is going to college, NATSPEC (National Association of Specialist Colleges), Web: http://www.natspec.org.uk/directory.htm, has details of member colleges across the UK on its website
You can also download a copy of The Right Place: A parent's guide to choosing a residential special school from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation website. As well as giving details of sources of information about residential special schools it also has lots of advice and tips for visiting schools.
There may also be a support group for the condition your child has that may be able to give more information about appropriate specialist schools and colleges.
My son needs a computer at home to help with schoolwork. We're not sure where to go for advice about a suitable computer. Also is there any help with meeting the cost.
Our guide, Benefits, tax credits and other financial help, has information on alternative sources of funding. There may be other grant giving organisations related to your job, place of birth, condition of your child or where you live now, which may be able to help. Call the Contact a Family Helpline for more information.
You can also visit Web: http://www.turn2us.org.uk to look for organisations local to you which may provide grants.
Benefits
My child is currently being assessed by a paediatrician because of concerns about his development. Even though he has not yet been diagnosed with a condition can we apply for benefits for him?
If you are looking after a child and need to provide care, attention or supervision which is more than that for a non disabled child of a similar age you may be able to get DLA (Disability Living Allowance). You do not need a definite diagnosis to apply for this benefit and it does not matter how much you earn and you will not be asked to give financial details, for example about savings.
For more details about DLA and other benefits, including Carers Allowance (which you may be able to apply for as a carer), read the Contact a Family guides:
All our parent guides can be downloaded as PDFs or ordered from our freephone helpline.
It is important to get advice about benefits before applying. Call our helpline for more information and details of local advice agencies. Also see our In Your Area page for information about local Contact a Family offices, which can out you in contact with local specialist advice agencies.
You might also like to look at our guide, Living without a diagnosis which gives information about why a diagnosis sometimes cannot be made and gives details of a support group for parents of undiagnosed children.
My son is seventeen and has just started his first job, but he has a disability. Are there any benefits he can claim in addition to his DLA (Disability Living Allowance)?
Disabled workers can claim the new working tax credit if they:
- have an illness or a disability that puts them at a disadvantage in getting a job
- are receiving a qualifying benefit (one of which is DLA)
- work more than 16 hours, and
- are aged 16 or over.
Working parents can also claim tax credits if they work more than 16 hours per week. Some other groups of worker can also claim tax credits.
Contact a Family has a welfare rights specialist who can give further advice about tax credits. Call the Contact a Family Helpline for more information.
I earn too much to claim Carer's Allowance but my mother-in-law (aged 60) also provides substantial care for my little boy. She receives a full state pension and but was told she can't get anything for looking after him. Is this true?
Generally Carer's Allowance can't be paid at the same time as State Retirement Pension, but it may still be worth applying. Instead of being paid any Carer's Allowance your mother-in-law could be awarded an 'underlying entitlement'. Having such an entitlement could lead to extra Pension Credit or Housing or Council Tax Benefit. If she doesn't receive any of these benefits already then establishing an 'underlying entitlement' to Carer's Allowance could help her qualify.
Contact the helpline for further advice.
Transport
My grandson is eighteen months old and needs access to oxygen at all times. When we take him out parking is often difficult. Can his parents get a blue badge for him?
To qualify for a blue badge disabled children must be:
- At least two years old and
either:
- Be receiving higher rate mobility component of DLA (Disability Living Allowance)
or
- Have a permanent and substantial disability which causes inability to walk or very considerable difficulty in walking.
However, if you are a parent of a child who is less than two years old, you may apply for a badge for your child if they have a specific medical condition which means that they either:
- must always be accompanied by bulky medical equipment which cannot be carried around without great difficulty
- need to be kept near a vehicle at all times, so that they can, if necessary, be treated in the vehicle, or quickly driven to a place where they can be treated, such as a hospital.
For more information about the Blue Badge, which will give you valuable parking concessions, contact your local social work/social services department.
Information is also available in the leaflet European Parking card for People with Disabilities which can be found on the DfT website.
Health
I am very unhappy about the service I received at my local hospital. How do I make a complaint?
The procedure for making a complaint about local health services is different across the UK:
If you are still unhappy having completed the local complaints procedure, you can then complain to the relevant Ombudsman:
Your Contact a Family national office can give you more information about making a complaint.
Also the Patients Association produces a leaflet called Making a Complaint.
You might also find our guide, The NHS and caring for a disabled child helpful but please note that this is for England only.
My daughter is going into hospital for an operation in a couple of weeks and is very worried. Could you suggest any books which will help me in talking with my daughter about what will happen?
There are publications specifically written for children going into hospital.
Action for Sick Children produce a pack designed to help parents prepare their child for hospital. It contains factual information on parents' rights, the value of play, and guidance on how to prepare your child for hospital.
The parent pack also contains family information booklets along with games, puzzles crayons and balloons to help make your child's stay easier. Suitable for children aged 3+.
Web: http://www.actionforsickchildren.org/parentspack.html
Holidays, play and leisure
We are considering going on holiday as a family for the first time. How do we find out more about accessible holiday accommodation?
Contact a Family produce a guide, Holidays, play and leisure which has information about organisations providing holidays for disabled children.
The charity Holiday Care also produce useful information about accessible holidays.
My daughter has been using local authority short break services for the last three years. Now aged 16, she is bored with this service and wants to do something different with young people nearer her own age. What options does she have?
Contact a Family produce a guide Holidays, play and leisure. You may find the sections on national sport, play and leisure organisations and what is available locally helpful in finding out about other options.
Contact a Family may have an office or volunteer parent representative in your area who can provide details on local organisations and leisure facilities.
You may also wish to look into direct payments from social services to organise alternative help for your daughter. Telephone the Contact a Family helpline if you would like a copy of our guides, 'Getting direct payments for your disabled child (England and Wales)' or 'A parents' guide to direct payments in Scotland'.
Assessments for your child
I have a disabled daughter and receive four hours of short-break services every fortnight. As my child gets older her care needs are increasing. I have asked social services to increase the hours of short break care but they said they don't have enough funding.
A social services assessment should be based on the needs of the child, not the budget. If your daughter's needs have increased then you should ask social services for a re-assessment. If this assessment shows that more short break is needed then social services cannot refuse the additional short break for financial reasons.
Or call the Contact a Family helpline for more information.
Aids and Adaptations
Is there any help available to make it easier for my child to get in and out of the home in her wheelchair? It would be useful if we could widen the doors or install ramps in our home.
You may be entitled to a Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG) which is a local council grant to help towards the cost of adapting your home to make this more suitable for the disabled occupant. This also applies to disabled children including those with learning/behavioural type conditions.
This is a mandatory scheme which means that a grant must be paid when the council considers that changes to the dwelling are necessary and appropriate in meeting the needs and is happy that the work is reasonable and practicable. Additionally, families of disabled children under 19 should not be financially assessed as part of the application process. A grant of up to £30,000 can be awarded in England and Wales (£25,000 in Northern Ireland). Help above this limit might be available under the local authority's discretionary powers. In Scotland you may qualify for a Home Improvement Grant. Please contact the helpline for more information.
Support
I'd like to meet up with other parents in my area. Is there a local parent support group? If not, I'd be willing to get one going but I could do with some guidance.
Contact a Family has information about hundreds of local groups around the UK. Your nearest office can tell you about local groups they know of. If there's a Contact a Family volunteer parent representative nearby they will also have information about local groups.
If you decide to set up a new group, we produce a group action pack with useful information about starting a local group.
Contact a Family has development staff in each office who can give you further guidance and useful contacts.
My child has a rare disorder and the helpline has told me there isn't a support group for this condition. I would like to start a group. How can I do this?
Contact a Family's group development service can provide information and assistance for parents who would like to set up a condition specific support group.
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