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Poverty

What is the issue?

Families with disabled children are more likely to be poor. Families have higher expenses and lower incomes, as many mothers are unable to return to work after the birth of a disabled child or a later diagnosis of disability.

At present only 3% of mothers of disabled children work full time and 13% work part time, compared to over 60% of mothers generally who are in work. This is one of the lowest employment rates of any group in society.

What is the government doing about it?

Government policy at the moment is about helping families to return to work. The most important forthcoming changes are outlined in 'Ready for work: full employment in our generation'.

It includes information about controversial policies requiring single parents to sign on as unemployed and actively look for work to get benefits from October 2008 if their youngest child is 12 or over. These policies will not apply if the child is on the middle or highest rate of Disability Living Allowance care component.

What is Contact a Family doing about it?

trying to persuade the government to fund a large scale Disability Living Allowance take up campaign – many parents are in poverty because they are not claiming all that they should be
asking the government to increase the amount of Disability Living Allowance and introduce new benefits such as a winter fuel allowance
working with Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) on tax credits for families with disabled children, in particular to correct a problem which meant around 20,000 families have been underpaid
running Pounds for Parents, a take up campaign encouraging families to claim benefits by offering full benefits and tax credits checks. If you would like us to check your benefits please call our helpline
running a joint project with Citizens Advice to improve access to face to face debt advice by home visit
researching families’ experiences of poverty and publishing reports on debt and fuel poverty
working with End Child Poverty to raise awareness of the problem

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