Hi, this is a bit sad and long winded but here goes.
My daughters partner and father of their 3 children died last year (horrible circumstances); he'd been in and out of hospitals for a couple of years with severe depression before that so the whole family have had a pretty traumatic time and lots of financial difficulties.
I advised her to apply to family fund for a fridge freezer because hers only stays shut if a chair or something is propped against it - it is about 4th hand!
Her youngest child has severe asthma and she is up several times a night with him; he can't talk either although he is now 3 yrs old (having intensive speech therapy) and the health visitor and GP think he may have ASD because of his strange and obcessive behaviours (he runs everyone ragged incl me and I have an ASD child and know what its like).
She does get highest care of DLA but not mobility, mainly because he was under 3 yrs when DLA was awarded, but she has to fill in an new form now that he's had his birthday.
Anyway, Family fund turned her down. They did send a woman out to the house and I was there in case my daughter couldn't cope. I did not find the Family Fund woman very friendly or helpful, in fact she was pretty off putting.
I helped appeal the decision and we included a very supportive letter from the GP, letter from Speech therapist etc but they have still turned her down. The GP did state that the childs conditions were going to last over a year and met the family fund criteria.
This really sucks. I applied last year and was awarded a large 1st application grant - my son is an Aspie and my application was only signed by his advocate who gave no details at all.
On this forum Family Fund state that the child doesn't need to have been officially diagnosed - words to that effect. I even copied the paragraph to the appeal letter. The waiting list is long for ASD assessments and it could take 6 months plus.
I have no idea why my daughter has been turned down, her childs problems are much worse than my own with the asthma and not being able to talk etc. Is it worth asking the 'higher ups' at Family fund to look at the application again. This is SO unfair, she also wanted to get a grant for a Nebulizer as she has to hold her poor child down and fight him to get his inhaler mask over his face numerous times a day (frightens him even more) and he lives on anti-biotics because his asthma isn't under control. He does use a nebulizer at the doctors as it can be held just under his mouth not over it.

Is there anyone that could write you a supporting medical letter to send of to family fund

Definatly worth asking for a clear reason why you never got it. If the child does have ASD the sooner you get statemented the better as this opens up a lot more doors not just financially but help with schooling and therapy. Good Luck.

Sorry, can't help with Family Fund, other than to say I'd appeal and ask for the specific reasons she was turned down but they won't pay for medical equipment anyway.
Have a look at New Life, who do medical & equipment grants, I'm sure it would be worth phoning them about the nebulizer if you can't get one from NHS.
http://www.newlifecharity.co.uk/docs/ser...ices.shtml

Hope it all gets sorted x

Family fund is a discretionary fund and there is no promise of being succesful.
I noted from the family fund website it states:

Children are not likely to meet the Fund’s criteria where their main or only difficulty is one of the following:
• They have eczema, asthma or allergies
• They have specific educational difficulties – such as dyslexia, dyscalculia or poor literacy
• Their condition is stable and managed through medication, diet, monitoring, testing bloods or transfusions and there have been no recent medical crises as a result of their condition

Im wondering if they turned down on the above basis and possibly never considered the other factors?