Parents of disabled children-Special needs forum support group - Grants

Cerebra

Thu, 02 Sep 2010 18:47:13 +0000

Just wanted to share my good news, Chloe was today awarded a grant for a sensory tent from Cerebra! It has been ordered and should be with us soon.

This is the first grant we have applied for and the process was really quick and easy, we are obviously thrilled at the outcome.

Kirsty

FAMILY FUND LIST (updated)

Wed, 01 Sep 2010 12:08:10 +0000

I was always wondering what you could claim off the Family Fund, so I thought I'd place it on here to give everyone an idea of the things that they could claim for.

Eligibility criteria:
You are the parent or carer of a severely disabled child aged 17 or under who lives at home.
Money coming into your household is less than (look below). This is the money you receive from benefits and tax credits. If you are working we also count your net income (this is the money you take home after you have paid tax and national insurance). We do not count Disability Living Allowance or Child benefit.
You have permanent legal residency in the UK and have lived in the UK for six months
from the 16th of August 2010, England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland where household income is less than £28,000 will be eligible to apply for a grant.

What Family Fund can help with:
Air condition Unit
Bed
Bed-special
Bedding
Bedding-specialist
Boiler/Heating
Buggy Accessories
Car Adaptations
CCTV
Clothing
College Starter
Communication Training
Computer
Cooker and 3 year warranty
Cycle
Decoration
Dishwasher and 5 year warranty
Driving Lessons
Floor Covering
Freezer and 5 year warranty
Fridge and 5 year warranty
Fridge Freezer and 5 year warranty
Furniture
Games Consoles
Games, Books and Music
Garden Equipment
Garden Works
Hand-held Games Console
Holiday-Haven
Home Safety Item
Hospital Visiting Cost
Insurance-Special Equipment
Internet Provision
Jet Bath
Labour Costs for Plumbing + Decorations
Mobile Phone
Motability Deposit
Moving Home
Outdoor Play Equipment
Outings
Pet
Portable Heater
Portable Oxygen Cylinder
Power Pack/Battery
Recreation
Redecoration after Adaptions
Repairs
Roof Box/Bars
Safe Space
Shower
Small Household Appliance
Soft Furnishings
Special Cycle
Specialist Car Seat
Specialist Chair
Specialist Clothing
Specialist Glasses
Specialist Toys
Sports Wheelchair
Thomas Cook Holiday Vouchers
Trampoline and Safety Net
Transport
Tumble Dryer and 5 year warranty
Washer Dryer and 5 year warranty
Washing Machine and 5 year warranty
Wheelchair/Specialist Buggy.

help funds for adaptation

Fri, 27 Aug 2010 01:45:41 +0000

Hello, i am looking for help in paying towards our adaptation,the council was doing it then right at the last minute they said no because of mining/mineshaft near our house, none of which is for sure??? This as left us in the gutter, we have talked to all the people we can talk to, and basically we couldn't afford to fight them in court, So please does anybody know of any were that gives cash donations? we have done 2 carboots and raised £130. i cannot go on and we are lost please any help is good help.

Family Fund Question?

Tue, 24 Aug 2010 10:29:54 +0000

I have received a few grants over the years from Family Fund and the last one was help towards a car (for my older son) and was told not to re apply for at least 2 years.

I now have another disabled child (baby) and needs some more help as my fridge freezer is broken can I apply again under my younger child now or does the family fund mean that I cant apply under any child that I have for the 2 years?

Many thanks.

Tracy.

days out with the family fund.

Mon, 23 Aug 2010 11:20:59 +0000

hello i have just phoned the family fund and they have said that i wouldnt get the money for a self catering holiday because i have done it online and that i go away in 3weeks time. but she did say that she can put down the clothing grant and days out grant. i was wondering has anyone else had this and what dose it intail as i have never had this before. its my second time applyng i got driving lessons and vouchers for a holiday last year but didnt use them because i had alot on that year and i lost the vouchers.

Family Fund

Mon, 16 Aug 2010 12:00:04 +0000

:huh:Hi all, many thanks to Daniel for posting new criteria for the family fund, I think we might actually be able to apply now!
Can anyone advise me what to ask for and how much? Reading the forms it says list up to 3 things-do people do that?
DS is now home educated as couldn't cope in school , I've had to drastically reduce my working hours so we're struggling.
A laptop would be fantastic for him for schoolwork but he's also seeing all the neighbours going off on holiday and keeps asking to go on a plane.
Any adice gratefully received, Maz x

BREAKING NEWS FAMILY FUND

Mon, 16 Aug 2010 09:11:19 +0000

Fantastic news.....
Family fund have listened and have changed the income criteria "Slightly"

Previously, the Fund had imposed an income limit on working families alone and families in receipt of benefits were automatically eligible no matter the size of their benefits. The new “fair to all” criterion aimed to put all families on a level playing field by taking account of all income coming into a household, irrespective of whether it was based on earnings or benefits.

The Fund has now completed a three-month review of the change. This shows it to be well understood and broadly popular. However, there have been concerns, particularly in England, that the income limit remained too low for the new system to achieve its objectives of helping all families fairly. As a result, the Fund is delighted to announce that it has increased the income limit. It will also be applying the same limit in all four UK countries.

This means that from 16th August 2010, any family caring for a severely disabled child in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland where household income is less than £28,000 will be eligible to apply for a grant.

Household income is defined as money coming into a household after tax and national insurance has been paid. This includes tax credits and the main benefits but the Fund will continue to disregard Disability Living Allowance and Child Benefit. Where a family contains a disabled adult carer, Disability Living Allowance for this carer will also be disregarded.

Derek Walpole. Chief Executive of the Family Fund, said:

“Our limited funding means we have to set criteria to ensure we are able to help families who need us the most. We listen closely to what families tell us and we are pleased that the new ‘fair to all’ system has been welcomed. We trust that raising the income limit to £28,000 and applying this equally across the UK will address any remaining concerns about fairness

“We know there are so many families that need our help and that families with disabled children are more likely to live in poverty than other families. We will continue to ensure that our limited funding is spent fairly and wisely. We negotiate hard with our suppliers to maximise every penny for the benefit of families and we remain proud that 91p in every pound of funding goes to families in grants.”

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DISABILITY - REMAP

Thu, 05 Aug 2010 21:01:29 +0000

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REMAP - is an established national charity which provides one-off pieces of equipment for people with disabilities.

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Grant - Ground Floor Extension

Wed, 04 Aug 2010 10:30:58 +0000
Hi

I'm looking for some advice please.

Alex's Community OT has begun the application process for a Disabled Childrens Facilities Grant for a ground floor extension so that Alex can have a downstairs bedroom and wetroom. Our house was assessed and an extension is the best option.

I am making a list of things to be considered such as: Air con (as we will be upstairs and in the summer I would not be happy to leave a window open) and making sure the rooms are big enough to accommodate growth and extra equipment. Any other suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks

Louise

family fund - income

Sun, 01 Aug 2010 09:21:18 +0000
hi this is my first post, for the last 4 years i have qualified for help from the family fund. but under new rules i earn £1027 a year to much (i now receive full housing and council tax benefit and work). i have 3 children so my income would be more than those people with only 1 child, how come family fund doesn't allow any thing for families with more children as there income and expendiure would be more.
also the council breakdown says i am receiving £22 a week under what they say is the amount i need to live on.
by the way i'm in england if i lived in scotland i would qualify.

Family fund extra

Sat, 31 Jul 2010 16:31:42 +0000
has anyone used family fund extra, people have said on different places that you can get discount from Argos etc by using this site. But i have no clue how to use it. With Xmas coming up getting discount in certain shops would be greatly needed.

disneyland paris?

Fri, 30 Jul 2010 22:20:50 +0000
I'm considering taking the Children to disneyland next year, mainly because Matthew has really started to recognise familiar characters and I want to use it to his advantage whilst we can! He loves Mickey Mouse, Lightning Mqueen and the Toy Story characters amongst others, and I feel its somewhere he'll get as much out of as his sisters.
I think we'll struggle moneywise as we need passports for at least 4 of us as well, so I wondered which was the better charity to apply for for funding for a bit of help? I've never applied for anything like this before, as I've always figured it makes more sense to save them for if he needs really expensive equipment when he's older. However some of them obviously allow you to apply once a year or so, or are primarily for holidays so maybe it would be better to try one of those?
I'm also worried about the flying, we have flown with him before but he was only a baby and used a normal buggy until boarding, then we were able to hold him in our seats. Now he would need an airline seat. I know they are quite big, and I think that if we were able to take a pillow for him to lean on, he'd be fine in the seat, would this be allowed? Or would we have to use an airline that hires the (stupidly expensive) disabled seat out?
What is the deal with wheelchairs? I've heard things like you aren't able to use your own wheelchair to transfer to a plane, but he couldn't use a basic adult one! Do they definetely get them off the plane first and have them waiting to meet you? When we took his pram they refused that and we had to carry him through the airport to the baggage collection. Also, can you still benefit from the cheap online prices, or do they go up because you have to ring them to declare disabilities?
Any advice welcomed!

Help with getting new furniture

Tue, 27 Jul 2010 21:52:37 +0000
I am having problems with my daughter georgia, she has cerebral palsy and is getting very frustrated with our suite, she just cant get on it because it is too high. We are also having problems with our tv and it not working all the time, with us being confined to a flat this is really all she has to help pass the time. I have also seen a car seat that would be perfect for her, plenty of support and bigger than her current one, but it is expensive.

Im am wondering if there is any charities in scotland that could help or if i should talk to social services.

please help

Family Fund

Sat, 24 Jul 2010 14:05:52 +0000
Hi First time post
Does anyone know how the grant for Haven work havent had it before any info would be most helpful

Family Fund

Thu, 22 Jul 2010 00:26:58 +0000
Is there anyone who can answer this question please? I know that family fund is based on all income...I have a seventeen year old son who is doing an apprenticeship and earns a good wage...apart from this our income is benefits..does my sons income count towards the household income....thx

FAMILY FUND LIST

Mon, 19 Jul 2010 13:50:16 +0000
I was always wondering what you could claim off the Family Fund and today when I applied online I discovered the list, so I thought I'd place it on here to give everyone an idea of the things that they could claim for.

Eligibility criteria
You are the parent or carer of a severely disabled child aged 17 or under who lives at home.
Money coming into your household is less than (look below). This is the money you receive from benefits and tax credits. If you are working we also count your net income (this is the money you take home after you have paid tax and national insurance). We do not count Disability Living Allowance or Child benefit.
You have permanent legal residency in the UK and have lived in the UK for six months
From 1st of April 2010 the new income limits are:
25,000 England
27,000 Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales

What Family Fund can help with:
Air condition Unit
Bed
Bed-special
Bedding
Bedding-specialist
Boiler/Heating
Buggy Accessories
Car Adaptations
CCTV
Clothing
College Starter
Communication Training
Computer
Cooker and 3 year warranty
Cycle
Decoration
Dishwasher and 5 year warranty
Floor Covering
Freezer and 5 year warranty
Fridge and 5 year warranty
Fridge Freezer and 5 year warranty
Furniture
Games Consoles
Games, Books and Music
Garden Equipment
Garden Works
Hand-held Games Console
Holiday-Haven
Home Safety Item
Hospital Visiting Cost
Insurance-Special Equipment
Internet Provision
Jet Bath
Labour Costs for Plumbing + Decorations
Mobile Phone
Motability Deposit
Moving Home
Outdoor Play Equipment
Outings
Pet
Portable Heater
Portable Oxygen Cylinder
Power Pack/Battery
Recreation
Redecoration after Adaptions
Repairs
Roof Box/Bars
Safe Space
Shower
Small Household Appliance
Soft Furnishings
Special Cycle
Specialist Car Seat
Specialist Chair
Specialist Clothing
Specialist Glasses
Specialist Toys
Sports Wheelchair
Thomas Cook Holiday Vouchers
Trampoline and Safety Net
Transport
Tumble Dryer and 5 year warranty
Washer Dryer and 5 year warranty
Washing Machine and 5 year warranty
Wheelchair/Specialist Buggy.

am i entitled to the family fund???

Wed, 14 Jul 2010 12:09:18 +0000
hi i am new to this site after being recommended to it,

we have a 7yr old son, who has severe behavioural and emotinal needs, he attends a special needs school and we are in receipt of high rate care and low rate mobility.

will we be entitiled to anything from the family fund?? we have never heard of it and are new having dla as we were unaware we were entitled to thats for over 3 yrs
thanks very much for your help
x

new delaying tactics? Family fund

Tue, 13 Jul 2010 09:48:52 +0000
I have spoken to 3 people today who have all had their family fund applications returned requesting further documents, when those documents are already attached to the application!
I remember years ago the DWP did something similar to delay payment to many families and make their budget appear to spread further and wondered if this was the same....... maybe even the same managers making the rules?

Newlife

Mon, 12 Jul 2010 11:04:59 +0000
I was going to apply for s shed off newlife but on the document it states Cost inc. VAT and delivery costs, does this mean that i have to select a shed myself. Have any of you got one of these before, how much were you given to spend etc? (i don't want to push my luck)
Thanks

Family fund - how long?

Fri, 09 Jul 2010 16:51:16 +0000
Hi, those of you who have received help from family fund, how long did it take to hear anything? We sent off our forms weeks ago and had them returned asking for something we had already attached (just my luck), but since returning them again about 4 weeks ago I haven't heard anything at all. I'm not expecting it to be done really quickly but how long should I leave it before I make sure it didn't get lost on the post or something?

Thanks in advance