$100m to Help U.K. Disabled Children, Young People And Their Families

Disabled children will get better quality short breaks to experience new things and give their parents some time off, thanks to a £45million fund to be announced by Secretary of State for Children Schools and Families, Ed Balls at the End Child Poverty event on Monday.

The money will build on the Government’s long term strategy Aiming High for Disabled Children: Better Support for Families which is backed by £340m over the next three years from the DCSF, announced in the Spring. The ambition is to transform in services for families with disabled children by 2011.

The money will help the public, private and voluntary sector providers improve equipment, transport and facilities for short-breaks and enable more inclusive breaks, where severely disabled children and young people can take part in activities with their non-disabled peers.

Disabled young people are also to receive £8.4million in extra support. As part of the Children’s Plan, low income families with disabled young people aged 16 and 17 will be able to access a grant, through the Family Fund.

The Family Fund is the country’s largest charitable provider of grants to disabled children and a leading player in the fight against poverty among disabled children. They make grants for items related to the child’s needs such as home appliances, family holidays, driving lessons, computers, clothing and bedding.

The DCSF already provides £23million annually through the Family Fund to help families with children under 16. It is estimated that the new funding will result in more than 16,000 grants over the next three years.

The Family Fund is a charitable organisation which provides grants to families with severely disabled children, based on the families’ needs.

Ed Balls said “We want every child to have the opportunity to be happy and achieve, no matter their background or the challenges they face. This is all part of the ethos enshrined in the Children’s Plan. This funding renews our commitment to providing valuable breaks for both disabled children and their families. I know from the many parents I have spoken to about this that this is something that really matters to them.

“The public, private and voluntary sectors have a key role to play. They must come together to offer real choice for families with disabled children.”

“Providing low income families with a tailored package of support is all part of the philosophy of the Children’s Plan and part of our drive to end child poverty. Now grants will be available not only to families with severely disabled children under the age of 16, but to16 and 17 year-olds as well.”

Marion Lowe, Chief Executive of the Family Fund, said:

“Teenagers are expensive for all families but especially for those with disabled children, who cost three times as much to bring up. The extra £8.4m will enable the Family Fund to keep families with severely disabled children aged 16 and 17 from falling into the debt-poverty trap. At the moment, when our grants stop, many families are driven into debt, which they find hard to pay off as they are caring unpaid for their disabled child.”

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