Carers allowance and other sources of financial help

Carers Allowance (CA)

What is it?

If your child gets DLA for personal care at the middle or higher rate you may be able to claim Invalid Care Allowance. It is a weekly cash payment for anyone who spends at least 35 hours a week looking after someone with an illness or disability. If you work full time and someone else cares for your child, they can claim the benefit instead. CA is taxable, but you can earn up to £82.00 a week and still claim it.

It is worth claiming CA even if you are on Income Support, because although ICA is deducted from your Income Support, claiming protects your pension and makes you eligible for a Carer’s Premium, which will increase the total benefit. You may also be able to claim Disabled Child’s Premium if your child is claiming DLA.

How do you get it?

Ask for a form from your local Benefits Agency Office (Business and Services section of local
telephone directory) or from the Benefits Enquiry Line
Telephone 0800 882200 or textphone 0800 243355 www.dwp.gov.uk

Family Fund Trust

What is it?

The purpose of the Family Fund Trust is to ease the stress on families who care for severely disabled children under 16, by providing grants and information related to the care of the child. The Trust is an independent organisation registered as a charity and funded by the government administrations of England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. The Trust is families on low incomes (£23,000 at January 2005, but this is reviewed every year in April).

Grants given include washing machines, holidays, leisure activities, driving lessons, bedding, clothing and other items related to the care of the child. Further details of the Trust’s disability and financial guidelines are available from the Information Officer at the Trust. You should apply in writing giving your child’s full name and date of birth, your name and address, brief details of your child’s disability and the kind of help you need.

How do I get help?

The Family Fund produces an information leaflet with up-to date details of how to apply, and who is likely to be eligible for money. You may want to ask your health visitor or other professional to write a letter in support of your request. You will have to give your child’s details and explain why you need the item/activity in order to better care for the child, You will also have to provide some details about your income and savings.

When they receive your completed application form, they may send a visitor to you quickly, to help you make an urgent application in full or they will contact professionals named by you first, and then send a visitor to help you with your application. It should take between six and eight weeks after your application for them to make their decision. Subsequent applications from you will be processed faster.

How to contact them

The Lady Hoare Trust has now merged with Contact-a-Family

Contact a Family is a well established charitable organisation that produces up to date information about important issues for families of children with different special needs. Provides advice, information and has a directory of local and national support groups. Links up parents of children with very are conditions. Very good quarterly magazine ‘Share an Idea’. Factsheets include ‘Transition’, ‘A guide for Students and Professional workers’, ‘Siblings’, ‘Grandparents’ and many others.

Social Fund

If you are on Income Support, you may be able to get a loan or grant towards the cost of specific item of household equipment or furniture. In practice, it seems to be very hard to get money from the Social Fund, and budgeting for repayments from a low income can be difficult. Find out more from your local Benefits Agency Office or local advice centre.

Council Tax – reduction for people with disabilities

What is it?

If you’ve had to adapt your home specially for your disabled child, the council tax bill could be reduced to that of a house in the band immediately below yours. If your house is already in the lowest band (band A) you will not qualify. The sort of adaptations which might make the difference are:

1. additional space for wheelchair to be used indoors (like widening doors, removing partition walls, ramps).
2. an extra room to meet special needs (for example downstairs bathroom/toilet)

How do I get it?

Ring your local Council Tax Office and ask if you qualify.

Fares to hospital

You can get help with fares to hospital if you are on Income Support or Family Credit, or sometimes if your income is very low and if the appointment is an important part of your child’s treatment. Most hospitals have staff who deal with reimbursing fares on the spot, so ask the clinic receptionist or consultants’ secretary where you should go within the hospital. This includes journey to specialist hospitals a long way from your home, so ask your child’s consultant to write to the Health Authority saying that you need to attend that appointment and you should get the fare repaid.

‘Every week we had to go to Oxford and they said ‘Do you want help to pay for travel costs', and we said ‘No, it’s all right’. I didn’t really think about it, but after a while it adds up to a lot of money. So now I do claim, and use our money for something else she needs.’

Parents at Work

This organisation aims to inform, support and campaign on behalf of parents of disabled who wish to/need to work. Factsheets available include Flexible working, Working Families Tax Credit, Factsheet for fathers, Benefits and tax credits for families with disabled children.

Disability Alliance

This organisation publishes very thorough, detailed up-to date books about benefits, social and legal provision for people with disabilities and their carers. The handbook is regularly updated. The most recent edition, covering 2004-2005 Disability Rights Handbook (30th Edition), costs £16.50 (£11.00 if your child already receives benefits).

Vehicle tax exemption

You may be eligible to claim for exemption of annual vehicle tax if the child is over 5 years, receives higher rate of the Mobility section of Disability Living Allowance, and you jointly register the ownership of the vehicle in the child and parents’ name. This could be a saving of at least £150 annually (2002). You have to get the certificate stamped in the local Transport Department each year.