Our disability criteria

A family we have helped.

As the Family Fund has limited funding, and is unable to help all families caring for a disabled child or young person we use our own disability criteria to determine whether a child is eligible.

You do not need to wait for a diagnosis for your child to make an application for a grant if you think your child may meet the criteria below.  Disability Living Allowance awards are not an indicator that a child would be eligible for a Family Fund grant as we use our own disability criteria.

To meet the Family Fund’s disability criteria, children and young people must have additional complex needs, or have a serious or life threatening illness.

AND

There must be evidence that the child or young person’s additional needs impact on a family’s choices and their opportunity to enjoy ordinary life. The degree of planning and support required to meet their needs must also be much greater than that usually required to meet the needs of children and young people.

AND

They must require a high level of support in three or more of the following areas:

  • The physical environment
  • Education
  • Communication
  • Access to social activities
  • Personal care, supervision and vigilance
  • Specialist resources, including Information and Communications Technology, required
  • Medical or therapeutic treatment and condition management

AND

The child or young person’s condition must be long term or life limiting. By long term we mean lasting or likely to last 12 months or more.

If you think your child or young person may meet the Fund's criteria, please apply.

Children with a confirmed diagnosis of certain conditions which may be degenerative, life limiting or life threatening are likely to meet the Fund’s disability criteria.
For example, a child with a confirmed diagnosis of a degenerative syndrome, or a child with a current diagnosis of cancer or leukaemia

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

My child was eligible last time – will they always be eligible for help?
We confirm a child meets our disability criteria each time an application is made.  Although children may meet our criteria initially, this may change over time due to medical intervention, medication, dietary or other management of their condition or as they get older.   

My child was not eligible for help before.  Can I apply again?
Although a child may not meet our criteria and be eligible for help at first, this can change over time and they may well come within our criteria later on.  Or a child’s condition may have deteriorated since last time and you now feel they would meet our criteria.

If you are in doubt as to whether your child or young person would meet the Fund's criteria, please apply. When we receive your application, we will check that it meets all our eligibility criteria.

 

 

Related information:

How we help

We will look at any grant request that relates to the needs of a disabled or seriously ill child, young person and their family. Families often apply for essential items such as washing machines,... Read more »

How to apply

Applications for a Family Fund grant can be made by the parent* or carer* of the disabled child or young person or young people aged 16 and 17 can make an application in their own... Read more »