Family Fund Mobility Support

About the grant programme

The Family Fund Mobility Support programme has now closed. The information on this page is for reference only.

Family Fund Mobility Support was aimed at families raising a disabled or seriously ill child under three years old with significant mobility needs.

Through the programme, we provided a car-leasing package for a limited period to make transport for a child easier and more practical, so families could take their child to medical appointments, or even just get around day-to-day. If a family was eligible for the programme, Family Fund covered the costs of the monthly rental instalments for the duration of the lease vehicle.

The Family Fund Mobility Support programme covered the period between birth and the age of three (which is when the national Motability scheme kicks in). If a child continued to have mobility needs, from the age of two years and nine months, families were able to apply for the high rate mobility component of Disability Living Allowance and consider lease car options through the national Motability scheme.

Who was able to apply?

You were able to apply for this programme if:

• You had applied and were eligible for a wider Family Fund grant
• You were on a low-income
• Your child was under three years of age
• You were the parent or carer and you (or someone significantly involved in your child’s care) had a full valid UK driving licence
• Nobody else in the household was already leasing a vehicle through the Motability scheme

Your child’s condition meant that they:

• could not travel without substantial equipment such as a mobility aid, oxygen or monitoring equipment, or
• could not travel on public transport because it would compromise their immunity, or
• experienced high levels of pain or a physical condition making mobility difficult, or
• had to attend a significant number of medical appointments at multiple treatment centres, or
• had an unstable condition and may have needed unexpected emergency inpatient treatment.

How did it work?

More information for families

Complaints

Family Fund is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) in respect of our introductions to Motability Operations. If you wish to make a complaint about any element of the programme and the way Family Fund handles it, you should write to:
Claire Locker
Family Fund
Unit 3 Alpha Court
Monks Cross Drive
York, YO32 9WN

If the complaint relates to the introduction to Motability Operations (by ‘introduction’ we mean your enquiry and/or application to Family Fund and the decisions we make about your enquiry and/or application before it goes to Motability Operations), Family Fund has eight weeks to investigate, and respond to your complaint. Should you remain dissatisfied with our response you can then refer your complaint to:

Financial Ombudsman Service
Exchange Tower, Harbour Exchange
London, E14 9SR
Tel: 0800 023 4567

You can complete an online complaint form or find out more on the financial ombudsman website. If your complaint relates to another element of the programme, it will be directed to the relevant party.

Other details about this programme

The operation of this programme was subject to Financial Conduct Authority regulation. Family Fund Trust is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) under reference number 912508.

Family Fund gratefully acknowledges the support of The Motability Foundation for the funding of this programme.