Caring for a child who has an illness or disability can make daily life difficult. You may be entitled to claim cash benefits and get other kinds of support. Make sure you claim all you are entitled to.
The following is a very brief guide to benefits. If you think you may be entitled to any of them contact any Social Security or Jobcentre Plus office or phone the free Benefit Enquiry Line (BEL) for people with disabilities and their carers on:
Some of the claim forms are lengthy and can be complicated so do ask for help in filling them in or you could miss out on a benefit. Your Social Worker, Health Visitor or other professional will be able to help or phone BEL and ask for the Completions Service. Alternatively contact one of the Highland Advice and Information Network (HAIN) Agencies.
Benefits Check - If you would like a benefits check to ensure that you are claiming all you are entitled to call the Contact a Family freephone helpline and ask for the welfare rights specialist 0808 808 3555. Alternatively call in to your local Citizens Advice Bureau and ask for a benefits check.
DLA is the most important benefit for people with disabilities. It is paid in addition to any other money you may receive and unlocks a number of other benefits, particularly for those on a low income. These could include more Income Support, lower rent and council tax payments etc. It is not means tested.
DLA has two parts - the care component and the mobility component. You may receive either or both if your child qualifies. Rates per week as at April 2009:
CARE
Low £18.65
Middle £47.10
Higher £70.35
MOBILITY
Low £18.65
Higher £49.10
- this is for children needing a lot of extra personal care, supervision or watching over because of their disability. It can be awarded from the age of 3 months (or from birth for the terminally ill). Which rate of care you receive depends on the amount of attention and/ or supervision your child requires, day and/or night. He/she must have attention or supervision needs more than the normal requirements of a person of his/her age.
If your child needs help getting around s/he may qualify for the mobility component.
– to qualify for the higher rate your child must be aged 3 or over and cannot walk or has severe walking difficulties. The higher rate may also be paid to children getting the highest rate care component who are severely mentally impaired with extremely disruptive behaviour and to deaf-blind children.
- to qualify for the lower rate your child must be 5 or over and can walk but needs extra guidance or supervision.
To ensure you qualify for the correct rate of either component, it is a good idea to keep a note of your daily schedule of care, guidance and supervision needs, include even the smallest of tasks for the whole day. For night-time care concentrate on how often you need to see your child at night. Remember, for example, to include stimulation/ physio/ speech therapy/ massages etc. If feeding takes longer point this out. Medication can increase the number of nappy changes increasing washing as well as changing. Dry skin conditions may require extra time applying creams. Constant colds and chest complaints need attention, particularly at night. This list is not complete. You will be able to add to it. Look back over the schedule and check that there are no gaps in it as this could lead to a lower rate being awarded. Use your schedule to supplement your application, support your request for a review or build up a case for appeal.
The quickest and simplest way of receiving a claim form is to call BEL (0800 882200). The day on which you call will be treated as the day you claim and, if awarded, DLA will be back dated to that date as long as you send the form in within 6 weeks. Likewise if you phone or visit a Social Security or Jobcentre Plus office the form will be dated. Forms are also available from CHIP+ though these will not be dated.
If you need advice on filling the form, or are unhappy with a decision on your claim and want to appeal, your local Citizen’s Advice Bureau or advice agency will be able to advise you. They are part of HAIN and as such have a Welfare Rights Section specifically to deal with such queries. You only have one month to lodge an appeal so you should act quickly.
Contact the Highland Welfare Rights Service through their local advice agency.
(formerly known as Invalid Care Allowance (ICA))
Carer’s Allowance is a weekly benefit for anyone who is looking after a severely disabled person. It is taxable. To qualify you must:
i) be caring for a child who is in receipt of DLA Care
Component at middle or higher rate, for at least
35 hours a week
ii) not be earning more than the national
insurance lower earnings limit a week after
allowable deductions. ( £84 at April 2006)
iii) not be in full-time education (21 hours per week
or more)
If you or your partner are claiming Income Support CA will be taken into account when your income is assessed. However it is still worth claiming as, if you are entitled to CA, you will qualify for the Carer Premium of Income Support and you may get National Insurance Contributions credits. If you qualify for Housing or Council Tax Benefit you will also be entitled to the extra Carer Premium, although at a lesser rate. CA claims can be backdated for up to three months.
Claim form - DS700 from your local benefits office or the Benefit Enquiry Line 0800 882200.
CTC is a means tested credit for families with children whether in or out of work. To qualify you must be responsible for at least one child under 16 (19 if still in full-time non advanced education). Extra will be added to the amount paid if your child gets DLA or is under 1 year.
WTC is a means tested credit for working people on a low income. To qualify you must have a child under 16 (19 if still in full-time non advanced education) and you (or your partner if you have one) must be working at least 16 hours a week and have a low income.
Both tax credits are administered by the Inland Revenue and are claimed on the same form TC600. This is available from the local Inland Revenue office or the Tax Credits Helpline 0845 300 3900.
Income Support is a means tested benefit to help those who work less than 16 hours a week and are not required to sign on for work. The amount you receive comprises personal allowances ie. day to day living expenses for your family, plus various premiums that you may qualify for, minus some other forms of income. Premiums are for people who have extra needs:
i) Family premium - if you have at least one child aged under 19 years.
ii) Disabled Child Premium - if you have a child who is in receipt of DLA at any rate or who is registered blind. This is not always given automatically so make sure you claim it.
iii) Carer Premium – if you or your partner qualify or have an underlying entitlement to CA
iv) If your child is getting the highest rate of the care component of DLA, you qualify for an Enhanced Disability Premium
These include free prescriptions, dental treatment, sight tests, vouchers to help with the cost of glasses and help with travel costs when escorting your child to and from hospital for NHS treatment.
All patients who have to travel more than 30 miles to
hospital are eligible for expenses subject to a
Statutory reduction of £8.
These conditions also apply to anyone escorting a
patient under 16 years.
Current rates are 10p per mile for use of car or
second class fares by public transport.
Unavoidable Bed & Breakfast expenses may be met,
up to £25 per night.
At most hospitals you attend, the cashiers office will
pay expenses on the day of attendance. (claims can
be made up to 3 months after the date of travel).
Leaflet H11 “NHS Hospital Travel Costs”.
Various groups can qualify for this help including
those on WTC or CTC with a gross annual income of
not more than £15050 and those on Income Support.
Various discounts apply to council tax - if your disabled child is “substantially and permanently disabled” the bill may be reduced by one band. Certain conditions apply. These include the fact that there is additional space for wheelchair use indoors or an extra room to meet additional needs or a second bathroom for use by your child. These do not have to be adaptations or new extensions.
Council Tax Benefits - People on Income Support pay only the water authority charge but no Council Tax. People on low incomes may qualify for council tax benefit depending on income, savings etc.
Contact local council for advice. There is a freephone service for Council Tax enquiries as follows:
Inverness, Nairn and Badenoch & Strathspey Areas -
0800 393811
Ross & Cromarty and Skye & Lochalsh Areas -
0800 122182
Caithness, Sutherland and Lochaber Areas -
0800 611681
Your local Citizens Advice Bureau has detailed information on housing and council tax benefits. They should be able to advise you.
If you are on Income Support or a low income and have less than £16,000 savings you may be entitled to help to pay your rent. The amount of help depends on your Income compared to your costs.
Contact your local council area office or service point for more information..
A Direct Payment is a cash payment made by Social
Work Services to parents to purchase services for their
disabled children. Your child must have first been
assessed as needing those services. A direct payment
is money for you to use to arrange the services that
Social Work Services has assessed your child as
needing. You choose who provides the care, when,
where and how you want it. However, if you prefer to
receive local authority services to meet some of your
child’s needs this can be arranged and a mixture of
direct services and payments can be provided.
(See separate page for more information)
If your child is over 2 years 6 months and has serious walking difficulties you should be able to get a buggy or wheelchair. You need to be referred by your Hospital Specialist, Physiotherapist, Occupational Therapist, Social Worker or GP.
(replaced Orange Badge)
If your child is over 2 years old and is in receipt of the higher rate Mobility Component of DLA you may be entitled to a Blue Badge which gives you parking concessions. Contact your local Highland Council Service Point for application form.
If your child gets the higher rate DLA Mobility
Component you should already have a VED
exemption form from the DSS. If not write to:
Disability Allowance Unit,
Warbreck House,
Warbreck Hill,
Blackpool,
FY2 OTE
Tel 0845 7123456
It may be possible to obtain nappies from age 4 years through your Health Visitor.
If you get Income Support and you or someone in your
family is disabled you may be able to get a Community
Care Grant to pay for certain items which you cannot
afford out of your weekly income.
For more details contact your local CAB.
Your child may be entitled to further benefits in their own right. Parental income will not be taken in to account. Contact BEL 0800 882200.
Highland Council Area Offices & Service Points: Badenoch and Strathspey ~ Caithness ~ Inverness ~ Lochaber ~ Nairn ~ Ross & Cromarty ~ Skye and Lochalsh ~ Sutherland
Advice and Information Agencies ~ Jobcentre Plus
Area Office
4 Court House Lane
Nairn
IV12 4DP
Tel 01667 458529
Service Points – Tel Numbers
Nairn 01667 458500
Area Office
Ross House
High Street
Dingwall
IV15 9QN
Tel 01349 862366
Service Points – Tel Numbers
Alness 01349 882366
Dingwall 01349 868527
Fortrose 01381 620797
Invergordon 01349 855505
Lochcarron 01520 722241
Muir of Ord 01463 870201
Tain 01862 892122
Gairloch 01445 712572
Ullapool 01854 612426
Area Office
Main Street
Golspie
KW10 6RB
Tel 01480 635200
Service Points – Tel Numbers
Bettyhill 01641 521242
Dornoch 01862 812000
Golspie 01408 6635200
Lairg 01549 402588
Bonar Bridge 01863 766838
Brora 01408 622644
Badenoch & Strathspey Community Advice & Information Service
2 Inverewe, Grampian Road, Aviemore PH22 1RH Tel 01479 810919
Caithness CAB
7a Brabster Street, Thurso KW14 7AP Tel 01847 894243.
123 High Street, Wick KW1 4LR Tel 01955 605989
Inverness CAB
103 Academy Street Inverness IV1 1LX Tel 01463 235345
Lochaber CAB
Dudley Road, Fort William PH33 6JB Tel 01397 705311
Nairn CAB
6 High Street, Nairn IV12 4BJ Tel 01667 456677
Ross & Cromarty CAB
4 Novar Road, Alness IV17 0QG Tel 01349 883333
Skye & Lochalsh CAB
The Green, Portree, Isle of Skye IV51 9BT Tel 01478 612032
Sutherland
East Sutherland Village Advisory Service,
Alba, Main Street, Golspie KW10 6TG
Tel 01408 633000
North & West Sutherland Advice & Information Service
Office 3, Harbour Offices, The Pier, Kinlochbervie IV27 4RR Tel 01971 521730
Highland Advice & Information Network welfare rights service provided at all these agencies.
Raigmore Hospital CAB (for Raigmore patients and staff) Tel 704000 ext 6014
Alness 60 High Street, Alness IV17 0SG Tel 01349 812220
Dingwall 3 High Street, Dingwall Tel 01349 812400
Fort William Waverley House, High Street Fort William PH33 6XX Tel 01397 902000
Invergordon 43 High Street, Invergordon IV18 0DG Tel 01349 812300
Inverness:
River House, Young Street, Inverness IV3 5BP Tel 01463 888100
Metropolitan House, 31-33 High Street, Inverness IV1 1JD Tel 01463 888200
Nairn 79a High Street, Nairn IV12 4BW Tel 01667 422500
Portree Bayfield Road, Portree IV51 9EN Tel 01478 633000
Wick Girnigoe Street, Wick KW1 4HJ Tel 01955 673200.