Additional Needs

Charity & Grant Funding: Family Fund

Posted by Firefly on 16th June 2015 Additional Needs, Advice & Support, Campaigns, Disabilities

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​Family Fund: Who Do They Help?

The Family Fund help families living in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales who are raising a disabled or seriously ill child or young person under the age of 17.

To apply you must show evidence of your entitlement to the following: Universal Credit, Child Tax Credit, Working Tax Credit, Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance, Income Support, Incapacity Benefit, Employment Support Allowance, Housing Benefit and Pension Credit.

If you do not receive any of the above, you may be asked to provide further information to complete your application.

You must also have a permanent legal residency in the UK and have lived in the UK for six months.

The Family Fund are unable to help children and young people in local authority care, including those living with foster carers or where a statutory agency has a responsibility to pay for the item needed.

Family Fund: Eligibility 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.

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.

They must also 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 managemenet

The child or young person’s condition must be long-term or life limiting.

By, "long-term", we mean lasting or likely to last more than 12 months.

Family Fund: How Do They Help?

The Family Fund can provide a wide range of items from washing machines to equipment needed for college age children, holiday vouchers to days out.

On occasions they are not able to fund the full cost of items requested.

Check out some of the families who have received help from the Family Fund on their website.

Family Fund: How Often Do They Help?

The Family Fund aim to will accept grant applications on an annual basis.

Family Fund: How to Apply?

Applications for a Family Fund grant can be made by the parent or carer of the disabled child or young person.

Young people aged 16 and 17 can make an application in their own right.

Applying for the first time?

Download the application forms and terms and conditions - complete the forms and send back the information requested.

To request an application pack visit the website here.

Applying again?

If you’ve been helped by the Family Fund previously, the letter you received confirming your Family Fund grant tells you when they can consider a further application.

This is usually 12 months from the date of your last grant but may be longer.

If you have applied before you may be able to register for an online account.

You will be asked to send and up to date household income confirmation so Family Fund can confirm you still meet their income criteria.

Family Fund: What To Expect After You Apply

Once the Family Fund has received your application they will check that it meets their eligibility criteria.

They may arrange for a home visit or telephone assessment from an Independent Assessor.

All applications are looked at in date order.

It takes 3 to 4 months depending on the volumes of applications and funding available at any particular time.