Families with disabled or seriously ill children facing the brunt of increased winter expenses are being encouraged to seek financial assistance from the Family Fund – a national charity offering grants that could amount to hundreds of pounds. The Family Fund is known for providing a variety of essential items, including white goods like fridge freezers, washing machines, and cookers, as well as furniture, clothing, bedding, computers, tablets, sensory toys, and even funding for family holidays and outings.
Applications can be submitted online, with decisions typically made within a matter of weeks. Raising a child with disabilities or serious illnesses often leads to significantly higher household costs due to the need for additional care.
Recent findings by the disability charity Scope indicate that families now face extra monthly expenses exceeding £1,000 due to disability-related needs.
As the UK’s largest grant-giving charity for low-income families caring for disabled or seriously ill young ones, Family Fund has been instrumental in supporting over 150,000 families last year through grants and other support services, reports the Daily Record.
Ben Calverley, Family Fund’s Director of Grants Services, highlighted the struggles these families endure, especially during the colder months: “Winter is a very challenging time for the families we support- covering higher bills to care for their disabled and seriously ill children on top of, often, rising debt from not being able to work as much as they want.”
Caroline Callaghan, a Glasgow mum who is the full-time carer of her 14 year old son Liam, shared her experience. Liam’s disabilities include learning disabilities, autism and brittle bone disease.
“Liam’s disabilities mean I have to do everything for him, from brushing his teeth, to bathing him, and getting him dressed. He is incontinent too, so wears nappies, and I often have to wrap him in a bubble so he doesn’t do anything that might fracture his bones,” Caroline explained.
She continued: “The expense of raising a disabled child is extortionate. Even the onesies Liam has to wear with his nappies are £25 a piece, and they’re constantly being washed so he needs multiple pairs.”
“We had a tumble dryer from the Family Fund when Liam was younger which we still use now. The amount of sheets and bedding that I constantly wash, and we need to dry quickly to reuse, you’d think we were a family of five.”
The Family Fund have also helped Caroline and Liam with sensory toys and clothes. The mum added: “We also had a grant for an iPad from Family Fund and it has been such a great help.
“We take it everywhere, especially if we’re going to the hospital. I can use his iPad to distract him for safety, and it takes his mind off what is happening. He uses his iPad to download cartoons and his favourite video clips.
“He loves listening to music too. He knows so much more than me, as I wouldn’t know where to start. It’s something he can do without needing me to help him too.”
She added, “Family Fund has been an absolute lifesaver for families like myself over the years. You can request anything you need, and it is life changing. The help we’ve had has saved us so much money, and I couldn’t have done it without their help.”
For those interested, full details on how to apply to the Family Fund are available on their website.