Not Just for Disabled Kids - For All The Family! (The Family Fund)

Member Name: rosebud2001

Product:	The Family Fund
Date:	27/02/09 (800 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Easy to apply, help available for many different things

Disadvantages: Can be slow for application to be dealt with

The Family Fund is a government funded charity which exists to help families with severely disabled children who are on a low income get assistance with things that might make their lives a little easier.

I have been aware of the Family Fund for some years, since discovering my daughter was autistic. At that time I had met other parents with autistic children who had informed me of it, but when my husband was alive we had no need to contact them for any assistance as he was on a good income.

After he died last year I found my circumstances somewhat straitened. I went from not having to think about money to having a very limited income and having to count every penny. I had posted on the Money Saving Expert forum about my circumstances and someone replied with many suggestions, one of which was contacting the Family Fund.

So I went to their website and read up on eligibility criteria. The main criteria is the fact your child is receiving Disability Living Allowance and that your income before tax is less than £23,000. If you live in Scotland or Northern Ireland grants are given for children up to age 16 and in England and Wales they are given for children up to age 17.

First time applicants are asked to download an application pack and this is a PDF form which contains the application form and all information you need to help you fill the form in. The form isn't particularly long and asks for details of your child's disability, income you are receiving and asks how you would like the Family Fund to help you.

You can request up to three things for them to help you with and common requests include washing machines, holidays, computers, special clothing, trampolines, grants towards transport and even driving lessons. You are advised when you put in your first application to request three items although there is no guarantee you will receive all three.

I requested help towards a holiday as my life can be very stressful and holidays seem to help both myself and my daughter and I filled in the rest of the form and posted it off to the Family Fund.

What happened next is far from usual - I heard absolutely nothing back from them for several months.

I had sent my form in to them back in May and heard absolutely nothing so in October I phoned them to check they had received my application. I was informed they had indeed received it but they had a backlog but not to worry, my claim would be dealt with.

So I waited again but come January I still had heard nothing so I phoned again, only to be told this time they had clearly made a mistake in not dealing with my claim and it would be processed immediately.

After this call, things moved quite quickly. When you put in your first application Family Fund need to get proof that you are caring for a disabled child, and see proof of your income. The best way for them to do this is to send out an advisor so within a week of my telephone call, I was phoned by an advisor requesting a suitable time for her to come to see both me and my daughter.

I was very impressed with this advisor - she was most apologetic about the length of time my claim had taken and she took the time to speak to my daughter and observe her behaviour. She also suggested I claim for some other additional expenses for my daughter, including a grant towards transport costs as I have to drive her to and from school, and a grant towards recreational activities for her. I would never have thought to ask for things like this.

A couple of weeks after her visit I received my grant - and it was very generous too. I received £250 towards transport costs, £150 towards recreational activities and £950 in Thomas Cook vouchers for a holiday. I was overwhelmed by this - it was far more than I had expected.

I have since discovered that Family Fund deal specifically with Thomas Cook and Haven for holidays, and Comet for white goods such as washing machines. They also deal direct with BSM for driving lessons and have two specific computers they offer applicants, both of which are from Stone Computers. In addition, you can visit the Family Fund Extra website which offers discounts for members in high street stores such as Comet or Argos and they are in the process of launching a Credit Union for families with disabled children too.

You can request another grant one calendar year after you have been awarded your first. You can re-apply online if your circumstances haven't changed, which simplifies the process.

If you are caring for a disabled child, I would highly recommend Family Fund. I would also suggest if you are waiting more than a couple of months for a response from them, to call them up and check they are dealing with your application - I really regret not being a little more persistent when I heard nothing from them.

To learn more about the Family Fund, visit their website here:-

http://www.familyfund.org.uk/

Summary: If you have a disabled child and are on a low income the Family Fund can help.