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“The recent floods have seen more families come to the Family Fund for help. Our grants have a positive and lasting impact on the everyday lives of families and even more so when items that are vital to the care of a disabled child are lost in such dreadful circumstances. We urge all families raising disabled and seriously ill children in Wales to contact the Family Fund and, if they can, come along to our roadshows to talk through how we can help.”
Cheryl Ward
“I’ve always felt that once my family has had their award, someone else should have the chance to apply, I feel I don’t want to ask for a handout. I think that most families feel there is a stigma attached to getting help from a charity and it can look like greed. I didn’t realise that Family Fund received a grant from the Welsh Government just to help families like mine. The grants help relieve that stress and worry of having to save up or do without for items that help my disabled sons and I. Family Fund makes a massive difference and it was great to thank them in person and get help with my next application.”
Liz from Cardiff
“This report shows how sleep deprivation can be very damaging not just to the child but their whole family. Tiredness makes it more difficult for anyone to deal with even day to day chores and for a parent or a carer of a disabled child this is an unnecessary worry that every family can do without, especially if it is over a long period of time. “Families in this situation need to be listened to and their concerns acted on through timely and regular support. The Family Fund is helping families find practical solutions to help children sleep, but we need there to be a wider acknowledgment that families in this situation can expect to be able to access support when this starts to become an issue rather than allowing it to take root and have an even greater impact.”
Aileen Campbell, Minister for Children
“My son is six and has autism. It’s more about how sleep isn’t for us as a family. I often survive on a diet of coffee and chocolate just to keep going. On a good night, we get five hours sleep, but we don’t get too many good nights. We also have a daughter, and we need to try and catch my son before he wakes her too. The only help we get is from our Paediatrician, and we do use medication, but this only works for a limited time.”
Caroline, parent from Londonderry
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Information and Support Day for Families of Disabled Children in Leeds

Families raising a disabled or seriously ill child will have the opportunity to find out more about what services and support are available in the Leeds area on Thursday 28 April at Leeds Mencap, The Vinery Centre, Vinery Terrace, Leeds LS9 9LU.The event is hosted by Family Fund, the UK’s largest charity helping families raising disabled children, with other organisations offering information, advice and support include Scope, Barnardos, Tuberous Sclerosis, Newlife, Shine, Kids and more. Families are invited to come along between 10am and 2.30pm with refreshments available.  They can

Funding confirmed for disabled children in Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland Health Minister Simon Hamilton today announced that the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety will provide £1.57 million to Family Fund in 2016/17 to support families raising disabled or seriously ill children across Northern Ireland.Family Fund exists to give families on low incomes raising disabled and seriously ill children and young people the same opportunities as others. They do this by providing grants for essential items such as family breaks, sensory toys, kitchen appliances, computers and tablets, clothing, furniture and much more. Last year (

New Charity of the Year Partnership for Family Fund

Student accommodation provider, Kexgill has announced Family Fund as their Charity of the year for 2016/17. Kexgill are an award winning company providing accommodation services to students in nine locations across the North of England for over 36 years.Kexgill Managing Director Richard Stott was motivated to learn more about Family Fund after a chance encounter with a parent of disabled children in a pub in Beverley. After hearing the challenges that families face raising disabled children as well as how Family Fund had helped to ease the pressures on this family, Richard was inspired to

New report calls for more support and recognition for unpaid carers

A new report highlights the impact that caring can have on an individual’s health and wellbeing, and how these daily challenges can often be exacerbated by a lack of digital access.A new report from Tinder Foundation, in partnership with Family Fund, Carers Trust and Carers UK, highlights the impact that caring can have on an individual’s health and wellbeing, and how these daily challenges can often be exacerbated by a lack of digital access. This report, which draws from a mixture of focus groups, interviews with carer support organisations and a survey of over 1,800 carers (conducted

New report shows siblings of disabled children need more support

Thousands of siblings of disabled children are often overlooked as their needs come second to that of the disabled child, with many of them providing significant care and emotional support to their brothers and sisters.Siblings of disabled children across the UK have shared their experiences in a new joint report launched today by University of Portsmouth and Family Fund, the UK’s largest grant-making charity for low income families raising disabled or seriously ill children. The report, ‘Do Siblings Matter Too?’ launches today at the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health and

Support for disabled children in UK reaches 42-year record high

Family Fund, the UK’s largest provider of grants to low income families raising disabled and seriously ill children and young people, provided grants and support services to 72,043 families across the UK – their highest number in 42 years of existence.Family Fund exists to give families on low incomes raising disabled and seriously ill children and young people the same opportunities as others. They do this by providing grants for a wide range of essential items such as family breaks, sensory toys, kitchen appliances, tablets, clothing, furniture and much more. They also provide information

New look for Family Fund puts families at our heart

Family Fund launches new website and brand.Family Fund has launched its new website and brand following several months of development and consultation. The new brand, developed in-house and in conjunction with families, better reflects the diverse nature of the families the charity supports and the qualities that they value. To mark the launch, we have produced a new video where some of the families we have helped talk about why they applied to Family Fund and how they have benefited from their grant. You can view the video at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3eLYatrKehg Why did we do

BIG LOTTERY FUNDING TO BUILD SKILLS AND BRIDGE THE DIGITAL DIVIDE

The Big Lottery Fund has today announced funding for two ‘test and learn’ initiatives to open up access to health, welfare and employment services by improving digital skills.Around 10.5 million people in the UK lack the skills to access many key online services*. In addition, around half of disabled people and 42 per cent of people with an income of less than £12,500 a year, do not use the internet**. These groups are finding themselves becoming increasingly reliant on friends and family to access services that are moving to digital channels. To tackle this, the Big Lottery Fund is

Time to give disabled consumers a fair deal, says new report

Businesses need to start paying more attention to how they provide for disabled consumers – because they’re worth £212 billion.The Extra Costs Commission today publishes its final recommendations from its year-long inquiry into the extra costs disabled people face. Its Chair, businessman and Family Fund trustee Robin Hindle Fisher, urges disabled consumers to recognise their spending power and “come together as a collective consumer group” to make sure they get the best deals from businesses. To support this aim, Family Fund, in conjunction with its trading subsidiary, Family Fund

Short break scheme for families with disabled children in Scotland re-opens

Take a Break programme has helped thousands of families since 2011.Take a Break, Scotland’s short break fund for disabled children and their families, has re-opened for applications. The programme, funded by Scottish Government, aims to provide families with the choice and opportunity to access a single or ongoing break from caring. Take a Break grants enable families caring for a disabled or seriously ill child or young person to have the opportunity to choose how they would like to take a break, with a view to improving the quality of life, health and well-being of the whole family.

Family Fund selected by Jane Tomlinson Appeal as charity partner for Arena Group York Junior and Mini Fun Runs

Family Fund brought some of the parents they’ve helped over the last year to York Minster today to help launch the Arena Group York Junior and Mini Fun Run s, which this year features the Fund as its official charity partner.The York-based charity is the UK’s largest provider of grants to low-income families raising disabled and seriously ill children and young people, and has been selected by Jane Tomlinson’s Run For All as partner for the races taking place on Sunday 2ndAugust 2015. The races take place across the Knavesmire and York racecourse.

Family Fund launches new video showing how iPads make a difference for disabled children

Family Fund is today launching a new video to raise awareness of the impact that technology can have on outcomes for disabled and seriously ill children and to encourage parents to consider the benefits that they can make to the whole family.Produced in conjunction with MCC who are a longstanding Apple Solution Expert in education, the film looks at two children who have received grants from Family Fund for iPad and examines the different ways in which the children, Oscar and Marnie, have used these devices as a tool for learning and development. Oscar was diagnosed with Autistic

Family Fund backs new online service to give choice and control to families with disabled children

A new online service, set to revolutionise the way families with disabled children access health, education and social care services in their local authorities, will be unveiled on 21st January at the Bett Education Summit in London’s Excel Centre.SENDirect  has been developed by nine leading disability charities (the SEND Consortium) in direct response to families who say finding vital local services for their child with special educational needs or a disability (SEND) is over-complicated, confusing and choice is severely limited. The need for SENDirect and its

Contact a Family report highlights the financial pressures on families raising disabled children.

A new campaign from Contact a Family is encouraging energy companies and the Government to make changes that will benefit families caring for disabled children.The campaign has four main aims: · That energy companies introduce a fixed monthly discount for households with a disabled child and to include disabled children in the Warm Home Discount scheme. · An increase in the Carer's Allowance earnings limit in line with any future increase in the National Minimum Wage. · The higher child disability element in Universal Credit to be widened to include children on the middle rate of

Record number of grants for families of disabled children

Family Fund, the UK’s largest provider of grants to low-income families raising disabled or seriously ill children and young people, helped 68,551 families across the UK in 2013/14 – a record year.Family Fund helps low-income families raising disabled and seriously ill children to have the same choices, quality of life, opportunities and aspirations as other families. They do this by providing grants for essential items such as family breaks, computers, sensory toys, beds, white goods, clothing, tablets and much more. Their 2013/14 annual review, every day we change lives, highlights a

Thousands of families need help with hospital visit costs

Over 3,000 families needed emergency grants to cover the costs of hospital visits and appointments last year, according to new figures from the Family Fund. The charity, which provides grants to families on low incomes with disabled or seriously ill children, published the figures after MPs called for the scrapping of hospital parking charges on Monday during a passionate debate in the Commons, with one MP calling it “a tax on NHS treatment”. Many families face unexpected costs with urgent hospital care and visits, which can be extremely stressful.  The Family Fund supports measures

Increased costs for families raising disabled children

The UK’s largest provider of grants to low-income families raising disabled and seriously ill children and young people, Family Fund, reports feedback from families on the significant costs involved with raising a disabled or seriously ill child.Mandy received a grant from Family Fund last year, she said: “Thank you for the grant towards some clothing for my son.  I have really struggled to find the money to buy some and I could not have afforded it without your help. He picked out the clothes himself, including a cap which we told him was magic for when he goes on buses. Before, he

Wales Government announces continued support to families with disabled children

The Welsh Government has confirmed its 2014/15 funding for Charity, Family Fund, the UK’s largest provider of grants to low-income families raising disabled and seriously ill children.The funding has been confirmed at the same level as last year, £2.6 million which in that period helped provide essential grant items to 4,952 families across Wales. As soon as the funding arrives with the Family Fund, work will begin to help over 550 families awaiting grant support in the last few months. Cheryl Ward, Chief Executive at Family Fund said: “I am extremely grateful to the Wales

Wales Government continue to support families with disabled children

The Welsh Government has confirmed its 2014/15 funding for Charity, Family Fund, the UK’s largest provider of grants to low-income families raising disabled and seriously ill children.The Welsh Government has confirmed its 2014/15 funding for Charity, Family Fund, the UK’s largest provider of grants to low-income families raising disabled and seriously ill children. The funding, due to arrive in April, has been confirmed at the same level as last year, £2.6 million which in that period helped provide essential grant items to 4,952 families across Wales. As soon as the funding arrives

TAKE A BREAK SCHEME REOPENS FOR FAMILIES RAISING DISABLED CHILDREN IN SCOTLAND

Take a Break, which provides much-needed short breaks for families caring for children and young people with additional needs, has re-opened after receiving further funding from the Scottish Government.Family Fund – the UK’s largest provider of grants to low-income families raising disabled or seriously ill children and young people – continues to administer the programme that it developed specifically for the Scottish Government. First launched in November 2011, take a Break allows those caring for disabled children and young people across Scotland to apply for a grant towards a short

Disabled children charity delayed funding from Wales Government

Funding due to arrive to Family Fund in April now leave over 500 families raising disabled children in Wales waiting for immediate grant support.Family Fund, the UK’s largest provider of grants to low-income families raising disabled and seriously ill children is still awaiting its funding from the Wales Government.  This was due to arrive in April, and leaves over 500 families waiting for immediate grant support for essential items. Last year, Family Fund helped 4,952 families in Wales with grant support for essential items such as washing machines, cookers, beds, bedding, clothing and

Charity supports Inquiry on childcare for disabled children

Family Fund, the UK’s largest provider of grants to low-income families raising disabled and seriously ill children supports the independent Parliamentary Inquiry into childcare for disabled children announced on Thursday 1st May.The Inquiry aims to shine a spotlight on the long-standing difficulties experienced by families in accessing childcare. Family Fund welcomes the inquiry as it's extensive contact with families raising disabled children has shown that access to childcare across England is inconsistent. Parents of disabled children tell Family Fund that they struggle to source

Grant support for families with disabled children in Wales

Family Fund is taking steps to reach more families raising disabled and seriously ill children across Wales with their grant support.The challenging economic times have become even greater for families in Wales who have been affected by the recent floods.  UK charity, Family Fund have stepped up their work to reach more families across the region by holding face to face roadshow events, the next of which are in North Wales on 25thand 26thFebruary.  All families raising disabled or seriously ill children are invited to come along and speak to Family Fund staff about the support that is

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