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 affordable and appropriate childcare for their children with additional needs. Parents state that finding a childcare setting or childminder that is trained to meet their child’s complex health and developmental needs is challenging. This means that family carers are often unable to take up work or study because they do not have the confidence in the support available, or the financial means to meet the additional costs of highly trained carers, who have limited availability. The Family Fund understands from families it supports that the lack of suitable and affordable childcare is a major barrier to families accessing employment and can often lead to families falling into poverty.
Family Fund will respond to Every Disabled Child Matters’ call for evidence on this issue, assisting the tens of thousands of families that it helps each year to have a voice on this crucial issue.
Michelle Barfoot a parent from Hampshire said:
“I used to work part-time, but had to give up work because I don’t have reliable childcare. As a part-time worker, I had to take time off when my son was ill or needed to attend appointments and this meant I was getting paid less and less and I was struggling to manage financially. As a lone parent, it is hard work to juggle employment and the care of a disabled child. Finding a childminder who is reliable and can meet my son’s needs (he is non-verbal) is almost impossible and I would need to feel confident that they could care for him in my absence – this wouldn’t happen overnight. My child doesn’t sleep well at all – today I have been up since 4am – so contemplating going to work when I am this tired is out of the question.”
Cheryl Ward, Chief Executive at Family Fund said:
“We hear all too often from parents and carers that we support of the day to day challenges they face in finding affordable childcare provision that meets the needs of their children. As a parent, I know that feeling safe and secure in your childcare arrangements is essential to a family’s well-being and a parent’s ability to work. Parents raising a child with a disability or serious illness should, regardless of where they live, be able to have high quality and competitively priced childcare alongside flexible and responsive working arrangements for parents and carers. That is why the Family Fund supports this Inquiry and the work of the Every Disabled Child Matters campaign.
Ends
Notes to editors
- The Family Fund is the country’s largest grant-giving charity and has over forty years of helping families with disabled children. It helps ease the additional pressures faced by low-income families raising a disabled child by giving them grants for a wide range of goods and services, including washing machines, dryers, fridges, clothing, bedding, sensory toys, computers, much- needed family breaks and more. Across the UK last year, the Fund supported 66,937 families with £33 million in grants, 53,079 of these families live in England.
- Family Fund grant applications can be downloaded from the Family Fund website www.familyfund.org.uk. Families can contact Family Fund using the online contact form or by telephoning: 01904 621115.
- Family Fund’s ‘Tired all the Time’ report looks at the impact of sleep deprivation on families raising disabled children. The report gives direct feedback from over 2,000 parents and carers across the UK. It can be downloaded via this link http://www.familyfund.org.uk/sites/default/files/FF_Tired_all_the_Time_Report.pdf
- Every Disabled Child Matters campaign - http://www.edcm.org.uk
Alison Jessop, Group Communications Manager
Family Fund, 4 Alpha Court, Monks Cross Drive, Huntington, York, YO32 9WN
Tel: 01904 571094 Mobile: 07825 699192 email: comms@familyfund.org.uk
Family Fund
The Family Fund is the UK’s largest grant-giving charities for low-income families raising disabled and seriously ill children and young people. It helps give the same choice, opportunities, quality of life and aspirations to low-income families raising a disabled child as other families by giving them grants for a wide range of goods and services, including washing machines, dryers, fridges, clothing, bedding, sensory toys, computers, much-needed family breaks and more, but also give grants for items to aide a better night’s sleep such as beds, bedding, sleep monitors and blackout blinds. Across the UK last year, the Fund supported 66,937 families with £33 million in funding, with 53,079 families living in England. Family Fund receives grants from private donors as well as each of the four UK governments. Eligible families can apply for a grant every 12 months. www.familyfund.org.uk
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