SERVICE DETAILS
Who is our helpline for?
Our helpline is for parents and carers in any part of the UK with a disabled child aged from birth to 25.
Your child can have any kind of disability or additional need, and you do not need to have a diagnosis.
Our helpline services
Advice queries - 9:30am - 5:00pm, Monday-Friday
Free from UK landlines and UK mobiles.
Freephone - 0808 808 3555
Access to interpreters from Language Line Solutions.
The busiest times of the day tend to be between 10:00am and 11:30am, lunchtime between 1:00pm and 2:00pm and between 4:00pm and 5:00pm.
We understand that life with a disabled child often brings unique challenges. Our helpline advisers can help you feel more confident and informed about tackling them.
We can give you advice, information and support about any concern or question you might have, including education, benefits and finances, childcare, social care, medical information and more.
Family support "listening ear" appointments...
You might be struggling emotionally and looking for strategies to help you cope. Or maybe you just need to talk to someone who understands the extra challenges you face and who can point you in the right direction to get the support you need for your family.
To help, we offer 1-1 telephone appointments with a family support adviser for parent carers looking for a listening ear, reassurance and practical and emotional support.
Making an appointment is simple: Visit our Eventbright page (https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/contact-for-families-with-disabled-children-30452924652), choose the day (morning, afternoon or evening), and when you register choose the time slot you want.
Appointments are regularly updated here and are subject to availability.
Family Finances call-back appointments...
If you're calling to discuss your family's finances, the parent advisers on our helpline can provide initial advice on the benefits you may be entitled to. They will assess your situation and may offer you a telephone call-back appointment with our specialist family finance team.
A call back appointment might be offered where you have doubts about the accuracy of an online benefit calculation; where you need advice on challenging a benefits decision; or if you are dealing with a change in your family, including:
- A child is going into hospital long term or into residential accommodation.
- The effect on entitlements after separation from a spouse or partner or a new partner joining the household.
- Where you need to know the impact a change in your employment status or earnings will have on benefit entitlement.
- Families with a child aged 16-19 who could claim benefits in their own right as an adult for the first time.
How our helpline can help you
We understand that life with a disabled child often brings unique challenges. Our helpline advisers can help you feel more confident and informed about tackling them.
We can give you advice, information and support about any concern or question you might have, including:
Getting a diagnosis and medical information...
We can talk through how to get a diagnosis for your child. We also have reliable and trusted information on hundreds of conditions, including rare conditions. If you'd like us to, we'll put you in touch with national and local condition support groups and introduce you to our online community, where you can chat with families across the UK affected by the same condition.
Services your family might be entitled to...
We'll help you to understand how to ask the local authority for practical help and support for your family. This includes making requests for needs assessments and accessing short breaks.
Benefits and sources of financial help...
We will help you to find out what benefits you might be entitled to and identify other potential sources of financial help.
The parent advisers on our helpline can also provide initial advice on the benefits you may be entitled to. They will assess your situation and may offer you a telephone call-back appointment with our specialist family finance team.
Support in the early years...
We have access to a range of resources that can help, including information on behaviour, sleep and toileting. We can also help you to understand about your rights to free childcare and how to find childcare places in your area.
