just informed my baby daughter is entitled to disability allowance, i know it sounds odd but what is the money supposed to help with?

[misslala1987]

ok my baby girl has development delays, she has physio, play therapy, we are starting hydro therapy and she is monitored by a pedeatrician. i just thought shes delayed, well work on it and shell progress so thats it. but then about a month or so ago my health visitor and her physio therapist mentioned that i should apply for dbl, so after about a week of thinking about it i did. even though i didnt really know what to write other than 'she needs constant supervision other than when shes sleeping and could really do with a special needs bath chair and maybe pushchair when she gets abit bigger as she already is tall for her age' (shes 20 months but people often say she looks like she could be about 2 1/2) i didnt actually think the claim would go through but today recieved a letter saying that yes and they will pay every four weeks. the thing is....... what am i supposed to spend the money on? ive thought of a few things i.e getting a couple new stair/baby gates, getting her some bits at early learning centre, when she gets to 2 getting her a special needs pushchair. but other than a few items she will need as far as i was concerned shes doing ok. if theres any other parents that have any advice for me would appreciate it, im new to all this. also if any of you could give me some reviews on special needs pushchairs or just some good ones that are suitable for taller toddlers i would appreciate that. thanx

as far as im aware, the money you get is to help you with the child and their additional needs. E.G. if your DD was NT i.e. not have the delays, you wouldnt be spending money on traveling to appointments, you might be going back to work instead of caring for her.

If you honestly dont "need" the money, then why not set up an ISA and save it for a special needs holiday, or future needs that may crop up. You may not be able to see what will be needed even if you try....things change...

xxxx

Well done for getting DLA sorted now before you start needing it! I end up spending my dds on extra physio equipment..wedges, balls, bean bags, shoes to go over her splints, extra swimming lessons... hmm looks around the house. There are a lot of things that cost extra. With regard to buggies, ask your physio to refer you to wheelchair services as they should provide you with one that is suitable for her. A bath chair should come from the OT department, maybe ask your paed for a referral. There is fab group on Facebook which might get you some ideas, it depends what she is delayed with really. www.facebook.com/groups/SNEUK/

Its really to cover the extra day to day costs that your daughter incurs, not necessarily on "special" things (although you can obviously!)-it could be that your bills are higher as you do more washing, have the heating on more, have to pay people to do things freeing you up to care for your child....

Some of the things you mention - like a bath chair and special needs pushchair you may be able to get free via official sources. DS's special buggies came through our wheelchair service - his physio referred him and she went with us to appointments to make sure that what they suggested was suitable, we got bathing aids through occupational therapy. It used to be that social services legally had to provide bathing and toileting aids when required - alkthough that may have changed with all the cuts, but it would be worth while contacting them. One thing that we discovered early on is that anything with a special needs tag on it is usually expensive!

If your daughter has been awarded middle rate or higher rate care DLA, don't forget that you may be able to get carers allowance too.

My DS2's DLA goes into the general funds of our home! It pays for his special needs clubs etc but also contributes towards normal household life..food, trips out etc. If my son wasn't autistic etc he would be off out with his mates and we wouldn't need everything to be organized for him, so holiday clubs are a must, but he also helps keep our knackered old car on the road!

I agree about the general funds thing- most of us either can't work or have to work reduced hours because of our children so it all helps in the scheme of things.

It really isn't as specific as you are thinking Obviously, there are organisations, such as 'Family Fund' or 'Cerebra' who can offer grants for specific items, which is when you would need to think carefully about what you need or what would make a difference to your child.

DLA is more of a general benefit. It is a recognition that life with a child who has SN is more expensive than without. For example, DD1 is 6.3. If she was NT she would be attending 'Urban Saints' or Brownies, Beavers, whatever. But she can't be left unattended as she has no sense of danger. If I want her to do something, I have to go with her and take her siblings.

Don't think about it too much, but do be kind to yourself! It's often quite a shock to get a DLA award. Even though you applied, and you wouldn't apply if you didn't think you'd have a chance of success, the realisation that a stranger in some office also thinks that your child qualifies, can hit you like a sledgehammer.

Don't forget of she gets middle or high rate you are also entitled to carers allowance which you can do online. As long as your not earning £100 a week after tax, pension ect.

thanx for the replies guys, she qualified as middle rate. why is it that social services have to over see bathing equipment? (sorry but the mention of them seems strange and slightly worrying) what is carers allowance? what is that for? my daughter has delays in mile stones. she has a delay in maturation of her brain and not as much white matter as she should have on her brain. she is progressing just right now she cant stand unaided crawl or walk

Carers allowance is £58 a week for you to make up for the extra care you have to give to her. You also need to let child tax credits know.
SS job is to supply equipment to aid disabled people, it is very costly over time and they have a duty of care to every person in the uk who needs extra equipment. SS that deal with this is nothing to do with SS who deal with child protection ect.

Agreeeing with Lisa - don't be scared by the mention of social services! DS has had several pieces of equipment from them, but has never had a social worker - they have their own occupational therapists. Quite often they work hand in hand with health service OT's.

oops rogue apostrophe, trying to type in the dark!

I use Matthew's DLA and our carers allowance for all the extras we have to pay out because of his condition. For example we have to travel 8 miles to his pre-school everyday rather than the 2 minute walk to the nearest one because he needs a special needs placement. This adds up to quite a lot in petrol every week. He is also on a dairy and gluten free diet which adds quite a lot to our food bills. Anything extra left I put aside for him incase we need it in the future for anything for him.

i dont drive yet as havent been able to afford driving lessons and car etc. do you guys think it would be ok to use some of the money towards lessons? aswell as my daughter, i have 2 sons. we have to walk or get bus every where including hospital and physio appointments for my daughter. i might look into the carers allowance. i have a meeting scheduled with all her therpists monday so ill discuss it with them i guess, sounds strange though doesnt it? ' carers allowance' im not her carer, im her mother. so at this meeting, should i discuss special needs pushchairs? even though shes big for her age, she is only 20 months, do you think theyll look at me oddly if i asked for one?

My son has had a sn buggy since he was 1 year old. he has low muscle tone amongst other things, and mainstream buggies aren't supportive enough for him. They won't look at you oddly at all if you ask for your daughter to be assessed for one.

no just ask for a buggy. As for carers you dont need to ask anyone, just go online and apply.
It might be worth asking family fund for driving lessons.

You are a parent carer. Unless you earn over £100 a week, you are entitled to carer's allowance. It's just a form to fill in, much easier than the (horrible) DLA one.

We saved it up onto a special account until we really needed it. For exemple we started a special therapy which is incredibly costly, especially with initial workshop required....without it, we wouldn't have been able to. So if you don't need it immediatly, you can always save up as you never know when you'll need it!

I'd say learning to drive/getting a car would be a useful thing to do. When your daughter is older she may also be eligible for the mobility part of DLA as well. As lisa says you may be eligible for help from family fund to get your licence