has anyone heard of the family fund and what they do?

[stephanie21]

just dd's cf nurse here.shes not our usual nurse,adn ive only spoken to her on the phone before.anyway,chatting away to her,and she asked if i'd heard of the family fund.she said they help out with pricey things for families with children with disabilities.(not sure if they are for cf families or other disabilities aswell).as my washing machine is now on its last legs,she said they will help to get one for me.just wondering if anyone else has had any experience with them.i'm not used to getting something for nothing,so just wondering how they work.

The family fund help people with childen with disabilities. We have help from them for years. You can apply once a year. they helped up with a fridge/freezer and for the last few years we have had a grant of £380 for a holiday. Well worth giving them a try.

the nurse is going to see what help we can get.ive never heard of them before.she said i might get help with driving lessons.but most importantly is a new washing machine,mines currently dancing across the kitchen!!

If your income is below a certain amount (£23,000?) you can apply to the Family Fund for help. We got a washing machine and tumble-drier. They give you a choice of either picking one from their list or being given money to put towards a different machine that you can choose from any other shop.

Try here

that sounds really great.we are on a low income,dh has a crappy job and has had to join firebrigade as a retainer to get extra dosh

In that case it's definitely worth putting in an application. You can apply once a year. Last year we got a washing machine, tumble-drier, and £200 to help with transport costs.

thanks for the link coppertop,yes our income is under 23,000.dhonly brings home 10,500.wont be that much more when hes at firestation as he only gets paid for the times hes on call

Last year we got a new tumble drier, and 300 for day trips... they visit you when they process your claim to assess your needs, and check income etc [payslips, benefits letters etc]

They are a charity set up to assist families of disabled children, and so long as your taxable income is less the 23,000 your eligable for some kind of help... [taxable income would be yor partners wage, and carers alowance, they don't count the DLA your child might be getting, or tax credits]

I applied last year and was given £380 for family days out.outings,£160 for my first 6 driving lessons and theory test,then a further £380 for the rest of my lessons and test.
I re-applied in january this year and was awarded £380 for a family holiday and £250 for a trampoline for recreational therapy for ds1.We had to have a visit the first time and it took about 4-5 mths to hear,but no visit this time round and from application to cheque in hand about 4-5 weeks.Oh and remember to keep receipts for what you use the money for as they can ask for them.

we have used the family fund a few times now, they are great, we have recently applied again but we were told we needed to apply 3 times,once for each child, i had an email from them the other day saying there is a backlog so won't hear for 3 months.

I used the Family Fund for the first time this year and managed to get a computer, scanner, printer and £380 for holidays. The assessment really wasn't stressful at all and well worth it.