opps forgot title........help with funding for extension?!

[lourobert]

Has anyone managed to secure any funds for an extention on there home.....?! We have a smallish house and certainly not big enough to house all of my sons speciailsist equipment such as his standing frame and 2 chairs etc, physio ball.

Ive been looking into getting a conservatory purely to be able to store these things and for my son to have some space to use these things...ive had a quote of £10,000.

Wondered if theres any way I might be able to get some help with funding this??

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Disabled Facilities Grant,

you need to get in touch with your OT and ask her to come and assess your home but before she does come try and have a think about your mid-long term plans wrt your son(and his possible difficulties)and your plans to stay in the house or moving.

DFG is not means tested for a child so it's worth thinking about the long term and getting your property right for you now for the longer term ie: will a conservatory be all you will need? or is a downstairs bedroom and wet room going to be needed as well?

can't you tell we're in the process atm????

Good luck- it takes time but is worth it!{she says with her fingers crossed}

replied on your other thread with the same response. We're getting a disabled facilities grant to make the house safe. It takes ages though.

I think ours will take about 3 years (ish).
I contacted the SS OT initially but had to wait a while before someone actually came out to assess DDs needs. It was agreed that we would probably get help with installing a downstairs toilet, but DD would need to go on another waiting list for further re-assessment- that list was about a year long.

Well the year was up a few months ago so I chased it up again. Had another check, waited, case went to panel, was agreed we could get funding.

We are at the stage now where we need to supply 2 builders quotes, and then we wait again for another year and we should get the money!!!

Dingle - was it very stressful when they came round? did you have to fight? not sure how much fight i have in me at the mo, but we really need a downstairs loo for ds now he self catheterises.

Well, DD has Down Syndrome and was about 3-3.5 when they first came around. We knew toilet training may be a very long process but as she has mobility issues getting her up and down the stairs was a very big issue for us. I worried recently as she is dry with me at home, but is still having bowel problems so I wondered if they were going to say I no longer needed a downstairs loo.

I must say I did feel uncomfortable, but I suppose it does depend on the OT who assesses. It was definately worth a try, despite the wait. We have now been told we can go ahead with the works and that we don't have to wait until the money comes through some time next year- I just cannot wait another year.

Our OT has been incredibly helpful and is now trying to speed things up because of the safety issues (ds1 is in danger of falling through a first floor window at the moment, or downstairs.) Lovely person, really understood the issues.

Hi Fio...how are you honey!!!

We have a few safety issues too, our dining room window and Amelia's bedroom windows don't lock when open so we just don't get to open them very often. This isn't such an issue downstairs but we find Amelia's room gets really stuffy. The OT sent a SS contractor around to see what could be done and they are looking into the posibility of putting restrictor rod thingies on the windows for us. Not sure about this yet, still waiting for feedback but yes, of course safety is a very BIG issue.

They're giving us secondary double glazing fio (so no probs with the conservation area stuff). I was surprised tbh that they agreed to it so easily. The OT came to the annual review and asked school what sorts of things could be done to prevent the climbing behaviours. Ds1s teacher said nothing really to totally stop it, it had to be a case of making the environment safe.

I printed off stuff about the DFG, gave it to my SW assistant (don't have a SW) and highlighted the bits about it being non means tested for children. Had no problems after that, she referred me to an OT- who has been very good and its all been very smooth. A council building inspector came out (again very helpful) and said he also wanted to perspex in our stairs to try and cut down on climbing (ds1 climbs up and stands on the bannisters). He talked to planning etc to find out what was acceptable window wise.

Same situation as us Fio. (same price for double glazing as well!) The OT took one look - I explained where he stands (footprints there anyway, fingerprints all over the top of the window) and she said "oh my goodness that is terribly dangerous we need to sort that out urgently".

The hard bit was getting the OT referral in the first place.

oh I know, and running up and down two flights of stairs constantly is irritating when trying to do other stuff. I went in yesterday and he was standing on thin peices of dowelling we'd put in when he was 3 to stop him leaning against the windows. So he was leaning with his whole weight against the thinnest ropiest glass.

Even downstairs he stands on the back of the chair to lean on the window. I said something ahout at least he wouldn't fall far & the buidling inspector said "yes but tis going through the glass that will do the most damage".

I know! Brought me up to a new level of paranoia!

I so know what you mean about the worry with glass.

DS used to bang on our upstairs windows so hard it felt like the whole house was vibrating.

They were the most delapidated windows you have ever seen, thin glass and rotten frames, which meant the the glass actually vibrated and moved.

We go so worried that in the end DH covered the bottom 4 foot (we have very large windows) of the windows with hardboard in order to stop DS being able to actually bang the glass.

It stayed like that for over 6 months until we had managed to save enough money to get double glazing installed.

Our house looked like a squat from the outside and it was very embarassing, but we didn't know what else to do.

Reading this thread now makes me a bit mad with SS, as we had telephoned them around this time to ask if DFG's would cover this sort of thing. We were told on 3 seperate occasions, that not only does the DFG's not cover such things as double glazing, but also that ASD isn't the sort of disability that the grants are meant for!

I should of known better really, after all this kind of misinformation seems to happen all the time, but as we have had no contact with SS (which is still the case, school has said we should be getting support, respite etc, but we don't know where to start with this, tbh), I guess hindsight really is a wonderful thing.

I will however count my blessings that the 'family fund' have just given us funding to get a fence put around our back garden to stop DS from escaping, despite this being our second year of applying for a grant with them. They were kind enough to offer to either part fund it this year, or fully fund it now and us not be able to claim again next year, we obviously chose the latter as safety is obviously paramount and the fence needs doing now.

oh dear graciefer, that's shocking. Especially as we're the same SS. I think I only got it because I printed out the govt info and told them I was eligible.

When i had replacement double glazing i had the windows made with specially toughened glass (the sort they put in plate glass doors, that will withstand an adult running into them). I was very pleased that i did cos the boys were up the curtains in a flash and ripped the metal curtain pole off the wall and i heard this almighty crashing sound, ran into the room and they were smashing the window repeatedly with the metal pole (the window held out!). I was realy angry with them but also glad that the glass had held up.

(needless to say they have been without curtains or curtain pole since that happened!)

If anyone is having replacement double glazing, you should consider insisting that the windows are made of the hardened/toughened glass. (they didnt charge me any extra for having this type of glass) but i had to insist it was that or 'no sale' !!!

Our SS are shocking though Graciefer..... They need to be taken to task somehow......