- Text Only |
- Site map |
- Print |
- Accessibility
c/o Council for Disabled Children
National Children's Bureau
8 Wakley Street
London EC1V 7QE
tel +44 (0)20 7843 6448
fax +44 (0)20 7843 6313
[email protected]
Carers Strategy leaves parents of disabled children in poverty
10 June 2008
EDCM calls for increase in Carer’s Allowance
EDCM today welcomes the Carers Strategy as the beginning of a new approach to supporting carers, but is calling for more to be done to improve their finances, particularly parents of disabled children.
As highlighted in the government’s new poverty figures released today, the risk of living in poverty has gone up by an average of 6% for families with a disabled child. Disabled children are at now at greater risk of living in relative poverty than non-disabled children.
Although the Carers Strategy reinforces the government’s commitment to transforming services for disabled children and their families through ‘Aiming High for Disabled Children’, it does not address the personal financial situation of carers.
Louise Franklin, EDCM Campaign and Policy Officer comments:
‘Too many families with disabled children are still struggling to lead ordinary lives, experiencing social exclusion and living in poverty. We are calling on government to significantly increase Carer’s Allowance, which is currently paid at a pitiful rate. This was a key recommendation in our ‘Disabled Children and Child Poverty’ briefing and endorsed by the Work and Pensions Select Committee report on child poverty.’
EDCM will be supporting Contact a Family, one of its four partner organisations, in its call to increase Carer’s Allowance. The campaign is also urging the Department of Health to clarify the total national funding allocation to PCTs in England for services for disabled children.
More from EDCM
News story: Families with disabled children face biggest increase in poverty risk
News story: Financial victory for families with disabled children
News story: Disabled children may have 'worst housing' in Britain
