Families with disabled children write to Prime Minister asking for good news at Christmas

12th December 2011

Disabled children and their families worried about 50% benefit cut

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Families with disabled children are today asking David Cameron for some good news for Christmas. They will be writing to the Prime Minister to ask him to think again about making cuts to the 'disability additions' currently available to families receiving Disability Living Allowance².  The call comes ahead of a vote on the proposed cut in the House of Lords later today.

Despite David Cameron's assertion that he "would never do anything that would hurt disabled children"; and his commitments not to create policy that "hurts" families he is pressing ahead with a change which families with disabled children have said will have a 'devastating' effect on their ability to cope financially.

Christine Lenehan, EDCM Board member, says:

"The Government has confirmed that these cuts will not take the overall benefit bill down and we do not think that it is right to target unnecessary cuts at families with disabled children.

Every cut made to family budgets hits families with disabled children disproportionately hard. Families are getting increasingly concerned about the impact of cuts on their ability to financially cope, and say these cuts will be 'devastating'. That is why they are asking David Cameron to keep his promise, and to give them some good news for Christmas by thinking again about this 50% cut."

Families with disabled children are more likely to live in poverty due to higher costs. Contact a Family's report Forgotten Families has shown that strain these additional costs place on families contribute to 65 per cent of families with disabled children feeling isolated frequently or all of the time.

These extra costs are particularly high at this time of year as many families are forced to keep their heating on 24 hours a day due to their child's disability; have to drive everywhere in icy conditions; and, pay higher costs for days out.

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Notes to editors:

1. Every Disabled Child Matters is the national campaign to get rights and justice for every disabled child. It is run by four leading organisations working with disabled children and their families: Contact a Family, Council for Disabled Children, Mencap and the Special Educational Consortium.   Find out more at www.edcm.org.uk
   
   
2. Currently, low income and out of work families who claim Disability Living Allowance (DLA) on behalf of their child are entitled to a 'disability addition' worth £53.62 per week. Families with a child in receipt of the high rate care component of DLA also receive a 'top up addition' worth an additional £21 per week. Proposals under the Universal Credit will see lower benefit 'additions' drop by over 50%.
   
   
3. EDCM's latest briefing on disability additions can be found at: /media/29259/additions_report_lords.pdf
   
   
4. EDCM's supporter action can be found at: http://e-activist.com/ea-action/action?ea.client.id=6&ea.campaign.id=13027
   
5. Contact a Family's report on isolation can be found at: http://www.cafamily.org.uk/pdfs/isolationreport.pdf