Families of disabled children lack access to support and information
Pui-Guan Man
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
More than a third of families caring for a child with a disability have not had a home visit from a professional worker, a survey by grant provider the Family Fund has found.
Out of 500 families questioned by the charity, 60 per cent also said they lack information on local, regional and national disability organisations.
The online survey of families across the UK found that more than half of respondents could not access information on relevant grants and more than a third said they would like a factsheet about available benefits to make access to support easier.
Derek Walpole, chief executive of the Family Fund, said that many families caring for children "are isolated and do not have contact with professionals or other sources of information".
"Over the coming months, we will be exploring opportunities to fund the development and delivery of additional information in partnership with other suitable organisations to help improve the wellbeing of families," he added.
The Family Fund visited the 500 families involved in the study over a six-month period and the families then used an online survey to give details about their experience of the visit.
Around 10 per cent of the families visited by the charity’s advisers were able to find out about other support schemes and increased their weekly income as a direct result of that advice.
Network development manager at the charity Clare Kassa said: "We think this lack of information has happened because it’s challenging and demanding to find time and resources to look things up when caring for a child with a disability.
"The amount of information available on the internet can also be overwhelming. Families need a filter to find useful and correct information so they can be provided with good resources. We want to make sure that families get the right help for their needs.
"There can be a lot of external support from schools, for example. But it’s important for professionals to see the children in their home environment and for families to have that reassurance."