Disability
Disability
Definition
Disabled children are those with disabilities defined by Section 5/6 of the Disabled Persons Act 1986.
They would generally be children attending special schools and receiving high or middle rates of Disability Living Allowance.
Usually, support services to the disabled child and their family aim to keep the child at home by providing home-based support. Where this is impractical, periodic breaks or respite services may be provided, limiting situations of children having to live apart from their families on a full time basis to a minimum.
In more complex cases, support may be enabled through residential services. Foster care, direct payments and residential services may be required.
Blue Badges: a child qualifies automatically for a Blue Badge if they are over two years old and either receive the Higher Rate of the Mobility Component of the Disability Living Allowance or they are registered blind. They may also be eligible if they are more than two years old and either have a permanent and substantial disability which means they cannot walk, or which makes walking very difficult. A parent of a child who is less than two years old may apply for a badge for their child if the child has a specific medical condition which means that they must always be accompanied by bulky medical equipment which cannot be carried around without great difficulty; and/or they need to be kept near a vehicle at all times, so that they can, if necessary, be treated in the vehicle, or quickly driven to a place where they can be treated, such as a hospital.
Policies and legislation
- Carers and Disabled Children Act 2000 This Act provides for the assessment of carers’ needs; to provide for services to help carers; and for the making of payments to carers and disabled children aged 16 or 17 in lieu of the provision of services to them and for connected purposes.
- Every Disabled Child Matters (EDCM) is a campaign to get rights and justice for every disabled child.
- Disabled Persons Act 1986
Association of Social Care Communicators 