Welcome to the January 2024 edition of Disability Grants News - a monthly round up of highlights on the Disability Grants website and resources for anyone with a disability, caring for or working with disabled adults or children.

If you are new to the website and searching for grants please read the following pages before starting your search....

Adults- About Grants section

Children and Young People  - Grants for Disabled Children - An Introduction

Here are some of this month’s updates and additions.... 

Family Fund

• Go Beyond provide breaks for children and young people who face serious challenges in their lives. This may include young carers. Referrals by children's professionals only.

• CS Disabled Holidays gives grants to people who are severely physically disabled with neurological or neuromuscular illness to enable them to enjoy life-changing holidays of their choosing.

• The Tavistock Trust for Aphasia offers small grants for people with Aphasia, carers and groups living in the UK to improve their quality of life.

• The Ogilvie Charities gives grants to individuals and families in need for the purchase of essential items not supplied by Statutory services. Applications from recognised professionals only.

• Headway provides support and services to individuals and their families with a brain injury. It also offers small one-off grants through its Emergency Fund.

• Climbing Out offers support for individuals who have been through life changing mental or physical trauma or illness.  The dates for the 2024 Climbing Out programme can be found on the website.

• The Cold Weather Payment is a grant to help with heating bills when temperatures hit zero degrees.  It has been triggered in 309 postcodes so far this winter.

• Funding towards mobility equipment for Devon residents through the Devon Community Fund’s Devonian Fund. There is also support for small organisations in Devon helping vulnerable residents with the cost of living up to 1st February 2024.

• Cubitt and West Estate Agents Charity supports children and young people living in Sussex who have physical disabilities, long-term illnesses and/or life-limiting conditions. Applications to be made by Social Worker or other professional

• The Norfolk Millennium Trust for Carers offers grants for unpaid carers towards short breaks, recreational items, hobbies or leisure activities. Carers must live in Norfolk.

• Wee Breaks provides support for carers in Edinburgh and Midlothian to take breaks from their caring role.

• Carers in Scotland claiming Carers Allowance will gradually be transferred onto Carer Support Payment from Spring 2024.  The rules are the same as Carers Allowance with the exception that many carers in full time education may be able to claim.

• Scottish Carers in receipt of the Carer Support Payment will receive two additional payments a year called the Carers Allowance Supplement.

• Caring Breaks offer short and weekend breaks for family carers in Northern Ireland combined with social and recreational activities for adults with learning disabilities.

• Thanks to Contact for their campaigning. Government guidance has now been changed to state that disabled children are entitled to alternatives to free school meals if they can't access their free school meals the regular way. Contact has a free legal guide and template letters to help you claim free school meals for your child.

• Caudwell Children are offering Employability and Life Skills sessions.  It's aim is to improve the employability and life skills of neurodivergent young people aged 16-25.

• IPSEA offers guidance to parent/carers whose children are unable to access education because of anxiety or similar difficulties.

• Turn 2 Us has a guide to help bridge the gap between the end of tax credits stopping and Universal Credit starting.

• If you are a carer and support someone who uses a sleep machine also called a CPAP machine, read these useful resources.

• If you need to somewhere to stay warm this winter ask your local council for information on “Warm Spaces”.  These are public places that anyone can use to stay warm.

• Royal Mail has introduced an option for households to register their accessibility needs for parcel deliveries or collections via Parcel Collect.

• Sony PlayStation's new Access Controller is a customizable device for disabled individuals. It fits on a wheelchair tray, and features adjustable buttons and programmable special controls.  It costs £79.99.  Reviews can be found on You Tube.  May not be suitable for all disabilities.

Help raise money for Disability Grants with the purchase of our colouring books.

“Everyone’s Different” has positive colouring images of children with additional needs.  The images show children with physical, hearing and visual impairments.

For adults with Learning Difficulties, Alzheimer’s or Dementia we have Butterfly and Mandala colouring books.

Please don't forget that Disability Grants is a shared resource where everyone helps each other..... So, do participate and share your knowledge and experiences.

Help and Be Helped

All the best

Julia Tyrrell

Founder of Disability Grants

Are there topics you would like the newsletter to cover? Tell us how Disability Grants can improve so we can help you more in the future.

Email: contact@disability-grants.org

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