Category: Campaigns

Contact is deeply concerned that families asked to claim Universal Credit under managed migration will be left much worse off if they have a disabled child who is “looked after” by their local authority in a residential setting.

These families will be denied access to the system of top-up payments called transitional protection. These payments ensure that everyone moving onto Universal Credit via managed migration isn’t worse off.

We have already spoken to a family likely to see a drop in income of £850 per month. Unfortunately, they won’t get transitional protection payments to make up these losses.

We are urging the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to rectify this problem before managed migration rolls out to more families.

Families will struggle to keep in contact with their children

Derek Sinclair, our Family Finance expert, says:

“We are really concerned that some families on tax credits whose disabled child has looked-after status face a substantial drop in income when the DWP asks them to claim Universal Credit.

“This isn’t just an issue for families with a disabled child in residential care. In some cases, a disabled child in residential school or residential college can have ‘looked after’ status, even though their accommodation is on a voluntary basis.

“Parents with a looked-after child in residential accommodation still incur significant costs. They pay for their child’s clothes and personal belongings as well as travel, leisure and social activities. In many cases, looked-after children will return home frequently, not only during school holidays but at weekends too.

“Faced with such a significant drop in income, families may struggle to maintain regular home visits and keep in contact with their child. This will have a detrimental impact on the mental health of the family and the disabled young person.”

Why are families with looked-after disabled children likely to be worse off?

The treatment of looked-after children is much less generous under Universal Credit than tax credits. Under tax credits, a parent can continue to receive amounts for a child looked after by the local authority in residential accommodation, so long as they are in that residential accommodation solely because of their disability.

Under Universal Credit, a parent cannot receive any amounts for a looked-after child. This is the case even if they are in a residential accommodation for disability reasons. The only exceptions to this will be where either:

Won’t these families get transitionally protection to make up for this loss so long as they claim via managed migration?

No, they are unlikely to benefit from transitional protection to make up for the loss of payments.

In deciding how much transitional protection someone gets, the DWP is meant to compare the amount of legacy benefits someone was getting with an “indicative” amount of Universal Credit they expect them to receive. If their “indicative” Universal Credit figure is lower, they receive a top-up payment to make up the difference.

However, the indicative Universal Credit figure is not necessarily the true amount they will get under Universal Credit. Instead, the indicative Universal Credit figure is based on certain “assumptions”. One assumption is that they will receive Universal Credit payments for any child they’ve been getting tax credits for. This means the DWP assumes they will receive Universal Credit payments for a looked-after child, despite knowing that they will get no such payments. By artificially inflating the Universal Credit indicative figure, the DWP treats a family’s income as if it won’t drop under Universal Credit, even though in reality it will reduce greatly.

This means affected families will either get no transitional protection or a much smaller amount of transitional protection that does not make up for the loss of payments for their looked-after child.

When is a child treated as looked after by a local authority?

This means that a child is being looked after by a local authority under section 22 of the Children Act; section 17 (6) of the Children Scotland Act; or section 74 of the Social Services and Well-Being (Wales) Act 2014.

Most children in local authority-funded residential care will have looked-after status. Some children in residential schools or colleges whose placements the local authority funds/part-funds may also fall under this definition. Someone accommodated under section 20 of the Children Act falls under section 22.

What can I do if I have a looked-after disabled child and I get a managed migration notice?

We are working with another charity – the Child Poverty Action Group – to convince the government to change these rules.

In the meantime, if you are a family getting tax credits for a disabled child in residential accommodation who has looked-after status, and you have received a managed migration notice giving you a deadline to claim Universal Credit, phone the Contact Helpline as soon as possible. You can call us on freephone 0808 808 3555 (Mon-Fri; 9.30am-5pm) .

The DWP can cancel a managed migration notice if they accept this is in the best interests of the claimant. There is an argument that they should consider doing this in cases involving a looked-after child, given the financial loss you will face.

Related information

HemiHelp - 2 children sitting at table looking at mobile phone

Moving onto Universal Credit from legacy benefits

If you currently claim one of the legacy benefits Universal Credit is replacing, we explain how you might move over to that benefit.

Find out more
Teenager and parent standing face to face

Universal Credit

Universal Credit is a new benefit for people of working age. It is paid both to people who are out of work and to those in employment.

Find out more
Parents and children sitting at a table watching an adult talk to the group

Education & learning

Parent information about education support for children and young people with additional needs and disabilities.

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We have heard from lots of parents who have successfully used the free school meals template letters to request an alternative, such as a voucher, to their child’s free lunch.

More template letters available

And in response to requests from parents we have written more template letters to cover different situations where eligible children can’t access a free school meal due to their disability. These include:

These are in addition to the template letters A-D which we published last month.

We expect more template letters in the coming weeks for families in Northern Ireland and for those who have children aged 16+.

Your questions answered

During our recent Free School Meals webinar there were lots of questions from parent carers whose children can’t access their free lunch due to their disability.

The legal team were unable to answer questions about specific cases, but we have rounded up some general themes that emerged and have answered those for you.

If a child attends a non-maintained or independent school which is named in an EHCP, does that mean the local authority does have a duty to provide?

Councils have the power to provide a free school meal to an eligible child in a non-maintained or independent school under section 513 of the Education Act 1996. This means they have a choice whether to provide, which is different to a duty. If your child falls into this category and is eligible for free school meals but can’t access them, you can use template letter A to request one. If you can show that they are attending the independent or non-maintained school because it is the only setting able to meet their special education needs, this may help, but there is no guarantee.

If a child is in Year 2, but not eating school meals. Should they get vouchers if not SEN registered?

It depends if the reason your child is not eating meals is due or suspected to be due to a disability or medical condition which has yet to be diagnosed. If that is the case you can use template letter C to request that reasonable adjustments can be made. You will need to explain why the child is unable to eat the school meal, for instance due to a sensory or dietary need.

Is a child eligible for vouchers in holidays and in any school break during the year?

The holiday food voucher scheme is run by the Department of Work and Pensions through the Household Support Fund. However, councils decide how to run their fund so the provision available will differ depending on where you live. You can find out more about the fund here.

If a child is post 16 and attends part school, part college, but can’t access free school meals, are they eligible for an alternative?

We are currently working on a template letter for post 16 young people.

Q. Should a school backdate the free school meal vouchers to when my child was unable to get them.

A school doesn’t have a duty to backdate free school meals. We have heard from some parents that they have had vouchers backdated, but it is at the school’s discretion and they are not bound to.

Legal backing

Public law human rights lawyers Alex Rook, Rosie Campbell and Katie Sinclair from Rook Irwin Sweeney and Steve Broach from 39 Essex Chambers wrote the free school meals guide and template letters A-D. Parent and founder of the free school meals campaign Natalie Hay independently raised funds through a crowdfunding website to enable the legal team to do this.

Contact has written template letters E-G.

Child eating packed lunch at school

You can now rewatch our Free School Meals webinar, hosted as part of the parent-led campaign, founded by Natalie Hay, to stop disabled children missing out on free school meals.

Featuring human rights lawyer Alex Rook and Barrister Steve Broach, the webinar covers:

Watch the webinar below or on YouTube.

Free School Meals Webinar
19th September 2023

Related information

Many disabled children are missing out on their free school meals. Contact is proudly supporting a parent-led campaign to provide food vouchers for disabled children who can’t access their meals.

Free school meals for disabled children

Contact is proud to support a parent-led campaign, set up by Natalie Hay, aimed at stopping disabled children missing out on free school meals

Find out more
Free School Meals campaign banner featuring lunchbox graphic

Lawyers lend support to free school meals campaign

Human rights lawyers have written a free school meals guide and four template letters to help families whose disabled child is eligible for free school meals, but can’t access them in the standard way.

Find out more
Child eating packed lunch at school

Help with education costs

Information about free school meals, help with uniform costs, school transport, EMA and the 16-19 bursary, and the Disabled Students’ Allowance.

Find out more

A new report by Disabled Children’s Partnership (DCP) and Pro Bono Economics has found that lost SEND tribunals cost taxpayers £60 million in 2021-22.

The report, Wasting Money, Wasting Potential, published today, found that:

These tribunals were brought by parent carers disputing council decisions about their child’s support needs in education, including assessing and issuing an EHC plan and about the contents of the plan.

Emotional and financial strain

Contact, a leading member of DCP, hears from many families going through the tribunal process.

Michele Cefai, Head of Communications at Contact, said: “The tribunal process puts tremendous strain on families, both emotionally and financially. And the wait for support can lead to increased difficulties for children and young people, including deteriorating mental and physical health, which can lead to persistent absence from school.

“Local authorities lose the vast majority of tribunal cases, so there needs to be a recognition that parents know their child best. This money would be better used providing support to children with special educational needs.”

DCP is calling for:

Information for affected families

Find out how to get an EHC plan for your child.

If you disagree with a council’s decision on the support your child gets in school, you can appeal to the SEND tribunal.


Human rights lawyers have written a free school meals guide and four template letters to help families whose disabled child is eligible for free school meals, but can’t access them in the standard way.

Who are the resources for?

Many eligible disabled children are unfairly missing out on a free lunch because they can’t attend school or are unable to eat the meal provided due to dietary or sensory needs.

You can use these letters to ask your child’s school to provide an alternative, such as a supermarket voucher.

The four letters cover:

You can highlight your particular situation in our online flow chart. You’ll be directed to the correct template letter to use. The letters include important information including who to send the letter to at the school or local authority.

Please note: these letters were written for those living in England. We will be writing letters for children living in other parts of the UK, and they will be available soon.

Written by human rights lawyers

Public law human rights lawyers Alex Rook, Rosie Campbell and Katie Sinclair from Rook Irwin Sweeney and Steve Broach from 39 Essex Chambers wrote the free school meals guide and template letters.

Parent and founder of the free school meals campaign Natalie Hay independently raised funds through a crowdfunding website to enable the legal team to do this.

Imogen Steele, Contact’s Policy Lead on free school meals, said: “A third of eligible disabled children are missing out on free school meals, worth £570 a year. This number will grow as free school meal schemes expand to more pupils across the country this year.

“We are calling for swift action from the government to update its guidance to ensure this discrimination is stopped. In the meantime, we must ensure as many disabled children as possible get the school lunch they are entitled to. The letters and guide are a great tool for making that happen.”

Free school meals webinar recording

As part of the campaign Contact hosted a webinar featuring lawyers Alex Rook, Steve Broach and campaign founder Natalie Hay. The webinar is available to watch back here.

Related information

Many disabled children are missing out on their free school meals. Contact is proudly supporting a parent-led campaign to provide food vouchers for disabled children who can’t access their meals.

Free school meals for disabled children

Contact is proud to support a parent-led campaign, set up by Natalie Hay, aimed at stopping disabled children missing out on free school meals

Find out more
Child eating packed lunch at school

Help with education costs

Information about free school meals, help with uniform costs, school transport, EMA and the 16-19 bursary, and the Disabled Students’ Allowance.

Find out more
Adult and child paddling in sea, Brighton Pier in background

Resource hub

Search our resource hub to find helpful reports, guides and publications.

Find out more

Healthy lunchbox on a wooden table filled with cheese sandwich, fruit, nuts, milk, orange juice and a green apple.


Contact is proud to support a parent-led campaign, founded by Natalie Hay, aimed at stopping disabled children missing out on free school meals.

As part of the campaign, Contact is hosting a free online Zoom meeting with human rights lawyer Alex Rook and Barrister Steve Broach.

The webinar will take place on Tuesday 19 September at 10.30am for one hour.

Cameras will automatically be turned off during the session to ensure the anonymity of those attending.

What will the webinar cover?

The session will cover:

There will also be an opportunity to ask questions.

Who should attend the webinar?

You should join if you are:

Unable to join the webinar on 19th September?

If you can’t make it, don’t worry. The session will be available to watch on our YouTube channel. 

If you sign up to receive our newsletters, you will also be sent the recording.

Find out more about the Free School Meals campaign

Our Free School Meals webpage includes more information about the campaign including template letters to send to your school, council or MP.

There is also lots of information about getting help for your child at school and sources of financial support on our website.

The government is consulting on its plans to improve disabled people’s lives, as a new Equality and Human Rights Commission report accuses it of making “slow progress” in making changes.

The government’s Disability Action Plan sets out “concerted actions” each government department is planning in 2023-24. 

The plan includes: 

There are also plans to allow carers to ask for flexible working from day one of their employment. 

Ministers say the public consultation represents the listening stage in planning. The consultation is a chance for you to tell them if those plans will be helpful. 

Read the full consultation document online.

How can I respond to the consultation?

Contact will submit a formal response to the consultation. We want to hear your views on whether the plans will help improve life for your disabled child. 

You can contribute to Contact’s response by emailing amanda.elliot@contact.org.uk.

You can also respond online.

The consultation closes on 6 October. 

Do you use assisted technology?

We would especially like to hear from any parent who relies on assisted technology (AT) and who would like to join an online government consultation event on 2 September.

Assisted Technology includes any device that supports disabled child to engage in daily life. It includes ramps and motorised wheelchairs, cochlear implants and assisted communication devices. 

Last week, we shared news that nearly there are an estimated 1 million teens missing out on savings locked away in their Child Trust Funds.

So we were delighted to hear that Unity Mutual are helping parents access savings in Child Trust Funds on behalf of disabled youngsters who lack mental capacity to manage their money.

Helen from Sheffield got in touch with us to say:

“After reading Contact’s advice about Child Trust Funds, I contacted my son’s provider, Unity Mutual. They asked me to fill out a form and to see a copy f DWP appointee certificate. The whole process took 12 days from start to finish. We can now use some of these savings to get a wheelchair accessible sand table and toys as well as a sensory wall toy which my son will love.”

We’d encourage other parents to do what Helen did and contact their Child Trust Fund provider about accessing savings.

Find your Child Trust Fund provider.

Unity Mutual joins One Family, Foresters, and Columbia Threadneedle who have put in place a scheme that saves families from having to go through the stressful complexity of applying to the Court of Protection to access savings.

Find out more about our Child Trust Fund campaign.

Re-watch our webinar about Child Trust Funds and mental capacity.

Speak out about Child Trust Funds

If you have started the Court of Protection process to access a Child Trust Funds and would be willing to talk about your experience to the media, please get in touch with our head of campaigns una.summerson@contact.org.uk

We know that schools can provide routine and structure for many children with additional needs. When this routine stops, for example in the school holidays, some children can find the change hard to manage.

To help, we’ve put together 10 top tips to help take some of the stress out of the holidays ahead:

  1. Mark up key dates for your family this summer on a calendar to help your child understand what’s coming up. Include things like days out, days you are working, days your child will be at childcare or a playscheme, any holidays away – and the day school starts again. Crossing the days off will show your child that school is getting closer.
  2. Use photographs and other visuals to show your child daily routines. For example the Tom Tag range in our Fledglings shop uses symbols to show a series of separate tasks or the steps involved in a task that are part of a routine for a whole range of different situations.
  3. Social stories can be a great way to help your child what’s happening this summer holiday.
  4. Find some free activities. Look out for places where kids can eat for free and family days out as well as museums, libraries, parks, BBC online games, craft activities at home. Maybe you have a local children’s centre or toy library. Look out for autism-friendly attractions by checking accessibility guidelines.
  5. Don’t over-plan activities – you and your child will be exhausted! It’s important to allow for down-time.
  6. Get out early and take a packed lunch and snacks!
  7. When you are out and about don’t forget to bring a bag of distractions and spare clothes.
  8. Don’t forget to take emergency contact information with you.
  9. Tolerate mess!
  10. Shop for back-to-school items early.

Contact resources to help

Take a look at our holidays and leisure guide.

Visit our Fledglings shop for products to help with routines and getting out and about this holiday.

Read answers to some of your questions about summer activities for your disabled child.

If you live in the Midlands or London and have an autistic child check out the free parent workshops we have coming up including support strategies for the summer holidays.

Take action on the lack of holiday childcare for families with disabled children

Contact and the Disabled Children’s Partnership recently carried out research which revealed that nine out of 10 families have been unable to find a suitable holiday club or activity for their disabled child this summer.

As a result, we’re asking supporters to take action on the lack of holiday childcare for disabled children by writing to their councillors calling for more holiday provision for disabled children in their local area. 


A new report from the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) – a group of cross-party MPs – has found that nearly a million young people are missing out on savings in their Child Trust Funds. 

The committee, which scrutinises the value for money of government projects, estimates that more than £1.7billion is sitting in accounts waiting to be accessed. At least 80,000 of those accounts are owned by young people with a learning disability who lack mental capacity.

Their report backs up what Contact and campaigners have been saying about the Court of Protection process needed when a disabled youngster lacks mental capacity to access savings – it’s difficult, time consuming, and costly.

Parents speak out

Our Change Maker, Ramadeep and her son Harry told the BBC what the money would mean to them and how the Court process is locking the money away:

“The money will mean so much to Harry – but at the same time the bureaucracy, cost, and overall impact of the legal implications is huge. I saved for my son, like I did for his brother – the whole system is wrong if it deprives Harry of what is rightfully his.”

Contact has joined parent campaigners, legal and financial firms campaigning to unlock £210 million of savings in Child Trust Funds for 80,000 disabled youngsters.  To date nearly 2000 of our supporters have written to their MP calling for a simplified process to help release savings.

Andrew Turner, the parent leading the campaign told the Times Newspaper:

“All we’re asking is for the government to come up with a simple process. None of us want fraudulent activity to take place. But you don’t necessarily need such a heavy duty process.”

As of this week more than £58 million of savings in Child Trust Funds has been locked away from disabled youngsters.

Martin Lewis speaks out

Martin Lewis, the financial expert, has recently raised his concerns about the issue. He agrees that the Government has so far ‘failed to meaningfully act’ to help young people locked out of their savings. He wrote to Children’s Minister calling for action, you can read her response in his blog: https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/news/2023/07/martin-lewis-minister-responds-child-trust-funds/

What do MPs say should be done?

The Public Accounts Committee report makes a number of recommendations, including calling on the government to set out what action they are taking to help the families of young people who lack mental capacity to access their Child Trust Funds without excessive bureaucracy and cost.

It also says government should do more to find and contact young people who have not claimed their Child Trust Fund.

The government will now have to respond to the report. You can find the summary and full report here.

What Contact and other campaigners want

We are calling on the government to increase the scope of the DWP Appointee Scheme to cover Child Trust Funds and Junior ISAs up to £5,000.

This would bring England and Wales in line with Scotland, where an Access to Funds scheme makes it easier and cheaper for young people who lack mental capacity to access their savings.

Our advice to families

Today, our Change Makers Jasmin and Lauran speak out in the Metro newspaper about the lack of holiday clubs for disabled children this summer.

‘Holiday clubs are generally markerted towards children more broadly as opposed to disabled children. It’s generally assumed that all children are the same, and the staff-to-child ratio reflects that.

‘School holidays are really overwhelming and it makes me sad and angry because my daughter is entitled to play. She is entitled to be herself, she is still a child. She’s just a child that has different needs.

Change Maker Lauren shares concerns in Metro Newspaper

Read the full article here: Parents of disabled children can’t find summer childcare | Metro News

The Metro follows on from the launch of our report, Loneliest Summer on BBC News last Friday which showed 9 in 10 families haven’t been able to find any suitable childcare this summer for their disabled children.

Take action on the lack for holiday clubs

In response the Disabled Children’s Partnership have launched a campaign action calling on supporters to write to their councillors calling for more holiday provision for disabled children in their local area. 

An email template has been set up to make taking action quick and easy

Related information

Family life, work and childcare

Advice on returning to work, finding and paying for childcare, plus what to do if you are refused childcare. The webpages also include tips on looking after you and your family’s wellbeing.

Holidays, play and leisure

On this page we have information about what play, leisure, and short breaks options may be available, and where to find more information.

Short Breaks (respite)

Local authorities/trusts have duties to provide short break services and make clear how families can access them.

BBC News have exclusively revealed our new findings that show nine out of 10 families have been unable to find a suitable holiday club or activity for their disabled child this summer.

Watch it on BBC Breakfast at 1:16:34.

The majority of families with disabled children (81%) would like a holiday club for their disabled child during the six-week break. 40% so they can work, and 77% so their child can socialise with other children. 

But just 10% have found something suitable. Only 4% of everyone surveyed said they’d found something for the days and hours they need. 

78% parents feeling stressed and anxious this summer

These are the findings of a new survey by Contact and the Disabled Children’s Partnership.

Almost 1,800 parents caring for 2,000 disabled children responded to the online survey between 17 June- 3 July 2023.  

Other key findings include: 

The lack of holiday clubs is particularly hard for families with disabled children who have no informal childcare arrangements. Playdates are just not an option. 27% of families did say they would be tag-teaming with their partner or extended family. But for children with high care needs, family and friends can’t step in. 

In addition, disabled children need structure and routine to maintain sensory regulation, which helps reduce anxiety and challenging behaviour.  When structure is absent, disabled children’s needs may increase not just in the home, but also upon their return to school.   

Disabled children left behind yet again

Anna Bird, Chair of the Disabled Children’s Partnership and Chief Executive of Contact, said:

“The lack of available and suitable holiday clubs for disabled children this summer is piling increased pressure on families. Many parents say they are dreading the holidays and feel a sense of despair. The consequences for disabled children, including isolation, lack of social contact and routine, will make the return to school much harder. 

“The government has made childcare one of its key priorities, but disabled children are being left behind yet again. Workforce issues, ratios and lack of special educational needs training all make it harder for disabled children to access holiday clubs and childcare. 

“We need urgent action to address this so families with disabled children can look forward to holidays rather than dread them.” 

Specific disability provision, workforce reform and training needed

Disabled Children’s Partnership and Contact are calling on all UK governments and local councils to: 

“We get no time together as a family – it doesn’t seem fair”

Jasmin is struggling to find suitable holiday childcare for her son, Max

Our Change Maker Jasmin Manley from Cheshire, said: “My little boy, Max, is five-years-old and has an undiagnosed genetic disorder. He has complex needs and requires help with most day-to-day tasks.

“He started school last September at a local specialist school, so last summer was the first long holiday we had. We soon found out that the SEN holiday clubs wouldn’t do personal care like nappy changes. We assumed there would be some sort of holiday club running at the school for working parents like they have in mainstream. But there wasn’t anything. And the short breaks that we access only run during term time. There was nothing at all for a complex needs child like Max. And it’s exactly the same this year.”

“Me and my partner are having to to take time off work to care for Max, which means we get no time together as a family. And Max won’t get the chance to have fun with children his own age. I don’t understand how we’re expected to work to pay tax but also care for a child 24/7 in the school holidays.

“I wish there was a service that provided even the smallest bit of childcare in the holidays for children with complex needs. It just doesn’t seem fair.”

Related information

The Department for Education has finally published its revised statutory home to school transport guidance for children of compulsory school age in England.

This follows Contact’s School Transport Inquiry, which found half of local school transport policies we reviewed contain unlawful statements. The Secretary of State for Education at the time agreed to improve the statutory guidance to stop this practice.

This campaign success was widely welcomed by the parents, parent carer forums, and other charities.

How has the statutory guidance changed?

While legislation on home to school transport has not changed, we hope the revised guidance will better support local authorities in meeting their statutory duties and help parents understand their rights.

Working together with the DfE, we have sought to improve the guidance by:

Our view on the updated guidance

We welcome the section on benefits and allowance. This makes clear that being eligible for Disability Living Allowance (DLA) or having access to a Motability vehicle is not relevant to a disabled child’s eligibility for free travel to school (except as evidence of their disability). We are also pleased about the clarification that mileage allowances must cover two return journeys a day for parents.

The specific section on behaviour and children with SEND is a welcome addition. Our helpline team get many enquiries where children have had transport withdrawn for behaviour linked to a disability, with no reasonable adjustments put in place.

In the independent travel training section, it is useful to have clarification that the local authority must not withdraw transport if a parent refuses permission or a young person is unable to complete the training.

However, some significant concerns remain. One example is in the section on accompaniment, where the onus is put on parents of teenagers to accompany them on foot or to arrange someone else to do that.

We will monitor the implementation of this revised guidance and continue to campaign on school transport.

Looking for school transport advice?

Need advice on school transport?

Take a look at our school transport webpages which explains your rights and entitlements, including:

Join our school transport Q&A on 3 August

Join us on Thursday 3 August between 10 – 11:30am for a special Q&A about school transport for families in England.

This session will be held in our closed (private) Facebook group, when you can ask our education experts any questions you may have about securing school transport for your child or challenging existing arrangements.


We are approaching the school and college summer holidays and have teamed up with the Disabled Children’s Partnership to launch a new survey about holiday clubs.

Whether you are in England, Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland, we want to know about accessibility, availability and cost of holiday clubs and childcare for disabled children and young people this summer.

Do you have any childcare or activities planned for your child? Is it what you wanted and needed? Positive experiences or difficulties encountered, we’d love to hear from you. We will use the results to raise awareness of the situation and push for change.

The survey will take between 5-10 minutes to complete. You have until Sunday 2nd July to complete the survey.  

Looking for information about holidays and activities for disabled children?

5-11 June is Carers Week – a week that shines a spotlight on the vital role unpaid carers play in our communities.

Recent research shows that that unpaid carers – including parent carers – are providing more hours of care now than they were 10 years ago. Reduced support services such as respite care, physiotherapy, occupational and speech and language therapy, as well as mental health services means parent carers have been left to do more often complex care in their homes themselves and less able to combine work and caring.

Parent carers are at the heart of everything we do at Contact

As well as being here to support parent carers with our information, advice and support services for families, we campaign to tackle the inequalities parent carers face and raise awareness of the invaluable work they do caring for their children and young people with additional needs. Our current campaigns include:

And as the Department for Education’s delivery partner supporting parent carer participation in England, we also like to shout about the amazing work parent carers do as members of their local parent carer forums across England.

Watch our animation to find out more about us.


We have been overwhelmed by everyone’s support to help disabled children access their own savings before it’s too late.

A huge thank you to over 1200 supporters who have taken action on the Child Trust Fund campaign writing to their MP to raise awareness and call for change.

Tens of thousands of disabled teenagers have a Child Trust Fund savings account, with the average account value estimated to be around £2,000. However, families of young people who are unable to manage their money as they lack mental capacity have to apply through the Court of Protection to access their savings. This is a lengthy, costly and complex undertaking.

We have been receiving your MP responses and will reply to those in the coming weeks. We will highlight our concerns about the government’s proposals to address the issue.

Government proposals won’t work for majority

Una Summerson, Head of Campaigns at Contact, said: “The government says it plans to digitise and streamline the Court of Protection process. But we are concerned this does not go far enough and that no timescales have been given. In addition most of the families we support do not want deputyship, which comes with added responsibility, cost and administration. That’s why we are calling on the government to give families an alternative way of accessing their savings.”

Parent campaigner Andrew Turner added: “There is already a tried and tested way for families to manage their child’s money – the DWP appointee scheme. Many parents are entrusted by this scheme to manage benefits in excess of the savings held in the Child Trust Fund account. That’s why it makes perfect sense to expand the scope of the scheme to cover Child Trust Funds and Junior ISAs.”

Savings lost each week

Andrew has today launched a lost benefit calculator to illustrate the amount of savings being lost each week as more and more Child Trust Fund accounts of young people with learning disabilities are locked. We hope it will act as an incentive to the government to act now before it’s too late.

Join the campaign and write to your MP today

Affected families

John Roberts, dad to Joseph aged 18, is still waiting for a response from his MP.

“Like many parents of children with learning disabilities who have turned 18, we are stuck with what to do with the Child Trust Fund we created when our son was born as part of the CTF initiative set up by Gordon Brown. 

“Joseph is unable to manage his own financial affairs and is therefore unable to gain access to the money in his CTF, which is held at HSBC. I understand that the only way to gain access to those funds is for either my wife or I to obtain financial deputyship on his behalf. This currently has an application cost of £371, plus £494 if the court decides the case needs a hearing. There is also an annual general supervision fee of £320 (reduced to £35 for minimal supervision), plus a £100 assessment fee for a new deputy. The process is complicated and we have been advised that it is better to apply with a lawyer, for which the lowest fee we have been quoted is £1600.

“For most people in our situation the complexity of this process is appalling and the cost totally prohibitive as it is likely most CTF’s will not contain sufficient funds to cover the above costs.

“My parents have been paying money into their grandchildren’s CTFs every year as a birthday present. Our daughter will be able to access those funds to pay for whatever she chooses when she turns 18 in three years time. Unfortunately, Joseph can’t, and currently no-one can access the funds unless we apply for deputyship. Joseph has no other assets and is unlikely to have any, other than his disability allowances (DLA/Mobility/PIP) during his life, so financial deputyship, and the on-going costs associated with it, will only ever be needed for this one transaction.

“Surely we can find a solution to ensure that we do not penalise our most vulnerable young people.”


New figures exclusively revealed by the BBC show that 80,683 disabled young people in England and Wales will miss out on Child Trust Fund savings worth £209,801,255.

Parent campaigner Andrew Turner, working with Contact, has calculated the total loss of money to disabled young people who lack mental capacity over the course of the Child Trust Fund scheme maturity. Over 20,000 accounts have already been locked with £48 million of savings in them. The average account has £2,280 in it and the losses will grow during the next six years.

We need your help to unlock them

That’s why we are calling on supporters and families to help us call for urgent action to stop thousands of savings accounts being locked.

While non-disabled youngsters are enjoying the benefits of their savings which they can access on their 18th birthday, many with a learning disability cannot.

Due to Mental Capacity rules, the families of young people with learning disabilities unable to manage their money, have to apply through the court of protection to access their Child Trust Funds. This is a lengthy, costly and complex process.

Parent campaigner, Andrew Turner, said: “The scale of this issue is truly shocking. Hundreds of millions of pounds of savings for disabled young people could be locked away for good. Many families will not have the capacity or funds to use the Court of Protection process and the savings of young disabled people will be locked away forever. The government must act to avoid thousands of locked accounts in the coming years.”

Appointee scheme could allow safe access to Child Trust Funds

Andrew Turner, together with Contact and Child Trust Fund providers are calling on the government to:

Una Summerson, Head of Campaigns at disability charity Contact, said: “During this cost of living crisis it is more important than ever that disabled young people can access their own money. Preparing for adulthood is a challenging time. Forcing families to go through a complex court process at the same time is adding too much pressure.

“We are urging families with disabled teenagers to find out who their Child Trust Fund provider is, before their child turns 18. They can use the government website to find out. Then speak to the provider or bank about your situation. There are some providers such as One Family and Foresters who are helping young disabled people to access their Child Trust Fund savings without going through the court of protection process.”

Sadly not all providers are doing the same, which is why we will continue to push government to use the already established appointee scheme for safe access to savings. We need your help to push for this change – take action and email your MP today.

Andrew Turner added: “Back in September 2020 my disabled son Mikey was locked out of his Child Trust Fund. He simply wanted to buy an adapted bike with his money and his life-limiting condition meant that time was of the essence. The Child Trust Fund was his only financial asset, which made it special. Nobody warned us we would need to go to court when the account matured. When we took advice we were told it would be easier and cheaper for us to wait until Mikey died when we could use a simpler process to reclaim the money. It was deeply upsetting. Three years later, this situation has not changed and more accounts are locked. That’s why the government must resolve this issue urgently.”

Take action today. Find out more about our campaign.

Read the BBC News online report highlighting this issue.

Find out more about Contact’s Change Makers – our programme that puts parent carers at the heart of our policy and campaigns work.

What to do if you have a Child Trust Fund

If your child is under 18 years old, you can find out if they have a Child Trust Fund using the government website here: Child Trust Fund: Find a Child Trust Fund – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). Then speak to your Child Trust Fund provider about your situation. There are some providers such as One Family and Foresters Financial who are helping young disabled people to access their Child Trust Fund savings without going through the court of protection process (using the DWP appointee scheme as a safeguard).

If your child is over 18 years old, you will not be able to get this information without their consent. If they are unable to give consent because they do not have mental capacity, you will need an order from the Court of Protection to investigate and report to them, so you can be given access. Find out more: Child Trust Fund: What happens when your child is 18 – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

In Scotland, applications need to be made to the Office of the Public Guardian in Scotland. And in Northern Ireland, applications need to be made to the Office of Care and Protection.

Research carried out by Contact reveals that a third of eligible disabled children are unable to access their free school meal due to medical and sensory reasons.

As a result, families are missing out on the equivalent of £570 a year of financial help. This comes at a time when every penny counts, causing some families to get into debt, increasing stress and making children feel left out.

85% families feel pressure on weekly budgets

1,500 families with disabled children eligible for free school meals took part in our free school meals survey about. In total, 471 (33%) told us their children can’t access their free school meal for a variety of reasons:

85% of families said missing out on free school meals increased pressure on their weekly budgets. When asked about impact:

Of those children missing out, 28% have never been able to access their free school meal. 32% have not been able to access them for two or more years. Almost half (49%) of families are paying £20 a week providing meals or packed lunches to replace the free school meals their disabled child is entitled to.

Disabled children facing disadvantage and discrimination

Kirsty, mum to Tyler, 12, who is autistic and has a related mental health condition, said: “A small bit of free school meals funding can be an incredible lifeline for people in my situation, even more so with the cost of living crisis. I’m a full time carer to my son who is home 24/7. I did not choose for him to be out of school or to give up my career.

“It really highlights the disability discrimination that is happening on a daily basis. Tyler has not had a free school meal for around 130 weeks. This would add up to £1,950. This is a huge amount of money for a family and could have made a big difference over the last four years.”

“Many UK families with disabled children are having to provide a school lunch when it should be free. They are being unfairly disadvantaged and put at greater risk of experiencing food poverty.

“There is a drive to expand free school meals in Scotland, Wales and London, as they are known to improve a child’s achievement and wellbeing as well as help towards family finances. But there is a group of children ALREADY eligible who are missing out.

“That’s why we are campaigning alongside affected parents for schools and councils around the UK to offer an alternative, such as a supermarket voucher, so disabled youngsters have access just like their non-disabled friends.”

Una Summerson, Contact’s Head of Campaigns

Contact supports campaign for alternatives and reasonable adjustments

Our research found that some parents have successfully argued for a food voucher instead of a cooked meal in school. They used the law that says that schools should make reasonable adjustments for disabled people so that they don’t face disadvantage.

That’s why we’re calling for the government to update national guidance to make this clear to schools and councils.

Natalie Hay, parent campaigner, said: “When my son got Chronic Fatigue Syndrome as a result of Lyme disease, I had to give up work as a teacher. Despite being entitled to free school meals, my son never got them, apart from during lockdown. 

“When every child was learning from home during pandemic lockdowns, reasonable adjustments were made. Every child got help. When disabled children are learning from home or are unable to eat the school meal due to sensory or dietary needs, no reasonable adjustments are made. Barely any get help. This needs to change.”

“I set up an online campaign group, which now has 1500 parent carer members seeking free school meals for their eligible child. Some of these parents have two children with a disability and are on Universal Credit. Others are so busy caring for their child they do not have the time and energy to fight this discrimination.

Find out more about why Contact is supporting a parent-led campaign calling for food vouchers to be given to eligible disabled children currently missing out.