Category: Information & advice

On Thursday 21 November, we held a comments-based Q&A in our closed Facebook group for parent carers all about education, health and care (EHC) plans in England. In particular, we invited questions about the EHC process including naming a placement/provider, assessments, drafts and annual reviews.

Below we’ve put together a summary of some common questions you asked. The answers are provided by our team of expert parent advisers.

How do I choose a new school or setting?

This will happen at the (annual) review of the EHC plan. You’ll be able to express your preference for the setting/school. The local authority, not the education setting, will decide what setting to name in section I of the EHC plan.

Following the annual review meeting, your child’s current educational setting should send the annual review paperwork to the local authority within two weeks of the meeting taking place. Based on the information received, the local authority will then make a decision. They must send you the letter notifying you of their decision, which is one of three: leave the plan unchanged; amend the plan; or cease it.

If the decision is to amend the plan, the local authority will send you a proposed amended draft EHC plan. You’ll have 15 days to not only make any amendments, but also to share your preference for a setting named in section I.

You will have another opportunity to reiterate your preference if the local authority decides to amend the plan.

What happens to my child’s EHC plan when they move settings?

Local authorities have a legal duty to review and amend an EHC plan when a child transfers from one phase of education to another.

The EHC plans of children moving from primary school to secondary school must be reviewed and amended by 15 March in the year of transfer.

Regulation 18 of the Special Educational Needs and Disability Regulations 2014 sets this out.

What happens if our chosen secondary school refuses us a place?

Parents have 20 school days to appeal a rejection. Secondary school panels meet to hear appeals within 40 days of the appeal deadline. Admissions must give 10 school days’ notice of the hearing and send a decision within five days.

On the panel there are typically three members. The panel must include at least one of the following: a headteacher, a lay member, a school governor. They will explain why the application was rejected; the applicant makes their case; and the panel assesses the case.

Will my child’s EHC plan stop if they leave education?

An EHC plan will cease if a young person is not in education or training. However, this education or training does not have to be classroom-based learning in a college. Voluntary work, traineeships and apprenticeships are all possible.

If you want to find out more about EHC plans and how they work, you can find a wealth of information on our website.

School transport can be the difference between coping and crisis for families with disabled children. More and more families with teens over the age of 16 tell us that transport to school or college has been taken away just because of their age. 

Take our Transport Matters Survey to tell us about your experiences.  

Transport rights for over 16s

A young person over 16 does not have the same rights to free transport as children of compulsory school age, even though 16 and 17 year olds must stay in education or training.

Instead, transport for 16-19 year olds is discretionary, and local authorities may ask parents for a contribution. Young people’s transport needs may be reassessed at this age and travel arrangements may change, even when learners stay on at the same school.

Young adults aged 19 and over may be entitled to free transport in some circumstances, and parents cannot be made to provide transport for this age group

Why should age matter?

Contact trustee, Ramandeep’s son has been on a school bus since he was young – it always worked well and meant he arrived at school happy and ready to learn.  But this has all changed just because of his age.   

My son always had transport provided to get to school, but now that he has turned 17 transport has been stopped – despite there being no change to his needs or where he goes to school. This leaves us in the difficult situation of trying to cover a 20-mile round trip every day, just to get him to the education he is entitled to.” 

I support the Transport Matters campaign that will raise awareness of the issues around transport and campaign for change for people like my son.  

Tell us how transport affects you

When transport is not provided for disabled youngsters it can have a huge impact on the whole family; with parents having to give up work, paying high costs for taxis, siblings missing out on school hours and some disabled students not being able to get to school or college at all.  

We can’t let austerity erode another vital service for disabled young people . Our Transport Matters campaign, funded by the Motability Foundation, will find out how transport is affecting families and campaign for change. 

If you need advice or information about transport to education have a look at our online transport information. You can also get in touch with our helpline

This story is for families in England only.

If your child has special educational needs (SEN), they might need more help than a mainstream school, college or nursery would normally provide at the level of SEN support.

They may need an education health and care (EHC) needs assessment to decide what help they need. This is an education led exploration of a child or young person’s education, health and social care needs. It is a legal process carried out by the local authority where a child lives.

If your child does need more support, this might come in the form of an EHC plan. This is a legal document outlining all the support a child needs in education.

Want to know more? We’re running a Facebook Q&A

More and more families contact our helpline as their child is struggling with the level of support they’re getting. That’s why we’re holding a Facebook Q&A over in our closed (private) Facebook group on 21 November, when you can ask our education experts any questions you have about EHC assessments and plans for your child. It’s a great opportunity for anyone worried about their child’s education to get expert advice and help.

Join us on Thursday 21 November 10 – 11.30am

To take part in the Q&A, you will have to be a member of our Facebook Group for parent carers. Simply request to join, answer the three membership questions when prompted, and one of our moderators will let you in!

The session will take place in writing (not a video livestream). This means you can stop by our group anytime between 10am and 11.30am on the day to ask your question in the comments under our Q&A post. Then, simply come back later at a time that suits you to read our team’s reply.

Can’t make Thursday 21 November?

Once the session on Thursday 21 November has finished, you’ll be able to read through all the answers at a time that suits you.

And you can also take a look at our EHC plans & assessments pages, which explain your rights and entitlements, including:


The National Audit Office has today published a report into the Special Educational Needs (SEN) system in England. The report says the system is not delivering better outcomes for children, is financially unsustainable and should be reformed.

It comes after a number of other reports highlighting the crisis in the SEN system.

Anna Bird, Chief Executive of Contact, said: “The National Audit Office report’s findings will come as no surprise to families with disabled children who are living this reality every day, with their children being failed and prevented from reaching their full potential. It is what we hear from many of you each week on our helpline. This failure has come at a cost because delays in support lead to very expensive crisis interventions.

“We welcome the NAO’s suggestion of cross department working, which was always the intention of the Children and Families Act 2014. And we agree that investment in mainstream schools will help make them more inclusive and reduce costly interventions. We would caution that if reform does take place, it must be done in consultation with parents and it is imperative children don’t lose important legal rights.”

The new government has promised to reform the SEND system but has said it will take time. They say it is skewed towards specialist and over reliance on EHCPs. They want to invest in mainstream to increase inclusivity in different ways including encouraging them to set up SEN units.  

Contact has developed 3 asks to improve the SEN system, which we are promoting with MPs and government ministers.

Need advice?

We have a wealth of information for parents to help get support for your child in school.

School transport is a big concern for families with disabled children. We hear from many families whose child is clearly eligible for school transport, but they have been refused. And from families whose child has been offered unsuitable transport.

That’s why we’re holding a special Facebook Q&A over in our closed (private) Facebook group on 17 October, when you can ask our education experts any questions you have about school or college transport for your child. It’s a great opportunity for anyone worried about their child’s school transport to get immediate, expert advice and help.

Join us on Thursday 17 October 10 – 11:30 am

To take part in the Q&A, you will have to be a member of our Facebook Group for parent carers. Simply request to join, answer the three membership questions when prompted, and one of our moderators will let you in!

The session will take place in writing (not a video livestream). This means you can stop by our group anytime between 10am and 11:30am on Thursday 19 October to ask your question in the comments under our Q&A post. Then, simply come back later at a time that suits you to read our team’s reply.

Can’t make 17 October?

Once the session has finished, you’ll be able to read through all the answers at a time that suits you.

And you can also take a look at our school transport webpage which explains your rights and entitlements including:


The Covid Inquiry will be looking into the impact of the pandemic and the Government’s Covid response on children and young people in its next phase.

As part of this, they are interested in hearing from families of children with additional needs and parent carers. They are asking that parent carers share their stories with them.

We know it was a devastating time for many families as services were closed overnight and some schools shut their doors. Some families are still dealing with the repercussions as waiting times for support, assessments and services continue to suffer backlogs. Contact joined parents of clinically vulnerable children in campaigning for access to a vaccine, which far too long to be approved.

You can submit your story and experiences here.

Come and say hello to Ellie and Lisa from Contact at the free Kidz to Adultz Exhibitions coming up across the UK.

We’ve teamed up with Kidz to Adultz to create a new and welcoming space at each exhibition where parents, carers and disabled children and young people can come together, share experiences and learn from each other.

Find an exhibition near you and register your free place: www.kidzexhibitions.co.uk/our-events

Live near Manchester?

The next Kidz to Adultz exhibition is in Manchester on Friday 11 October.

Find out more and register your free place: www.kidzexhibitions.co.uk/kidz-north-2024/. We hope to see you there!

Kidz to Adultz exhibitions are free and dedicated to children and young people with disabilities or additional needs. Parents, families, carers, and healthcare professionals are all welcome to attend. Come along, try out the equipment and products, join in the fun and participate in the activities taking place throughout the day.

We’ve got some free online workshops for London parents caring for autistic children coming up. Please use the links below to find out more and register your free place.

Tuesday, 24 September, 7-9pm. Senses Inside body, balance, body awareness, stimming

This workshop focuses on the senses – inside body, balance, body awareness and stimming – and how best to support them. Book your free place.

Friday, 27 September, 10am-12. Supporting Sleep

At this popular online workshop you’ll get an overview of common sleep issues alongside tips and strategies that can help. Book your place here.

Are you a personal assistant (PA)?

Our free online workshop, Understanding Sensory Processing, takes place on Wednesday 25 September, 10am-12 and is aimed at personal assistants who want to understand more about sensory processing. Please book your free place here.

Families on Universal Credit who have a disabled child usually qualify for extra payments.

You should get an extra Universal Credit payment – a disabled child addition – for each child in your family who receives a qualifying disability benefit. Qualifying benefits include Disability Living Allowance (DLA), Personal Independence Payment (PIP) or their Scottish equivalents. Depending on your circumstances, you may also qualify for an extra payment as a carer: the carer element.

Read more about these extra credits.

Sometimes there can be a delay in the Universal Credit service finding out that you are eligible for a disabled child addition or carer element. This means there’ll be a period in which you get Universal Credit, but your award is missing the additional elements. The law says that the extra payments can in most cases be backdated, i.e. paid from an earlier date.

But sometimes the Universal Credit service refuses to backdate to the correct date. This is an issue we know affects many families.

Use our new template letters to get your elements backdated

To help, we have developed a number of template letters.

You can use these to ask the Universal Credit service to revise their decision not to backdate the disabled child addition or the carer element.

Note! These template letters are for use in certain circumstances only. For that reason, we recommend that you first read our page about backdating of the disabled child addition and carer element of Universal Credit.

You’ll find a link to the template letters from there.

We’d love to hear your feedback

If you use our template letters, we’ve like to know how you get on. This really helps us measure the impact of our work.

Please share your feedback by emailing [email protected]

Next week, most children in England, Northern Ireland and Wales will return to school after the summer holidays. Children in Scotland will be settling into another week.

We know this can be an anxious time for children and parents alike, especially if starting a new school for the first time.

Top tips for starting school

We’ve compiled lots of tips on settling into a new school. These pointers were put together by a special educational needs teacher and parents themselves.

Our tips include what to talk to the school about, how to help your child prepare for the change, and some particular advice for children starting secondary school.

You can also listen to your podcast episode, Top tips for starting school.

And don’t forget, we have lots of information on our website about what support schools, nurseries and colleges should be offering your child.

Get kitted out for school

Our online Fledglings shop offers a range of sensory school wear and adaptive shoes. We also have aids that can help children with concentration in class and communication tools that can help prepare children and young people for the transition back to class and help calm any anxieties.

Take a look at all our back-to-school aids.

Talk to other families like yours

Sometimes the best advice comes from other parent carers who’ve been there before, or are going through similar situations.

Join our private Facebook group to join the conversation.

Children, adults, family and loved ones will be able to speak to a trained mental health professional when they call NHS 111 from this week.

Call handlers will be able to direct callers to existing services like talking therapies. They can help them refer to face-to-face support or direct them to crisis services, including A&E.

Previously, local health services provided mental health crisis lines for people experiencing mental health problems. Ministers said the change forms part of “plans to help fix the broken health system”.

We welcome the new service, but children in distress also need concrete, quality mental health support in the community.

The NHS has launched the phone line as The Guardian publishes its findings that more than 500 children a day in England are being referred to NHS mental health services for anxiety. This rate is more than double the pre-pandemic rate.

Amanda Elliot, Contact’s health lead, says:

“Having a single number to call if your disabled child is in crisis is a helpful, very positive first step. But a phone line isn’t an ongoing service. People need services that provide regular, useful support for disabled children with mental health needs, whether they are self-harming, have difficulties with emotional regulation, depression, obsessive compulsive behaviours or eating disorders.

“Community services need to be revitalised so they can help families in crisis can rely on them. We urge ministers and the NHS to make sure they deliver this next as part of their commitment to improve children’s mental health services.”

Read more about mental health services for disabled children on our website.

This story applies to England only.

Last week, parent carers attended our Facebook Q&A on Social Care, Rights & Processes to get expert, live advice from our parent advisers.

And for those who missed it, we’ve summarised the most frequently discussed topics that came up and our advisers’ answers, below.

You can see all questions and answers on our Facebook page.

How do I ask for a needs assessment?

You can ask for an assessment verbally. But it is best to ask for a ‘Section 17 Children in Needs assessment’ in writing. You can do this yourself, or a professional who is helping you can do it for you.

If you’re not sure which local authority you come under, type your postcode into the search bar at www.gov.uk/find-local-council

We have template letters you can use to request an assessment.

How long should it take from assessment to getting the final ‘care plan’?

From the day of request, it should take 45 days. Our parent guide ‘Services and support from your local authority’ has more information about this on page 16.

You could make a complaint if your assessment isn’t meeting this timeframe.

What is a carer’s assessment?

A carer’s assessment is an opportunity for you to discuss your needs as a parent carer with your local authority. The aim is for social services to know what services and support would make things easier to look after the child or person in your care. It’s also an opportunity to discuss how your caring role affects you.

All carers (including young carers) can ask for an assessment at any time. The Children and Families Act 2014 explains the rights of carers with ‘parental responsibility’ to have an assessment upon request. In addition, the local authority can carry out a carers assessment where there is an appearance of need for support.

Take a look at our carer’s assessments factsheet for more information.

What happens if we are refused a carer’s assessment?

You have a right to a carer’s assessment. Your way to challenge this is to make a complaint. We have specific information on how to do this on our “Making a complaint about services” page.

The law says that a child and family should be assessed at request or appearance of need.

Make sure to always put requests in writing by email to give you a good log of correspondence. If the local authority continues to refuse to do an assessment, you may have to make a more formal complaint.

Can I record phone conversations with the local authority?

You would need a worker’s permission to record meetings and visits. If the worker does not give consent, you should not record them.

If you are looking to keep a log of any conversations you have with the local authority, it might be worth keeping conversations to email only. This way they’ll all be in writing.

What happens if the local authority refuses to discuss our child’s transition to adult services?

If a child is likely to have needs when they turn 18, the local authority must carry out a ‘child’s need assessment’ before then to determine what these will be.

The local authority will carry out the assessment if it considers it a ‘significant benefit’ to the child to do so. There is no specific age or time before a child turns 18 at which the assessment must take place. The statutory guidance suggests that these assessments take place when it is easier to understand what the needs of the child and carer will be beyond the age of 18.

There’s more information about these processes on our page ‘Moving into adult services’.

What is a ‘personal budget’?

A personal budget sets out the amount of money that is available to spend on support for your child, to meet their assessed needs.

This money may come from your local social services team, local education department, or in some cases from your NHS integrated care board (ICB). If you receive funding from the NHS, this is known as a personal health budget.

You can read more on our website or in our factsheet.

Can I refuse the support offered?

Yes, you can refuse an offer of support. Or you can decide that an offer of support is not sufficient and challenge the decision about the level of support. Always ensure you do this in writing, by email.

You can dispute the level of support on offer whilst also still using it in the interim.

If nothing is done, you can make a complaint that the care plan is not meeting need.

Can I decide what we use ‘Direct Payments’ on?

Children’s services should make it clear what you can use ‘direct payments’ for. They should be for a child’s specific assessed needs.

If they’ve not told you what the payments are for, you should ask for this information in writing. If you have an idea of the sort of service that might meet your child’s needs, you can suggest this to the local authority during the assessment process.

Last week our Family Finance Team ran a webinar looking at the process of managed migration to Universal Credit.
The webinar is now available to watch on our YouTube channel.
You can also download the presentation used during the webinar.
We have also produced a new guide to managed migration.

Your questions answered

This webinar was popular, with almost 50 parent carers in attendance. Our advisers took more questions than they were able to answer during the session.

So, they have answered the questions they weren’t able to address on the day below. We’ve merged similar questions into a single common enquiry.


I currently receive contributory ESA. Is there anything specific I need to do to be migrated onto Universal Credit?

Income-related ESA is one of the benefits that Universal Credit is replacing. However, contributory ESA is not being replaced.

If you get contributory ESA and not income-related ESA, you should continue to get this benefit as normal. You are not going to migrate to Universal Credit unless you are also getting tax credits or a means-tested benefit like housing benefit.

I’m already on UC for myself and it is working well. I am concerned how it will work for my son who is currently on income-related ESA and in the support group. I’m worried he’ll be expected to look for work under Universal Credit.

If your son is in the support group for ESA, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) will already accept that he has a limited capability for work and work related activity (LCWRA).

This means that when he migrates onto Universal Credit (probably next year), they too will treat him as having a LCWRA and he will be exempt from having to look for work and training as part of his Universal Credit claim.

Is it true that you get transitional protection if you are currently getting the severe disability premium (SDP) and move to a new LA and make a claim for Universal Credit.

The general rule is that you can only be transitionally protected if you move to Universal Credit under the managed migration rules. That means after you have received a managed migration notice and within certain deadlines. Normally, you are not eligible for transitional protection if you claim early as a result of ‘natural migration’ i.e. a change of circumstances such as your housing benefit stopping because you’ve moved to a new tenancy in a different local authority area.

There is an exception to this general rule. You can still get some limited transitional protection if you move to Universal Credit as a result of natural migration so long as you are a disabled adult who receives a payment known as the severe disability premium as part of your income support, income-related ESA or income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance award. This is known as the ‘transitional severe disability element’. However, in these circumstances you are only likely to get partial transitional protection, rather than full transitional protection. Seek further advice about your individual case.

I was asked to migrate to Universal Credit last year, despite one of my sons being 19 and in non-advanced education. I didn’t know that families with 19 year olds in non-advanced education were supposed to be protected and that I could have asked for my migration notice to be cancelled. I’m on Universal Credit but my transitional protection has now stopped due to changes in circumstances. Is there anything I can do now?

I’m sorry to hear that you received a managed migration notice in error. The only thing you can do now is seek local advice from a Citizen’s Advice or welfare rights unit about making a complaint to the DWP.

You can try to seek compensation for any losses that you have experienced as a result of the DWP asking you to move onto Universal Credit in error. If you have not already done so, you should also get advice about any disabled child who has past the August after their 19th birthday claiming Universal Credit in their own right.

My son is likely to go into supported living next year and will therefore be claiming Housing Benefit for the first time. Should I delay him entering supported living until he gets his managed migration notice so that he doesn’t have to naturally migrate without getting transitional protection?

The rules around benefit payments in supported accommodation are extremely complex, and you will need individual advice. Please contact our free helpline to speak to one of our Family Finance Team about your son’s situation.

I’ve heard that Universal Credit have agreed to extend the deadline for claiming Universal Credit where a child has ‘looked after’ status. Who do I need to speak to about this?

If you have a looked after child and have received a managed migration notice, you will need to urgently phone the Contact helpline on 0808 808 3555.

Universal Credit have agreed that where Contact’s Family Finance Team pass onto them the details of a family with a looked after child, they will extend that family’s managed migration deadline to February 2025. However, as far as we are aware, they only agree to do this in cases where Contact pass on an individual family’s details to them.

Does the extension in the deadline date to February 2025 only apply to looked after children?

Yes, the only group we are aware of who are having extended deadlines to February 2025 are families with a looked-after child, whose case our Family Finance Team flags to the Universal Credit office..

If you have a young person in university who lives in halls but comes home at weekends / holidays, are you allocated a bedroom for them in your Universal Credit award and are they considered as a non-dependent?

It’s possible that Universal Credit will continue to treat you as needing a bedroom for a young adult who is away from home at university during term-time. In making a decision on whether to allow a bedroom for a student who is away from home during term-time, Universal Credit need to decide whether the student normally lives at home or normally lives at their university address.

They can look at a range of factors in deciding this – including the frequency of returns home, whether they still receive mail at their home address, what address they are registered with for doctors and dentists, and the extent that they are liable for bills such as gas and electricity at their university address.

If a student is treated as normally living with you, then it is possible that a non-dependant deduction may be applied to your Universal Credit. However, this will also depend on their age and what disability benefits they receive if any.

I’ve only just made a claim for DLA for my child, if this gets granted after I have migrated onto Universal Credit, will it be deducted from any transitional protection I’ve got? If so, would this be a reason for them to grant an extension to my deadline date?

This is a complex area. Universal Credit say that where a disability benefit such as DLA is awarded after you migrate, but the disability benefit in question is backdated to a date before migration, they will revise your universal credit award retrospectively and increase your transitional element if necessary. Some advisers are concerned that this goes beyond what the regulations require, but the DWP is adamant that this is what they will do in practice.

Perhaps because of this, official DWP guidance is that awaiting the outcome of a disability benefit decision is not grounds to grant an extension in your deadline date. Despite this official guidance, we are aware of many cases where families waiting for a DLA or PIP decision have been granted an extension in their deadline day, so it is definitely still worth trying.

If you are refused an extension, make sure that before you migrate you tell the offices paying you any legacy benefits that you are awaiting a decision on a qualifying disability benefit and ask them to carry out a supersession of your legacy benefit on the basis of an impending decision on a qualifying disability benefit.

As a disabled person can I claim Universal Credit when I am studying at university?

The general rule is that most students in full time advanced education cannot get Universal Credit.

However, there are some exceptions to this rule – for example you are allowed to claim if you are a student who has dependent children or if you established a limited capability for work prior to starting your course. There are also special rules allowing students who manage migrate to be exempt from the student restrictions, for as long as they remain on a course that they had started before migration.

Even if you are a student who is able to claim Universal Credit, the student income you receive such as a student loan, is counted as income and will reduce the amount of Universal Credit you are entitled to. In some cases, a student’s award may be reduced to nil because of their student income.

I’m due to migrate soon but I expect to inherit capital later this year. This will take my capital above £16,000. How will this impact on my Universal Credit and what about the other benefits I receive like child benefit and widowed parent’s allowance?

If you first start to receive capital above £16,000 after you migrate. I am afraid that this will end your Universal Credit award immediately. The other benefits you mention will continue as they aren’t affected by capital.

Assuming you currently get tax credits, this would be grounds for asking the DWP to extend your managed migration deadline day until after you have received this capital. If they agree and you migrate after your capital has gone up above £16,000, it will be ignored for up to 12 months under the transitional capital disregard rule.

If a young person is removed from your Universal Credit claim because they reach the 31st August after their 19th birthday does this mean that you stop getting a transitional element in your award.
No, you do not lose your transitional element simply because a young person stops being treated as part of your claim. You will still continue to have a transitional element included in your Universal Credit calculation. However, your Universal Credit payments will drop as you will no longer be getting child elements for that young person.

We’ve received our migration notice but our rent will be increased soon. Does it matter whether we migrate before or after the increase in our rent costs?

It will be better if you migrate after your rent increase, if at all possible. The reason for this is that if you have a change in circumstances, that happens after the first month of your Universal Credit claim, any increase in your Universal Credit payments will be deducted from your transitional element. So, if the housing element you receive starts to increase, and this happens after your first UC monthly assessment period, this increase in help with rent is simply deducted from any transitional element you are being paid – leaving you no better off.

If your rent increases before you migrate – or within the first month of your claim – you will receive the extra help with rent on top of your transitional element. If your rent is expected to increase after your deadline day this would be grounds for asking the DWP to extend your deadline date.
Is Carer’s Allowance replaced by Universal Credit, or will that continued to be paid separately like child benefit?

Carer’s Allowance continues to be paid as a separate benefit alongside any Universal Credit you get. However, it is treated as income by Universal Credit. This means that any Carer’s Allowance you receive is deducted from your Universal Credit award.

Are we better doing the transition or doing a new claim for Universal Credit to be better off?

We’re not sure what you mean by this. If you mean are you better migrating to Universal Credit or making a new claim for Universal Credit, it is important to understand that under the migration rules you are not automatically transferred onto Universal Credit. Instead, you will need to make a claim for Universal Credit as part of the managed migration process. The advantage of claiming Universal Credit after you have received a migration notice rather than opting to claim early, is that you are only eligible for transitional protection to make sure you are not left worse off if you claim under managed migration rules.

I get child maintenance from my ex-partner. Is that included as income for Universal Credit?

No. Child support maintenance is ignored as income by Universal Credit.

When I claim Universal Credit should I send a consultant letter as proof of disability, or will it be enough to show that PIP is in payment?

If you have a disabled child as part of your claim all you need to show is that they are getting DLA, PIP or one of the Scottish equivalents and a disabled child addition will be included in your Universal Credit.

However, the situation is different if you are asking about getting an extra disability amount for an adult claimant or their partner. In order to receive an extra UC amount as a disabled adult it’s not enough to show that you have a disability benefit such as PIP. Instead, you need to show that you have a ‘limited capability for work and work related activity’. You may have already done this as part of a previous claim for ESA (or a credits only claim) but if you haven’t you will need to submit fit notes from your GP and then undergo a DWP medical assessment known as a work capability assessment.

I’m a single parent on income support, with child benefit and Adult Disability Payment. I also currently receive kinship payments for my grandchildren. How will these kinship payments affect Universal Credit?

The rules governing Universal Credit payments where you are a kinship carer are extremely complex and partly depend on whether that child you care for has ‘looked after’ status. You will need individual advice about this issue. Seek advice from a local welfare rights service, Citizens Advice or by calling the Contact Helpline on 0808 808 3555.

I will become a student at university in September. In October I have my Universal Credit deadline. Citizens Advice told me to change my circumstances to that of a student claiming ESA in September. Then migrate to Univeral Credit in October. I am disabled and have a disabled child on DLA. I haven’t claimed carers for him, no-one has. Should I claim carers now? Or would it be a change which causes me to lose transitional protection?

You will need individual advice about your situation. Carer’s Allowance cannot normally be paid to a student who is on a course, that is either defined as full-time or a part-time course if that part-time course involves 21 hours or more ‘supervised study’. If your course is defined as part-time and involves less than 21 hours study then Carer’s Allowance may be an option and you should call our free Helpline to discuss this further.


Contact's policy lead Imogen with the GB women's wheelchair rugby team

Imogen with the GB women’s wheelchair rugby team


Did you know that Contact’s policy lead Imogen Steele is a sporting superstar in her spare time?

Imogen won gold in the 2023 Women’s World Cup as part of Great Britain’s wheelchair rugby team, and she regularly trains with some of the Paralympic team.


And Imogen even features in the advert for the Paralympics, which will be shown on the TV in the run-up to the event.

The Paralympics will take place on 28 August to 8 September in Paris. Over 4,400 athletes will compete in 22 sports, spanning 549 events over the course of the event.

Imogen is looking forward to watching some of her teammates take on the wheelchair rugby teams from around the world.

She said: “Wheelchair rugby is a fun and brutal sport. I started playing rugby at the age of 12, after the then GB captain visited my school to talk in an assembly. I fell in love with this tactical, high-paced sport from the moment I sat in a rugby chair. It is a sport where regardless of your physical ability, every player is valuable.

Contact's policy lead Imogen starring in the Paralympics 2024 advert

Contact’s policy lead Imogen starring in the Paralympics 2024 advert

“Wheelchair rugby gives me a sense of freedom, community and a competitive outlet for the stresses of daily life. I would highly recommend watching the wheelchair rugby. It’s taking place between 29th August and the 2nd September 2024.”

Contact runs a range of disability sport sessions for disabled children and young people where funding allows. Earlier this year we held sessions in Wales and Yorkshire, which were fun, accessible for all disabilities and family-friendly.

We list all upcoming event on our Eventbrite account.

The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) has announced its recommendations for the autumn Covid booster programme.

The JCVI’s recommendation – which the government has accepted – is that the following groups receive a vaccine later this year:

This year, the JCVI is not recommending the booster for unpaid carers and household contacts of people with immunosuppression, as it has done in the past.

If your child is eligible, the NHS will contact you to book an appointment online, attend a walk-in service or arrange the vaccine with your GP.

Flu vaccine details

Details for the 2024 flu vaccine programme are also available online.

From 1 September 2024, the flu vaccine will be available to:

From 1 October 2024, the flu vaccine will be available to, among others:

Usually, two and three-years olds are eligible for the nasal vaccine, which they’ll receive at the GP surgery.

School age children up to the age of 15 will be offered the vaccine nasal spray at school.

Babies aged six months to two years with a long-term condition will be offered the injected vaccine at the GP surgery. The nasal spray is not licensed for under-twos.

Read more about the flu vaccine and the covid vaccine.

We have free workshops coming up for parent carers living in the Midlands or London who have children with autism this August.

Tuesday 20 August, 7-9pm: Supporting Sleep

A child who does not sleep well can affect the whole family. This 2-hour long workshop looks at autism and sleep difficulties alongside ideas and tips to help promote better sleep for your child.

If you are a parent living in London please register for your free place here.

Parents in the Midlands please use this link to sign up to this workshop.

Wednesday 21, 10am -12: Support for Siblings and Young Carers

Parents often talk to us about the importance of siblings and the difficulties that can arise for the siblings of a disabled child. This online workshop will look at siblings’ relationships, the positives and challenges siblings and young carers may face and supportive strategies to help.

Please register your free place if you live in London here.

If you are a parent carer in the Midlands.

Friday 23 August, 10am-12: Autism and Mental Wellbeing

This online workshop aims to help increase your understanding of what it’s like to have autism and help support your child or young person develop a positive understanding of their autistic identity alongside strategies to achieve and maintain good mental health.

Please register your free place here if you are a parent in London.

Parents in the Midlands please sign up here.

About these workshops and our Autism Central project

Contact is one of nine not-for-profit organisations that make up Autism Central. The project provides parents and carers of autistic people easy access to autism education, training and support in regional hubs across England. Together with Ambitious about Autism, we run the London and Midlands hubs. Our hubs offer group and one-to-one sessions to help you and other parents and carers find the information and services available in your area. We may also run events such as workshops, drop-in sessions, coffee mornings or virtual meet-ups.

Find out more about what’s coming up in the Midlands and London.

If you are a parent carer living in London or the Midlands and care for an autistic child, please join our free online workshops coming up on 13 and 14 August. These workshops are designed to provide you with information advice to help support your child navigate starting or changing school.

Both primary and secondary school online workshops will:

• Help you understand more about the change to primary school or from primary to secondary school, including how to support your autistic child in this process

• Tell you more about your options as a parent in terms of schooling, and educational support for your autistic child or young person.

• Provide you with strategies and tips to make the change to primary or from primary to secondary as smooth as possible.

Moving to secondary school, Tuesday 13 August,  10am – 12:

If you live in London please book your free place here.

For families in the Midlands please use this link.

Moving to primary school: Wednesday 14 August, 10am-12:

For parents in London, please book your free place. 

For families in the Midlands.

Other workshops coming up in August include: supporting sleep; support for siblings and young carers; autism and mental wellbeing; supporting play; understanding meltdowns and shutdowns and understanding sensory processing.

For more information about all of our Autism Central workshops we are offering this summer for London and Midlands families please take a look at our Midlands Autism Hub or our London Autism Hub.

Universal Credit is the new benefit that is replacing the existing system of means tested benefits and tax credits – known as the legacy benefits. The process of moving existing legacy benefit claimants onto Universal Credit is known as managed migration. This process is now well underway with more than 60,000 claimants per month being asked to claim Universal Credit.

However, no-one is moved onto Universal Credit automatically. Instead, you will need to make a claim. Universal Credit have strict deadlines for you to do this by, if you want to be eligible for transitional protection payments to make sure that you are not left worse off.

Join us on 12 August

Join our special webinar via Zoom on Monday 12 August between 10 and 11.30am, to find out more about what you need to do once you receive a managed migration notice, asking you to make a claim for Universal Credit.

The webinar will look at:

This webinar will be presented by benefits advisers from Contact’s Family Finance team. To find out more about this webinar and to sign up, visit our Eventbrite page. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

New to webinars?

A webinar is a presentation live on the internet. You will be able to hear the presentation live, follow the slides and submit questions for the presenters to answer. You will need a home computer, laptop, tablet or smart phone.

Book your free place and join us on 12 August.

Can’t make 12 August?

We have lots of information about managed migration to Universal Credit on our website. We will also post a recording of the webinar on our webpages, shortly after the event has taken place.