The report examines the services that support this critical period of child development. It highlights:
The need for equity in the expansion of Family Hubs.
Severe shortages in the children’s community health workforce.
The importance of better integration between child health services and early years family support services.
Contact urges the government to include disabled children and their families in any reforms resulting from the report.
Access to Family Hubs
The Committee supports government plans to increase access to Family Hubs. And it stresses that these vital early years services should be accessible in every community.
The report highlights the need for clarity on how Neighbourhood Health Services and Family Hubs will work together. Parent carers need clear information about where to go for help and how to access advice, support and services for their child’s needs.
We urge the government to ensure forthcoming guidance on the role of Best Start Family Hubs for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) sets this out.
Children’s health workforce plan
We welcome the Committee’s call for a clear children’s health workforce plan. Disabled babies and young children need timely access to a range of specialists close to home, including:
Physiotherapists.
Speech and Language Therapists.
Other children’s community health services.
Waiting times for these services urgently need to improve. In July 2025 our CEO Anna Bird gave evidence to the Committee, highlighting the long waits children under two years face to get an assessment and diagnosis, and the impact this has.
Provide trusted, practical advice on toileting, sleep, behaviour and communication.
Build parental confidence and reduce isolation.
Offer impartial support to families struggling to access statutory services.
The Committee also welcomes government plans for a shared outcomes framework and improved data sharing. We ask the government to ensure this work explicitly includes the needs of children with SEND.
This work must also make it easier for families to access support and entitlements. We continue to hear that families of young disabled children struggle to access free nursery care and other early years entitlements.
Finally, consistent communication from health visitors can provide vital reassurance to parents. However, families of babies and young children with emerging or complex needs find it frustrating when developmental concerns are not explored fully.
We urge Family Hubs and Neighbourhood Health Services to ensure that:
Universal services, such as health visiting, work effectively alongside specialist provision.
Early intervention is triggered by observed need.
For young disabled children, prevention means earlier access to healthcare, including timely testing, assessment, treatment, therapies and equipment, to prevent needs escalating.
Please note, the information in this webinar is for families in England and Wales only.
Hosted by Renaissance Legal and Contact, our latest webinar Decision making and accessing a Child Trust Fund for a disabled child is now available to watch on YouTube, or below.
Renaissance Legal’s leading and trusted experts Philip Warford and Sarah O’Sullivan explain:
Assessing mental capacity and what happens if a person doesn’t have it.
The Court of Protection process.
What are the potential issues and solutions around accessing Child Trust Funds/Junior ISAs.
The government has announced a £200m special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) training programme will roll out to every nursery, school and college in the country. The programme will mean every teacher in England receives training to offer the right support to pupils with SEND.
New courses will help teachers learn how to adapt their teaching methods to different needs, including visual impairments and speech and language difficulties. Teachers will also learn how to use assistive technology like speech-to-text diction tools. An update to the SEND Code of Practice will make clear that teachers nationwide should access the training.
The government says it is launching the programme in response to parent feedback at its national conversation on SEND events. It recognises that for too long training on SEND has been inconsistent. One of Contact’s 3 SEND Asks, alongside investing in specialists like speech and language therapists, is that school staff are trained to better support pupils with SEND.
Contact CEO Anna Bird says:
“We welcome the investment in training for teachers. This is an essential part of making mainstream inclusive, and many parents have told us of the need for this.
“Alongside this, children need access to specialists such as educational psychologists and speech and language therapists. The training must not be a substitute for ensuring schools have access to those specialists.
“Parents tell us that social workers and health professionals also lack training in disability. Decision makers in councils would also benefit from training too.”
This news story applies to families in Scotland only.
On Tuesday, Finance Secretary Shona Robison announced the Scottish Budget for 2026/7.
Below we’ve highlighted the key changes that families with disabled children or children with additional needs should know about.
Benefit changes
The Scottish Child Payment – payable to parents in receipt of certain benefits – will increase to £28.20 a week per child from April 2026, in line with inflation (up from £27.16.)
From 2027, the rate will rise to £40 for families with children under the age of one.
£7 million of funding in Discretionary Housing Payments (DHPs) to mitigate the effects of the benefit cap and bedroom tax. (This is for families who will not see an increase in payments after the removal of the two-child limit in Universal Credit). Where a member of the household receives a disability benefit, they will be exempt from the benefit cap).
Tax changes
A tax cut has been provided to some low earners. The basic (20%) rate, which currently starts at £15,398, will increase to £16,547. The intermediate rate (21%), which currently starts at £27,492, will increase to £29,526.
Education
A pledge to deliver breakfast clubs in all primary and additional support needs schools from August 2027. Schools will receive funding to provide up to an hour of supervision in the morning, helping parents to manage childcare around work.
Additional funding will expand wraparound childcare, including after-school and holiday provision, with the aim of supporting parents to enter or stay in work while reducing childcare costs.
A “Summer of Sport”, including free children’s sport and swimming lessons for every primary school pupil.
In this article, our Family Finance parent adviser Polly explains how with your support this winter, we can make a transformational difference to families with disabled children.
Working on the frontline and hearing families with disabled children disproportionately affected by financial hardship is tough.
But every day, our expert advice is making a transformational difference for families across the country.
I’m Polly, and I work in the Family Finance team at Contact, part of our helpline. We give parent carers the tools they need to cope and build a more secure future for their family.
“I won’t need to worry any more”
Just like we did for Francesca*. She was worried about affording the essentials and initially called our helpline for advice to check if her Universal Credit was correct.
Through our specialist support, Francesca unlocked an incredible £17,000 in unpaid benefits for her family!
With rising heating bills, this life-changing amount will keep her family home warm and pay for essential clothing and specialist equipment for her disabled children.
‘Getting this money will make such a difference to my life and my children, and I can’t thank Contact enough. I won’t need to worry any more about how I will afford all the things they need. I really can’t believe it.’
The positive difference we make to families like Francesca’s is what motivates me to speak to as many parent carers as possible.
Could you make a £10 donation to transform lives?
Can you kick-start the year by showing your parent carer solidarity and making a £10 donation today? Your gift could help us respond to the increasing number of calls reaching out to us for support right now.
As a thank you, we’ll post you four special stickers for every gift of £10 or more. We invite you to display them this winter to show your support for families with disabled children – because being seen, heard and supported can change everything for them.
*Francesca’s story is real, but we’ve changed her name to protect her identity and used an unrelated family photograph.
We are delighted to announce that Contact Scotland has secured funding from the National Lottery Community Fund to deliver a one-year project for families living in North Lanarkshire.
The project, Looking After You and Yours, will support families with a disabled child or a child with additional needs, with or without a diagnosis.
Thanks to this funding, families will be able to access one-to-one appointments with Contact’s experienced and local parent adviser. We’ll provide hospital-based support at University Hospital Wishaw, regular face-to-face and online workshops, and free family days. We will build on our digital resources, developing factsheets, webinars and guides, so families can find clear and trusted information at a time that suits them.
Susan Walls, Head of Programmes in Scotland, says:
“This funding comes at a crucial time for families in North Lanarkshire. We are seeing high levels of child poverty, rising living costs and increasing pressure on local services. Many families with disabled, seriously ill, and additional needs children are struggling to get the help they need.
“Families tell us they feel exhausted, overwhelmed and unsure of where to turn. This is especially so when they are waiting for a diagnosis or help for their child.
“We are very grateful to National Lottery Community Fund for awarding us this grant. It will will make an incredible difference to families.”
Many disabled children and young people in families Contact supports require full-time care from both of their parents.
Only one parent can make a claim for Carers Allowance, the Scottish Carer Support Payment, or the carer element in Universal Credit for each disabled child. The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) does not expect this parent to work or look for work as part of their Universal Credit award.
Unfortunately, this means that in order to claim Universal Credit, the other parent will normally need to actively search for work. This is unless there is another disabled child in the household.
Our new templates can help you
The DWP does have the power to exempt the second caring parent from work-related activity. Regulation 89(1)b of the Universal Credit regulations 2013 sets this out.
But work coaches aren’t always aware that they have the power to exempt second caring parents from searching for work.
We have a new page with more detailed information about caring couples. Our page explains how to ask your work coach to exempt a second caring parent from work searching. And we have developed template letters you can use to make this request to your work coach in your online journal.
In December, we were blown away by the incredible supporters who took part in Santa in the City, raising an amazing £4,000 to support our services! Their festive spirit, determination, and generosity made a real difference.
And now it’s your turn!
As a new year begins and you set fresh goals, why not challenge yourself to do something extraordinary? By taking part in one of our challenge events, you’ll push your limits and help us continue our vital work supporting families across the UK.
Our supporters often tell us that taking part is about more than the challenge. It’s about the families it helps.
“Santa in the City was a wonderful event to take part in and fundraising for. It was a gift to be able to share photos in the silly Santa suit and bring smiles to many faces. I’m sure the funds raised will help bring many more smiles.”
Sophie, supporter
Choose an event that suits you
You don’t need to be an expert athlete or an experienced fundraiser. We’re here to support you every step of the way, from training tips to fundraising ideas!
Are you ready to take on a challenge in 2026? Whether you prefer to run, walk, swim, climb, bounce, or crawl through mud, we’ve got an event to suit every ability and appetite for adventure. These are just a few of the exciting challenges on offer, with many more to choose from – see a few below.
Great North Swim
Dates: 12 June – 14 June 2026
Location: Lake Windermere, Lake District.
Fundraising Target: £300
Take the plunge in the UK’s biggest open-water swimming event. Set in the stunning surroundings of Lake Windermere, the Great North Swim offers a range of distances to suit both beginners and seasoned swimmers.
Tough Mudder series
Dates: 9 – 19 May 2026
Location: Multiples locations across the UK
Fundraising Target: £300
Ready to get muddy? Tough Mudder is the ultimate team challenge, packed with epic obstacles designed to test your strength, stamina, and teamwork. With events taking place across the UK, you can choose a location that suits you and take on a challenge that’s as much about camaraderie as it is about grit.
Inflatable 5K Series
Dates: Multiple Dates
Location: Multiple locations across the UK
Fundraising Target: £150
Bounce, climb, and slide your way through the world’s biggest inflatable obstacle course! With over 30 obstacles across a 5K route, the Inflatable 5K is pure fun for all ages and abilities. Choose from locations across the UK, bring your friends, and turn fitness into laughter while raising funds for a great cause.
Sign up now!
Seen a challenge you’d love to take on? Email [email protected] and turn your 2026 goal into something that truly makes a difference.
Not quite what you’re looking for? Explore our full list of events and discover a 2026 challenge that’s perfect for you.
With more heavy snow expected today across the UK, many of us will be relying on central heating more than usual to get through the colder days.
With energy costs still high, this puts even more pressure on families with disabled children facing higher than average bills.
Below we explain what help you might be entitled to.
Warm Home Discount Scheme
Under this annual scheme, you can receive a rebate worth up to £150. This does not come to you. Instead, it is deducted from your winter fuel bill. The scheme applies in England and Wales, and it operates in Scotland but differently. It doesn’t run in Northern Ireland.
InEngland and Wales, you don’t have to apply if you are eligible. Instead, you should receive a letter from your energy supplier in early January and receive the discount by end of March 2026. If you think you are eligible but don’t receive a letter, contact the scheme using details on the government’s site.
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) pays a Cold Weather Payment of £25 to low-income families on certain means-tested benefits when temperatures in your local area fall (or are forecast to) to 0 degrees or below for seven days in a row.
The DWP will make a payment for each seven-day period of sub-zero temperatures between 1 November 2025 and 31 March 2026.
The government has published long overdue draft statutory guidance for the Down Syndrome Act 2022 in England and Wales, along with a public consultation inviting responses before 30 March 2026.
Families of children with other genetic conditions or learning disabilities can also respond to the consultation.
What the draft guidance covers
The guidance:
Sets out what public bodies in health, social care, education and housing should or must already do under existing laws to meet the needs of people with Down syndrome.
Aims to improve understanding of Down syndrome and reduce the barriers families often face when seeking support.
The guidance explains how existing duties under the Care Act, Children and Families Act, Mental Capacity Act and Equality Act should apply in practice, stressing:
Personalised, non-stereotyped support.
Better awareness and training for frontline staff.
Coordinated planning across services.
Reasonable adjustments.
An estimated 40,000 people with Down syndrome of all ages live in the UK. Many struggle to access appropriate support despite existing legal protections.
Why this matters for families
While the draft guidance largely repackages existing duties, by bringing these duties together in one document, it has the potential to make it much clearer to local authorities and the NHS what they should already be doing. It may also make it easier for families and carers to hold public bodies to account.
Although the Act focuses on people with Down syndrome, the consultation welcomes views from families of children with other genetic conditions or learning disabilities who have similar needs.
Have your say
The consultation runs until 30 March 2026 and includes an easy read version for families and young people. Responses will be used to shape the final statutory guidance before it is issued to all public bodies in England.
Alternatively, you can share your views and experiences for inclusion in Contact’s consultation submission by emailing [email protected]
We’re delighted to end 2025 with the amazing news that another FIVE parent carers of disabled children have won £1,000 each in the Contact Weekly Lottery!
With mums Deborah, Lauren, Christy, Beth and Julie all hitting the jackpot in November and December, this brings the total to 16 big wins in 2025. That’s roughly one £1,000 winner every three weeks.
Our latest winner Julie, who won in the same week as Beth, said: “It feels fantastic to support a charity that truly understands and uplifts families like mine. As a parent to a 16-year-old with Down syndrome, I’m so grateful to be part of something that makes such a difference,” she said.
Beth was equally over the moon: “It’s truly made my whole year! I still smile every time I think about it. As a parent to a daughter on the spectrum, I know how meaningful these moments of support and joy can be, and this win will make our Christmas feel even more special.”
She signed up to our lottery after reading about a dad who’d won £1,000 — and is now encouraging everyone to join in: “For just £5 a month, you’re supporting a wonderful charity – and you might even be lucky enough to win £1,000 too!”
“My daughters are disabled, and as a family we know how important this kind of support can be. It feels really good to help children and families who need – and truly deserve – that support. It’s such a lovely charity, and with the added bonus of winning some money, there really isn’t a downside!”
Deborah, one of our recent £1,000 prize winners
Could you be our first big winner of 2026?
After such a brilliant end to 2025, we’re looking forward to celebrating more big wins in the new year… Could you be next?
For just £1 a week, you’ll have a chance to win cash prizes every single Friday — all while helping to fund our vital services for families with disabled children across the UK.
We’ve had thousands of winners since launching our lottery in 2020. And the best part? The majority of our £1,000 and £10,000 winners have been parent carers themselves, who play the lottery to support other families like theirs.
Now’s your chance to make 2026 a year of solidarity. Join the Contact Lottery today and help more families get the support they desperately need in the new year — all with a weekly chance to win money along the way!
As 2025 comes to a close, we want to say a heartfelt thank you for being part of the Contact family.
It’s been our privilege to share this year with you. We hope our advice, information and support have helped you feel more confident, more informed, and less alone – and helped your child get the support they deserve.
This year, Contact stayed focused on what matters most: being there for families with disabled children -supporting you, listening to you, and standing by your side every step of the way.
It has been quite a year and it’s important to celebrate the wins of 2025 – because there were a lot of them!
Watch this joy-filled video to see some of our highlights of 2025. We hope it brightens your day.
Looking forward to the year ahead
We’re grateful to everyone who has already donated to Contact’s Winter Appeal this year. Thanks to your support we can continue to make a positive impact on the lives of families with disabled children up and down the country – helping them to feel seen, heard and supported.
Thank you for being part of our community of help and hope – it means so much to us.
On behalf of everyone at Contact, we wish you and your family a joyful New Year.
See you in 2026!
From all of us at Contact, we’d like to send warm wishes to all our families for a very peaceful and happy Christmas.
We hope you’re enjoying the holidays. But remember, if you’re looking for help while our helpline is closed until 9:30am on Friday 2 January 2026, you can still find plenty of guidance and support on our website at anytime.
Our chatbot, Charlie is available throughout the holidays to help you find the information and advice you need, 24/7. Just look for Charlie at the bottom right corner of our website.
Wishing everyone a very Happy Christmas from all of us at Contact!
P.S If you’re able and would like to support our work, you can also find details of our Winter Appeal on our website – but please don’t feel any obligation.
The Call for Evidence is seeking insight from young people, parent carers, employers, frontline services, and anyone with relevant lived experience or expertise.
It asks two central questions:
What is stopping more young people from participating in employment, education or training?
What would make the biggest difference to support more young people to participate?
The review is particularly interested in evidence about:
Rising mental health and neurodevelopmental needs.
The role of the benefits and employment support.
Transition points between health, education, skills and benefits systems.
Why this matters for disabled young people
For profoundly disabled young people, the barriers to participation are very different from the wider population. Families tell us that financial stability, including the Universal Credit health element, is essential for disabled young people to:
Attend college or specialist education.
Access day provision, therapies or social care.
Participate safely in their community.
If the Universal Credit health element is removed, many disabled young people could lose the very support that enables them to participate in education, training or social care in the first place.
This means the Milburn Review must consider the impact of potential benefit changes when examining the root causes of youth inactivity.
We will be submitting evidence informed by what families tell us every day. If you’d like to share your views with us directly, please email [email protected]
Take action
Email your MP our briefing on the impact of scrapping the Universal Credit health element for severely disabled young people under 22
My name is Derek, and for many years I’ve been advising parents who get in touch with our helpline. Parents with disabled children often contact us when they feel most vulnerable.
The trust and confidence they place in us is humbling. The expert advice we give can be life-changing.
Right now, we are hearing from more and more families feeling exhausted, isolated and worried about their children’s future. We can feel their emotional burdens over the phone. But our team is here to listen and provide practical advice to help you find a way through.
I know Christmas is a busy time and you’re likely to be rushed off your feet. But I have one small request – could you donate just £10 to Contact and in return we’ll send you something special? Your gift could help us answer more calls for families who need us.
Our team’s expert advice and guidance can transform a family’s financial situation, like we did for Sonia*.
Sonia phoned us because she was really struggling with her heating bills and rent costs. She is a lone parent who juggles part-time work while caring for her severely disabled son and two other children.
We chatted and found out how hard it was keeping up with bills while having to take so much unpaid time off to look after her son. Through our benefits check, we discovered something life-changing:
“I had no idea that I was missing out on a carer element. Your advice not only helped me get an extra £200 in Universal Credit each month, but I also got a lump sum payment of £3,400 to cover what I’d missed out on.
“This will make such a difference to my family. It’s amazing. For once I won’t need to worry about how I’ll be able to afford all the things my disabled son needs.”
Help another mum or dad get our support
It’s these kinds of calls that motivate me every day to speak to as many parent carers as possible. If you can, will you donate £10 so another mum or dad can get our support to afford essentials for their disabled children this winter?
To show our thanks, our supporter care team will post you four special stickers for every gift of £10 or more so you can display your support for families with disabled children wherever you go this winter.
Very best wishes, Derek Senior Parent Adviser at Contact
*Sonia’s story is real, but her name has been changed to protect her family’s confidentiality.
The review is expected to take three to six months and inform implementation of the new NHS Long Term Plan. Separate chapters for children and adults will look at:
Similarities and differences between mental health conditions, ADHD and autism regarding prevalence, drivers, early intervention, and treatment.
Co-occurrence of these conditions.
Inequalities in prevalence, access, and experience.
Challenges facing clinical services.
Extent to which diagnosis, ‘medicalisation’ and treatment improve outcomes.
Differences between the levels of need and disorder for mental health conditions, ADHD, and autism.
Role of medicalisation of mental health conditions, ADHD, and autism, including the associated risks and benefits.
Effectiveness of short versus long-term interventions to support recovery and/or improve quality of life.
Contact is concerned this it is happening at a time when there is a growing narrative that children who are neurodivergent or have mental health conditions, are being ‘overdiagnosed’. Contact is urging the government to use the review to build trust with families, not undermine it.
Very real needs
Contact CEO Anna Bird said:
“The independent review must not be used to cast doubt on the very real needs of children with ADHD and autism. Rising demand is not a sign of ‘over‑diagnosis’; it is a sign that we have got better at recognising the signs, which is something to be celebrated. It’s also an indication that many children have gone without support for too long.
“Every child has the right to be seen, heard, and supported. We urge decision‑makers to use this review to build trust with families, not undermine it, and to ensure that children get timely assessments and the help they need to thrive.”
ADHD taskforce review
Professor Peter Fonagy will chair the review team, co-led by Professor Gillian Baird and Professor Sir Simon Wessely. It will draw on the recent independent ADHD taskforce review which found unsupported ADHD costs economy around £17 billion a year because people with ADHD are at higher risk of unemployment, family breakdown, and mental health problems.
This event is for families in England and Wales only.
If you are the parent to a 14-23 year old, they are likely to have a government issued Child Trust Fund. If they are younger, you (or wider family) might be saving via schemes such as a Junior ISA.
At Contact, we know that many of our parent carers have concerns for their child’s financial future and want to help them in any way possible.
However, if a young person lacks mental capacity or needs support in managing money, the process to access their savings at 18 can feel quite daunting. Many of you tell us that the mental capacity process as a whole feels confusing and overwhelming.
This is particularly evidenced in our Child Trust Fund campaign, where we are supporting families who are struggling to unlock their child’s savings.
Location: Online (a Zoom link will be sent when you sign up).
What will the webinar cover?
Renaissance Legal’s leading and trusted experts Philip Warford and Sarah O’Sullivan will explain:
Assessing mental capacity and what happens if a person doesn’t have it.
The Court of Protection process.
What are the potential issues and solutions around accessing Child Trust Funds/Junior ISAs.
A Q&A to finish.
Sign up now
These webinars are always very popular due to Philip’s accessible style of presenting. We encourage you to book your place today as spaces are limited.
A webinar is a live presentation via the internet. You will need a tablet, smartphone or computer. There is no required audience participation (unless you want to ask a question in the chat) and cameras will be off, so you can relax in the comfort of your own home.
The festive period is full of family events, but we know it can be tricky to find activities that are accessible and inclusive for children with disabilities and additional needs.
There is plenty on offer, from relaxed Santa visits and sensory play sessions to accessible films, craft activities, silent discos, ASN friendly theatre, ice skating and Christmas parties. Many events are free or low cost, and take place in familiar community venues, libraries, museums and outdoor spaces.
We have listed events by region so you can see what is happening near you. Our activity list includes options across Scotland, from Aberdeen to the Western Isles, so we hope you find something that helps your family enjoy the festive season.
As we have not attended these events ourselves, it is always worth checking details with the organiser before booking. Euan’s Guide is also a reliable place to find up to date accessibility information for venues.
Get the latest SEND updates, benefits advice, practical help caring for your child, plus free workshops and family events in our weekly email newsletter.
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