Cost of living crisis: 6 things all families with disabled children can do now

3 mins read

Tuesday 22 February 2022

Tags: energy crisis, cost of living

Families with disabled children will be amongst the hardest hit by the ‘cost of living’ crisis: many experience higher energy bills and household costs while also spending their own savings on vital support for their family. Our research shows a third have been plunged into debt during the pandemic.

Though the government has proposed a package of measures aimed at offsetting some of the rise in energy costs and soaring inflation from April, for many families this will not go far enough — and thousands remain understandably anxious about the future.

To help, we’ve put together a handy checklist of six steps that every parent carer should take now to ensure they are in the best possible position to cope with rising costs.

  1. Use the Benefits Calculator on our website to check if you’re claiming everything you’re eligible for. It takes just 10 minutes.
  2. Try our Grants Search to see if you’re eligible for charitable financial support to fund vital equipment, white goods, home adaptations and other essentials. You may also find that you’re entitled to local welfare assistance schemes, budgeting loans and council tax discounts.
  3. Get help with your fuel, water and other utility bills. There are a number of schemes and grants across the UK to help you limit your water payments and stay warm in cold months.
  4. Take a look at our tips to save on energy bills. While many suppliers offer schemes to help with fuel costs, reduced tariffs are increasingly hard to find amid this year’s energy price crisis. Changing small everyday habits could significantly help cut back on your family’s usage.
  5. Check what help you could get for education, health, transport, housing and leisure costs. This covers a variety of expenses: school meals and uniforms, transport to school or hospital, prescription charges, NHS treatments, bus and rail travel, parking, driving lessons, home adaptations and much more.
  6. Keep our Money Matters guide saved somewhere, such as in your browser’s bookmarks. This way, you can easily refer back to it when you need advice on benefits, grants, loans, discounts and other sources of financial support. We have a guide covering England and Wales and a separate one for Scotland families.

For more helpful advice, join our Facebook group for parent carers or get in touch with our free helpline for support.