There are services providing help for disabled children and young people, they include, local education authorities, schools, social service departments and the NHS. The voluntary organisations concerned with a particular disability may be able to offer special help andexpertise.There may also be particular benefits to claim.

Social services

The local social services department provides a range of services which may include:

Social workers can visit your family to give advice on bringing up a disabled child. They will tell you about the services that can help, and put you in touch with the most appropriate voluntary organisations. These will offer the opportunity to discuss difficulties and exchange ideas with other parents in your position.

Nurseries, childminders or playgroups help disabled children achieve their full potential. There may also be mother and toddler groups and projects to support parents and children, or opportunity groups. Children who normally go to school can use these facilities in the holidays. If you can afford it, there may be a small charge.

Day care can be provided, if your child is disabled or considered to be in need, or if you yourself are disabled. This could be in a nursery, with a registered childminder or for a few hours in a playgroup

Tokens for free milk can be provided for children aged 5-16 who are so mentally and physically disabled they cannot attend any school. Contact: Family Credit Helpline, Government Buildings, Cop Lane, Penwortham, Preston PR1 0SA

Temporary accommodation or respite care with a private family in a residential home to allow the rest of the family to take a break or holiday

Home care as part of a package of services.

Loans of equipment and play materials either directly or through a toy or leisure library

Contact your local authority social services department.

Toy libraries lend carefully chosen, good quality toys to families, including those with children who have special needs. Some may also lend specially adapted toys and equipment. As well as encouraging children to benefit from play, toy libraries offer a supportive service to parents and carers.

The NHS

The NHS provides a full range of services for disabled children, including therapy and specialist services and specialist aids and equipment. Health visitors have a particular role in helping families with new born babies and children under 5.

It is important to identify any disabilities at an early age. If you, as a parent, have concerns you should contact your GP, health visitor, therapist, school doctor, community paediatrician, child health clinic or child development centre.

Voluntary organisations

Many of the different organisations concerned with helping children with disabilities belong to the Council for Disabled Children, which acts as a forum to co-ordinate the development of services for disabled children and their families.Supporting organisations include: Action for Sick Children/ AFASIC/ ASBAH (Association for Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus)/ Barnado’s/ British Dyslexia Association/ British Epilepsy Association/ British Institute of Learning Difficulties/ The Children’s Society/ Contact a Family/ CSIE/ DIAL Bradford/ Disability Wales - Anabledd Cymru/ Down’s Syndrome Association/ Family Fund Trust/ GLAD/ HAPA/ I CAN/ IPSEA/ KIDS/ The Lady Hoare Trust/ MacIntyre Care Ltd/ MENCAP/ National Autistic Society/ National Deaf Children’s Society/ NAESC/ Parents for Inclusion/ Phab/ Pre-school Learning Alliance/ RADAR/ RNIB/ RNID/ Save the Children Fund/ SCOPE/ Sense/ The Signalong Group/ Skill/ Thomas Coram Foundation for Children/ Young Minds.
Tel: 0207 843 6061/6058

MOVE Europe is a registered charity (no. 1062307) working with severely disabled children in a Programme designed to increase their mobility and therefore their independence. MOVE works with children, families and schools to set tangible goals which the child really wants to achieve and through a Programme comprised of education and therapy, works at teaching the child the skills they need to achieve these goals. MOVE is not a passive therapy; it is a positive, pro-active Programme which enables children to be active participants in their development and is unique in that no child is too disabled to use it. MOVE also allows parents to be involved in decision making concerning their child and to benefit from advice and support from the MOVE team.
 Click here to visit the  MOVE Europe website at http://www.move-europe.org.uk/ 

The Children’s Society is one of Britain’s most innovative childcare charities. It has over 90 projects throughout England and Wales, including refuges and projects for runaways, projects to prevent school exclusion and truancy, work with the legal system and care system, adoption and fostering for children with special needs, advocacy, benefits advice, and respite care for families.

Contact a Family brings together families of children with disabilities or special needs who need mutual support from others who share their experiences. The organisation can help with setting up local self-help groups or national ones for rare syndromes and conditions. The team of parent advisers is an excellent first point of contact for parents and professionals. Helplin: 0207 383 3555

The Research Trust for Metabolic Diseases in Children (RTMDC) provides support for parents of children with any type of metabolic disorder through networks and 20 affiliated groups; it helps families through the Befriender Network; encourages research into cures and pre-natal diagnosis; provides grants to families in financial need, publishes a newsletter and introduces pen pals. Tel: 01270 250 221

The Crohn’s in Childhood Research Association raises funds for research into ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s and related disease. It supports self-help groups and information.
Tel: 0208 949 6209

Snowdrop
Snowdrop is a consultancy in child development which specialises in providing programmes of rehabilitation for children who suffer developmental difficulties. Those difficulties may be caused by brain injury or by sociocultural sources and might express themselves in many ways, such as cerebral palsy or autism, or more specific problems such as dyslexia, dysgraphia, dyspraxia or specific language impairment (SLI)
Website: http://www.snowdrop.cc/

Whizz-Kidz
http://www.whizz-kidz.org.uk
Whizz-Kidz is a national charity that provides customised mobility equipment to disabled children and young people to increase their independence and improve the quality of life for them and their families. Whizz-Kidz is also dedicated to providing help and advice to the children and their families and raising awareness of mobility-related issues through national campaigning.

Familyonwards.com (http://www.familyonwards.com) A website by Jill Curtis with a wide range of topics and help for parents.

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