Contact

UK disability charity for all families caring for a disabled child ☎️ support, info & advice ❤️ bringing families together 📢 campaigning for change!

[Contact @contactfamilies]

We’re more active (and chatty!) on our other socials 👋
Follow us where we share advice, updates, and news stories more often 💬👇

🔗 All our links: https://t.co/oZrfX4cbfs

[Contact @contactfamilies]

Our helpline will open slightly later than usual today, at 11am.

Thank you for your understanding & patience 💚

[Contact @contactfamilies]

If you’ve contacted our helpline for information, advice or support, we’d really value hearing about your experience.

Take the survey here 👇 https://t.co/VuFRp5u6dy

[Contact @contactfamilies]

Disabled children’s social care is broken, and families are paying the price.

Contact has joined more than 50 charities from the @DCPcampaign in writing to the Prime Minister, urging him to fix a system that too often leaves families without support until they reach crisis point.

The Law Commission has already set out a blueprint for a simpler, fairer system. We’re calling on the government to adopt its recommendations in full.

You can watch the Channel 4 News piece below.
https://t.co/FdPY2Owhmk

[Contact @contactfamilies]

Have you used Contact’s information and advice services? We’d love to hear from you! 📣 

Whether you’ve used our online information, helpline, social media, newsletters or printed parent guides, your experience can help us improve the support we offer families.

Our anonymous survey takes around 10 minutes to complete. Please tell us what helped, the difference it made, and what we could do better.

Your feedback will help shape the future of Contact’s information services 💚

Take the survey: https://t.co/0mt4rRttW9

[Contact @contactfamilies]

Have you used Contact’s helpline? We want to hear from you 📣

Our survey is short, and every response will help us understand what families need from our helpline.

Tell us how we did here 🔗 https://t.co/nKANQvHSNY

[Contact @contactfamilies]

🚨 Last chance to share your views on unpaid carer's employment rights

The Government is considering new employment rights for unpaid carers and it needs to hear directly from families.

Contact is calling for paid Carer’s Leave, proper paid support following a child’s serious diagnosis or deterioration, and a stronger right to return to work. We also want action on specialist childcare, Carer’s Allowance and support for self-employed carers. 

Share your experience by 11.59pm on 1 September.

Ypu can do that via the online consultation: https://t.co/VIBZF4Zbjp

[Contact @contactfamilies]

Good news for disabled bus pass holders in England! 🚌 

From 1 April 2027, time restrictions on disabled concessionary bus passes will be removed. 
https://t.co/4SubVYlqwO

[Contact @contactfamilies]

Better opportunities and proper financial security should go hand in hand. Disabled young people should not be forced to choose between them. https://t.co/dx3zpDV89j

[Contact @contactfamilies]

Disabled young people deserve more opportunities, not less financial support.

Contact has joined more than 40 charities calling on the government to protect vital financial support for disabled young people.

[Contact @contactfamilies]

But creating routes into education and employment must not be used as an excuse to cut support from disabled young people with the most significant needs.

[Contact @contactfamilies]

📣Carer’s Allowance earnings rules stop 2/3 parents working

815 parent carers responded to our online poll:

👉 36% said they had turned down additional hours or pay because of the Carer’s Allowance earnings limit.
👉 31% said they had reduced or stopped work.
👉 A further 29% were not currently in paid work, and just 4% said the earnings limit had not affected a decision about paid work.

The findings come as Contact responds to the government’s call for evidence on the future of Carer’s Allowance.

We want the government to use its review of Carer’s Allowance to create a system that gives carers greater financial security and supports those who want to remain in, return to or increase paid work.

https://t.co/vhyxVFfG1t

[Contact @contactfamilies]

📣 Contact welcomes Milburn intervention on work support with note of caution

Supported internships for learning disabled young people should be scaled up to help address the rising numbers out of employment, Alan Milburn, who is leading an ongoing review into youth employment, has said.

Una Summerson, Contact’s Head of Policy, says:

“We strongly welcome Alan Milburn’s call for many more supported internships...But expanding opportunities for those who can work must not become a justification for taking financial support away from those with the most significant disabilities."

Read more: https://t.co/dviOc0BtVA

[Contact @contactfamilies]

September is getting closer, but what happens if your child still doesn’t have a school place?

If your child is disabled or has additional needs and you’re still waiting for a placement to be confirmed, you may be feeling worried, frustrated or unsure where to turn.

Your local authority or Education Authority still has responsibilities to make sure your child can access an appropriate education. You do not simply have to accept that they will be left without one.

We’ve updated our guidance to explain:

💚 What the law says
💚 What to do if a school hasn’t been named
💚 How to challenge delays
💚 Your rights across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland
💚 Where to get further advice

Find our updated guidance here: https://t.co/DUE8uxtPRU

[Contact @contactfamilies]

The government estimates that more than half a million additional children will benefit.

Families will still need to register. Find out how to apply here: https://t.co/NNFjyTUaaJ

[Contact @contactfamilies]

From September 2026, free school meals will be expanded to ALL pupils in England whose household receives Universal Credit, regardless of household earnings. This includes families where parents are working but receive Universal Credit as a top-up.

[Contact @contactfamilies]

✅ Back-to-school checklist for families with disabled children

The new school year begins this week in some councils in Scotland and is approaching soon elsewhere. Many families are buying uniforms, packing school bags and getting back into routines. But if your child is disabled or has additional support/learning needs, they can be a lot more to think about.

We’ve put together this back-to-school checklist for families across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Every child is different, so not every point will apply to your family. We hope it helps you feel more prepared for the new term.

https://t.co/R2kEOApguT

[Contact @contactfamilies]

Many families don't realise these are two completely different assessments, AND you may be entitled to both.

Read our info here 👉 https://t.co/hgaGp8UYpt

[Contact @contactfamilies]

The new Prime Minister Andy Burnham has appointed a new ministerial team. Here’s who we’ll be working with and what we’ll be asking them to prioritise.

The government has not yet confirmed the detailed responsibilities of all Ministers of State and Parliamentary Under-Secretaries (Junior Ministers). Those portfolios will determine who leads on key issues including special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), disabled children’s social care, disability benefits and Child Trust Funds.

Some familiar faces do, however, appear likely to continue in areas that matter to families.

Read about it here 👇https://t.co/aV1pyM7jzT

[Contact @contactfamilies]

Huge thanks to the @JuliaRTrust who have given us a grant for £300,000 to help us support even more families through our Helpline and Family Finances teams over the next 3 years. 

These services provide a lifeline to families with disabled children across the UK and this funding will be truly transformational. 

We are so grateful to the Trust for supporting this important work.