Are you feeling overwhelmed by the prospect of filling out complex forms for disability benefits? We’re here to offer expert assistance. Our Form Filling Assistance service is designed to provide you with support and guidance throughout the form completion process.
Up to 45 minutes information session via telephone/ video call
£35
Up to 60 minutes information session via telephone/ video call
Electronic and hard copy notes to complete form in full
£60
Up to 60 minutes information session via telephone/ video call
Electronic and hard copy notes to complete form in full
£75
Filling out forms for benefits or assessments can be confusing and time-consuming. Here’s why you should choose our Form Filling Assistance service:
Expert Guidance: Our team of experts are well-versed in navigating various forms for disability benefits. We’ll provide you with expert guidance to ensure that your forms are completed accurately and thoroughly.
Personalised Support: We understand that everyone’s situation is unique, and that’s why we offer personalised support tailored to your specific needs. Whether you’re applying for disability benefits or completing forms, we’ll work with you to ensure that the information provided is accurate and relevant.
Efficiency: Our Form Filling Assistance service is designed to save you time and hassle. Instead of struggling with complicated forms on your own, let us help you take care of the paperwork. We’ll work with you to ensure that your forms are completed efficiently and submitted on time.
Peace of Mind: Dealing with forms for benefits or assessments can be stressful, but with our assistance, you can have peace of mind knowing that everything is being handled correctly. We’ll review your forms thoroughly to minimise errors and maximise your chances of success.
Accessibility: Our Form Filling Assistance service is available to anyone who needs help completing forms for benefits or assessments. Whether you’re applying for the first time or need assistance with a review or renewal, ICANN are here to support you every step of the way.
Yes! ICANN offers comprehensive support to help you or a family member or friend to complete the Attendance Allowance form. We can make sure that all the information to support your claim is included on the form.
Need information, advocacy support or information? You Can with ICANN. Contact us today on 01772 746061
Child DLA is a benefit which helps pay for the extra costs associated with a child under 16 who has a physical and/or mental disability that causes them to need more care, attention, supervision, or help with mobility than a child of the same age without a disability. The need for help must have lasted for at least three months and be expected to last for at least another six months, and it’s based on their needs, not their diagnosis. A child does not need a formal diagnosis to qualify. It is made up of 2 parts – a care part and a mobility part. A child can get money for one part or both.
If a child is terminally ill (i.e. they have 12 months or less to live) then they do not have to have had these difficulties for 3 months. The child would come under special rules, and you do not need to answer the care questions on the form.
Care
There are 3 care rates: lowest, middle and highest. Care can be claimed from birth.
Lowest Rate – if a child needs extra looking after for some of the day, which can be for as little as an hour.
Middle Rate – if a child:
Highest Rate – if a child needs help during the day and night. A child may also get the highest rate if a claim is made under the special rules. Special rules apply when a child is terminally ill and has 12 months or less to live.
Extra means a child needing more help and support above what a child of the same age who does not have long term health conditions and/or disability |
Mobility
There are 2 rates higher and lower. The child’s age determines the rate of mobility that may be awarded.
Higher Rate – Can be claimed if the child is 3 years and over if they have a physical disability:
Additionally, a child may also get higher rate mobility if:
outdoors, or
qualify for the highest rate of the care part.
Lower Rate
This can be claimed if the child is 5 years or over and can walk but needs extra help from someone to guide or supervise them to get around outdoors or somewhere they do not know well.
If a child cannot get the higher rate of mobility, then the lower rate of mobility can be considered once they are 5. If they are not already getting the care part, a new claim will need to be made when they are 5 years old |
Attention – this can include things like prompting and reminding the child. This can be any help given to the child if it is substantially more than the attention you would give a child of the same age if they did not have long term health conditions and/or disability e.g. helping a child go to the toilet, washing, dressing etc.
Continual – this is about checking the child regularly. It does not mean that it is constant or non-stop supervision.
Frequent – this is more than twice
Prolonged – at least 20 minutes or longer
Repeated – more than twice
Significant part of the day – this needs to be at least an hour but it does not need to be all at once. Consider how much of your life is disrupted on many occasions during the day by providing attention to a child
Substantial danger – this is not about the possibility of something happening but the fact that the danger is real. What are the chances of this happening and what are the consequences if it does?
Supervision – this is watching a child and being ready to intervene to prevent injury/harm
Throughout – this is spread over the day and/or night
Additional Evidence for Child DLA Care and/or Mobility
It would help the child’s claim if you can provide evidence from other people who know the child well and can provide a supporting statement outlining the help and support that they provide to the child and that these needs are over and above what help and support that a child of the same age without any health conditions and/or disabilities. This can be backed up with examples to illustrate.
This can be:
supervise may be able provide information about the child
Other supporting evidence
As part of the child’s DLA other evidence will help to provide information from a range of sources to support the claim:
With challenging any decision there is always a risk that you may end up with less DLA than was originally or end up with nothing at all. It is always worth getting advice before going down this route. Your local Citizen’s Advice may be able to help, or you may have other organisations in your area who also may be able to help you. Remember that you have 28 days to submit a Mandatory Reconsideration (MR).
The first stage in challenging a Child DLA decision is to complete an MR.
This can be done in a number of ways:
If your Child DLA decision is upheld i.e. the decision does not change, then you need to check your MR decision notice to see if it says that you have a right to appeal. If it does, then the next stage of challenging the decision is to complete a Notice to Appeal form (SSCS1). This is a legal document and must include certain information. To ensure that your application is not going to be rejected, it is sensible to use the correct form.
You can complete the SSCS1 form online: https://www.gov.uk/appeal-benefit-decision/submit-appeal Follow the instructions to complete this online form. You will be able to upload any additional medical evidence that you have along with your Mandatory Reconsideration notice before submitting it.
You can go to https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6841555de550203c8209cd75/SSCS1_0821.pdf where you can see the form and complete it online, print it off and post it to HMCTS Benefit Appeals, PO Box 12626, Harlow, CM20 9QF along with a copy of your Mandatory Reconsideration Notice and any additional medical evidence you wish to include. Ensure that all medical evidence has your name on it as well as your National Insurance number.
You can just print off the form using the link above and complete the form using a black pen post it to HMCTS Benefit Appeals, PO Box 12626, Harlow, CM20 9QF along with a copy of your Mandatory Reconsideration Notice and any additional medical evidence you wish to include. Ensure that all medical evidence has your name on it as well as your National Insurance number
Lowest Rate
Attention – the child needs help from someone in their presence. This can include cleaning up after incontinence.
Significant portion of the day – this can be a single period or a number of periods of time. It is less than frequent and so could be a 1-hour session or 2 x 30-minute sessions. It could be multiples of less time if it is someone who already helps the child lots of time during the day.
Bodily functions – this includes breathing, hearing, seeing, communicating, eating, drinking/feeding, walking, using stairs, standing, sitting, sleeping, getting in/out of bed/chair, dressing, undressing, toileting, bathing/washing, taking medication, socially integrating, changing wet bed linen/clothes, applying dressings etc.
Middle Rate
This covers either care during the day or care during the night.
Day
Day is defined as when the first member of the household gets up until the last member of the household goes to bed.
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Frequent attention – the child needs help from someone in their presence. This can include cleaning up after incontinence. This needs to be several times not just once or twice.
Throughout the day – this is spread over the day. It may be that a child needs more attention at the beginning and at the end of a day with only brief attention in between is sufficient.
Bodily functions – this includes breathing, hearing, seeing, communicating, eating, drinking/feeding, walking, using stairs, standing, sitting, sleeping, getting in/out of bed/chair, dressing, undressing, toileting, bathing/washing, taking medication, socially integrating, changing wet bed linen/clothes, applying dressings etc.
Night
Night is defined as when the last member of the household goes to bed until the first member of the household gets up.
|
Prolonged period – this needs to be 20 minutes or more. It does not need to be every night but on most nights is sufficient. Several nights a week might be sufficient.
Repeated – this needs to be more than once. It does not need to be every night but on most nights is sufficient.
Attention – the child needs help from someone in their presence. This can include cleaning up after incontinence.
Bodily functions – this includes breathing, hearing, seeing, communicating, eating, drinking/feeding, walking, using stairs, standing, sitting, sleeping, getting in/out of bed/chair, dressing, undressing, toileting, bathing/washing, taking medication, socially integrating, changing wet bed linen/clothes, applying dressings etc.
Highest Rate
This covers care needed during the day and night.
Day
Continual – this does not have to be continuous but allows for some short breaks. Occasional supervision is not enough.
Supervision – this can be involve being in the same room and monitoring the child whilst not actually interacting with them. This can go alongside acts of attention. It can include being able to detect the child’s needs from another room.
Throughout the day – this is spread over the day. It may be that a child needs more attention at the beginning and at the end of a day with only brief attention in between is sufficient.
Substantial danger – being a “considerable, solid or big” danger to themself or others. How infrequent the contemplated danger is, it’s immaterial as one incident may be catastrophic. Is the risk of falling predictable and would it be avoided with supervision? If falling is unpredictable does substantial danger arise e.g. breaking a bone/s or the fact that the child will not be in substantial danger?
Night
Prolonged period – this needs to be 20 minutes or more. It does not need to be every night but on most nights is sufficient. Several nights a week might be sufficient.
Frequent intervals – this is more than twice.
Substantial danger – being a “considerable, solid or big” danger to themself or others. How infrequent the contemplated danger is, it’s immaterial as one incident may be catastrophic. Is the risk of falling predictable and would it be avoided with supervision? If falling is unpredictable does substantial danger arise e.g. breaking a bone/s or the fact that the child will not be in substantial danger?
Aids and adaptations | |
Bathroom adapted into a wet room | Plate guard |
Grab rails | Anti-slip mats for plates, bowls etc |
Shower seat/bath board | Electric can opener |
Hoist | Perching stool |
Raised toilet seat | Jar opener |
Toilet frame | Liquid level indicator |
Urinal bottles | Dosette box |
Incontinence pads | Timers/alarms |
Stoma bags | Memo board |
Peg feed | Slip on shoes |
Adaptive cutlery | Calendar/diary |
Beakers | Prompting, reminding, encouragement from another person |
Weighted cups |
|
Are any of the aid/adaptations prescribed by a professional, if so by whom?
Note this is not an exhaustive list and there may be other aids and adaptations that are used which are not on this list.
Lower Rate
A child is eligible for the lower rate of mobility from the age of 5 years.
The criteria states that the child can walk but is so severely disabled physically or mentally and disregarding the fact of the child may be able to use familiar routes on their own cannot take advantage of the ability outdoors without guidance or supervision most of the time.
Disabled – requires substantially more guidance or supervision than other children of the same age in normal health would, or children of the same age in normal health would not require such guidance or supervision.
Take advantage – this is hypothetical and does not matter if the child ever would. If a child has a fear/anxiety this would count if it were a symptom of mental disability.
Guidance – this includes direction, persuasion, suggestion, reassurance or help (physical/verbal) to find destination.
Supervision – this means accompanying and at least monitoring for signs of a need to intervene. Supervision to help with unexpected and urgent incontinence (even to prevent committing a crime) can qualify.
Most of the time – the child needs guidance or supervision to use an unfamiliar route.
Higher Rate
Children from the age of 3 years may be eligible if they are unable or virtually unable to walk outdoors due physical disability.
Unable or virtually unable to walk – This can be with any prosthesis/aid which is used or should be used but must still be ‘walking’ – i.e. both feet weight bearing alternately. Not swinging legs through crutches.
Physical disability – this is a medical question and includes Down’s Syndrome, autism, potentially a learning disability.
Ability to walk outdoors – on a typical pavement with some degree of incline.
Distance – this needs to be a broad view combined with speed, manner etc. A 50-yard limit (45.72m) should qualify as virtually unable.
Time – this includes recovery. A 100-yards (91.44m) in 5-6 minutes has been held as ‘virtually unable’.
Manner – this can include refusal to walk when the child is not susceptible to coaxing or refusals are frequent, sustained and not easily overcome and the propensity to run off uncontrollably and generally needs firm holding.
Without severe discomfort – this can include breathlessness or soiling oneself but not just mental distress/anxiety and pain after walking as well as the time. Can consider the effect of painkillers if reasonable, safe and appropriate to use.
Serious deterioration – requiring a period of like 12 months or medical intervention to recover.
OR
Severe Mental Impairment (SMI) – this is arrested or incomplete brain development causing severe impairment of intelligence and social function, shows severe behavioural problems (extreme disruptive behaviour requiring restraint to prevent injury/damage), is so unpredictable that the child needs watching over when awake and satisfies the high rate of care. This includes autism which is arrested development which needs formal diagnosis or good evidence. ADHD is not arrested development but could count towards mobility.
OR
the child does not have legs, is deaf and blind or has a severe visual impairment.
Aids and adaptations | |
Prothesis | Extra handrails on stairs |
Walking stick | Stair lift |
Crutches | Orthotics – splints, braces, shoe inserts etc to help with mobility |
Walking frame | Hoist |
Manual wheelchair | Ramps outside the home |
You need to consider who prescribed the aids and adaptations or whether you bought them yourself for your child.
Note this is not an exhaustive list and there may be other aids and adaptations which are used which are not on this list.
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