Family Fund is the UK’s largest charity providing grants to families raising disabled or seriously ill children and young people. Last year, we provided 88,119 grants and services worth over £33 million to families across the UK.

We aim to give all families raising disabled and seriously ill children and young people the same opportunities as others by providing grants for essential items such as washing machines, sensory toys, family breaks, bedding, clothing and computers. We know that raising a disabled child can be a struggle financially, emotionally and physically, and our grants help to ease some of the additional pressures that families face. 

Emma’s Story

Six year old Emma was recently awarded a grant for an iPad. Her mum, Eileen, said, Emma has a diagnosis of ASD. She doesn’t sleep, she has a lot of meltdowns and we need to be with her constantly.

Eileen described the iPad as a “lifeline” for Emma. She said:

The educational apps help Emma with her learning, she loves watching videos, and it calms her down a lot too, it’s so useful. Recently, Emma experienced her first nosebleed and was really upset, she had a big meltdown as she didn’t understand what was happening and she was terrified. We got the iPad out and found some videos of other people who had nosebleeds so she could see that it was nothing to be frightened of. This helped a lot, and she spent hours researching – now she can tell you why nosebleeds happen, how to stop them, she’s the expert!

The iPad is really helping her to understand the world around her. If it wasn’t for the grant it would have taken us a long time to save up, it’s lovely to know that there is that support available.

How else can we help?

Our support isn’t just financial. Our Digital Inclusion programme helps families get the most out of their digital devices through one-to-one or group training, covering topics including accessibility features, parental controls, guided access and more.  We know that sleep difficulties are commonplace for families raising disabled children, and our sleep support hub, Tired Out, provides useful information and resources to help families get a better night’s sleep.

Get in touch

If you would like to apply for a grant or find out more, visit the Family Fund website, call 01904 550055, or visit them at stand H1 at Kidz to Adultz Middle.

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