We setup this website because there's a whole load of support available to SEND families, but much of it isn't widely known about or publicised. For example, it's estimated that every year in the UK there are £15 billion of unclaimed benefits that people would have been entitled to, while research from SCOPE shows that on average a family with a disabled child would have to pay £581 a month to have the same standard of living as a family with a non-disabled child. We're now over 5 years into our SEND journey with our son and we're still finding out about things we would have been entitled to had we known about them. These are the first things we would recommend you look at:
Disability Living Allowance (DLA)
Is a government benefit - If your child requires more care than their peers typically would do, chances are you'll be able to claim DLA for them. It's not means tested which means that you can claim regardless of what your income is and your child does not need official diagnoses in order to be able to claim (although they would likely help your claim). See more here: DLA
Carers Allowance
If you care for your child for 35 hours a week or more and they're in receipt of at least Middle Rate Care DLA, you'll be entitled to claim carers allowance. Carers allowance is a means tested benefit, which means you'll only be able to claim if you have a relatively low income.
See more here: Carers Allowance
Education, Health And Care Plan (EHCP)
Depending on the needs of your child, it may be worth considering applying for an EHCP. “An Education, Health and Care plan (“EHC plan”) is a legal document which describes a child or young person’s special educational needs, the support they need, and the outcomes they would like to achieve.” Your local authority conduct a detailed assessment of your child and then, if they decide it's appropriate, issue an EHCP, which is a legal document that sets out the support that your child must be given and allocates the extra funding for this. If support is not available from your local authority, an EHCP could allocate you funding to source appropriate support or therapy independently. An EHCP could also allow your child to access a special school if that would better cater for their needs than a mainstream school. See more here: EHCP
Carers Support
When raising a child with SEND it's easy to forget that you're now a carer and to neglect your own needs. You're no use to your child if you can't cope yourself. There are many carers support organisations and your local authority may be able to provide you with support as well as your child. Consider applying for a needs assessment from your local authority to access support from them and look at the Carers Support section here. You can search for carers support organisations local to you at carers.org
Assistance with equipment, therapy and anything else that costs money!
There are many organisations that offer grants and financial support to those in need. Most are means tested (which means they'll only be available to you if your income is below a certain level or you're in receipt of certain benefits) to ensure that only those who really need the help receive it. A good starting point for most would be "Family Fund" (see listing under "National Support" section). This is a charity that aims to improve the lives of low-income families raising disabled or seriously ill children and young people. They offer grants for short breaks, essential items and services (eg washing machines, toys, furniture, tablets / computers, bedding, clothing etc) and their website also has a series of guides on various types of support that is available.
To be able to apply for a grant you must meet certain criteria, which are basically that your child must have a high level of additional support needs arising from a long term disabling condition or a serious or life limiting illness and you must be in receipt of a means tested benefit (eg Universal Credit, Housing Benefit etc).
Then look through the rest of the listings on this website of support and grants that might be available to you. Particularly take a look at the "Other Support" page as some of these things you might not have thought about - did you know that your child might be entitled to a Disabled Blue Badge even if they can walk, or you might be able to get a larger wheelie bin from your local council or discounts on your water bill?