Contact - For families with disabled children

20/08/2026

The SEND consultation earlier this year did not properly recognise children who are educated out of school. We know that EOTAS packages can be the difference between learning and not, when school or college isn’t an option. The Department for Education has now committed to a specific consultation ...

20/08/2026

Good luck to everyone receiving their GCSE results today! 🍀

Whether the results bring celebration, disappointment or uncertainty, grades do not define who your young person is, and there is more than one route towards a future they can thrive in.

If you’re a parent carer of a disabled young person and need information or advice about what happens next, our friendly helpline advisers are here to help.

☎️ Call our free helpline on 0808 808 3555
🕤 Open Monday to Friday, 9.30am–5pm
Please note: on Tuesdays, the helpline opens at 10.15am.

You can also find more ways to contact us here: contact.org.uk/helpline

Whatever today brings, you don’t have to navigate the next steps alone.

19/08/2026

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.

We strongly support better opportunities for those who want to work, including more supported internships, accessible transport, effective employment support and genuinely inclusive workplaces.

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.

Better opportunities and proper financial security should go hand in hand. Disabled young people should not be forced to choose between them.

19/08/2026

If you are disabled, living with a long-term health condition, or you care for someone who is disabled, we would like to hear your views on the Timms Review recommendations.

We especially want to hear from you if you have experience of Personal Independence Payment (PIP).

By joining a Timms Review shaping recommendations workshop, you can help to refine the proposals and inform the Review’s final recommendations.

There are 9 in-person workshops and 6 online workshops running in September and October.

Register your interest by 21 August.

Sign up now: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/timms-review-of-personal-independence-payment-register-your-interest-in-a-shaping-recommendations-workshop on gov.uk to find out more.

19/08/2026

More than 90% of people responding to the Timms Review described claiming Personal Independence Payment (PIP) as a negative experience.

Disabled people have described the process as “dehumanising”, “soul destroying” and “degrading”, and the interim report concludes that PIP is highly valued, but no longer fit for purpose.

Contact agrees that the assessment process needs urgent reform. It must better reflect people’s real day-to-day experiences, including fluctuating conditions, mental health conditions, neurodiversity, supervision needs and night-time care.

But reform must NOT mean restricting access to essential financial support. PIP helps disabled people to meet the additional costs of disability and participate in education, employment and their communities.

18/08/2026

📣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.

Carer’s Allowance earnings rules prevent two thirds of parent carers from taking on more paid work, our new polling shows. 815 parent carers responded to our online poll: Carer’s Allowance is currently worth £86.45 a week. But carers can lose their entire payment if their earnings go above the ...

18/08/2026

📣 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."

18/08/2026

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 in the comments 🔗

17/08/2026

What is the most useful reasonable adjustment your child has received at school?

17/08/2026

Parent carers need support before exhaustion becomes a crisis.

Contact’s CEO Anna Bird has written to the Guardian (link in comments) about what families raising disabled children tell us every day: support must be available early, including help at home, short breaks and recognition of parent carers’ own needs.

Families should not have to reach breaking point before anyone listens.

The Government is due to respond to the Law Commission’s recommendations for reforming disabled children’s social care by 16 September.

You can help us show why change is urgently needed by emailing your MP about your family’s experiences.

We are Contact, the charity for families with disabled children. We support families, bring families together and help families take action for others.