DLA for Children

Disability Living Allowance helps with the extra costs of bringing up a child with a disability or health condition. It isn't means-tested, it's paid on top of almost everything else, and it can unlock hundreds of pounds a month in other help-including Carer's Allowance and extra Universal Credit.

Lots of families never claim, or accept a refusal they could have overturned. This plain-English guide brings together the official rules, advice from Citizens Advice and charities like Contact and Cerebra, and the tips parents share with each other, featuring the 2026/27 rates and template letters.

Inside you'll learn:

• Who can get DLA for children: And why you don't need a formal diagnosis.
• The care component: Attention, supervision, and the three rates explained.
• Night-time needs: How to evidence the most commonly missed part of a claim.
• The mobility component: Higher rate from age 3, and lower rate from age 5.
• Comparative assessment: How to compare your child's needs with other children of the same age.
• Evidence & form filling: Weak vs. strong answer comparisons.
• Mandatory reconsiderations & tribunals: Overturning unfair decisions step-by-step.
• Additional support unlocked: Reviews, transitioning to PIP at 16, and Scotland's Child Disability Payment.

Plus practical tools included:

• Four template letters
• A needs checklist & deadlines log
• A day and night care diary
• A glossary & list of free help resources

Practical, kind, and honest. Describing your child's needs isn't a betrayal of who they are-it's how you get them the support they're entitled to.