holiday vouchers whilst on dla/dca

Tiddlywinks

Pollycat wrote: »

So the OP is in debt.
So the OP uses Clinique.
So the OP bought a Samsung tablet for Xmas.

So what.

This attitude illustrates why we have such a "dependency culture"...

It's all about priorities... Putting your child's welfare and needs before your own and understanding that - first and foremost - you are responsible for your child's care and NOT the state!

If the OP is using premium brand beauty products yet saying she can't afford a holiday for her child but wants the rest of us to pay instead... then she isn't putting her child's welfare first... Simples!

You condoning that attitude just makes such people continue to believe they are "entitled" to anything and everything they can lay claim to.

Tigsteroonie

zaxdog wrote: »

Sorry to sound harsh but why on earth should my OH and I who work like dogs and can't afford holidays fund your family getaway?

Tiddlywinks wrote: »

If the OP is using premium brand beauty products yet saying she can't afford a holiday for her child but wants the rest of us to pay instead...

It's okay, you won't have to pay. The Family Fund is a charity. And if the OP doesn't claim it, someone else will.

Tiddlywinks

Tigsteroonie wrote: »

It's okay, you won't have to pay. The Family Fund is a charity. And if the OP doesn't claim it, someone else will.

Does that make it any better?

I think that is even worse.

In previous posts the OP talks about hotels for Legoland, having a recent loft conversion, buying a new tablet and using premium beauty products... Yet wants a charity to fund a holiday.

She needs to get her priorities straight!

AND we all need to stop acting like it's OK to take advantage of the "system" - it's not!

Tigsteroonie

She'll be assessed. If their income is found to be too high, she won't be eligible. FF don't give these grants out to everybody

BTW, I too have a tablet. And a netbook. And Marley has a netbook. Wow, three computers in the house. But we are still eligible for help from the FF, and we're going on holiday shortly thanks to their kind grant. You know why? Because even if we hadn't bought those computers, we wouldn't have enough money to go somewhere that can give us all a break but that is also suitable for our disabled son. We can't just pick up a HUKD bargain £200 family holiday to Corfu, we have to make careful consideration as to where to go, when to go, how our son will cope and how to help him have fun.

So stick that in your pipe and smoke it.

summerof0763

am disabled too, not been on holiday since I became disabled, wish there was a way I could get a break, but it all seems to be for children
am all for them having a break, but what about disabled adults

Pollycat

Tiddlywinks wrote: »

This attitude illustrates why we have such a "dependency culture"...

It's all about priorities... Putting your child's welfare and needs before your own and understanding that - first and foremost - you are responsible for your child's care and NOT the state!

If the OP is using premium brand beauty products yet saying she can't afford a holiday for her child but wants the rest of us to pay instead... then she isn't putting her child's welfare first... Simples!

You condoning that attitude just makes such people continue to believe they are "entitled" to anything and everything they can lay claim to.

I suggest you check out the FamilyFund website before bandying about words like 'want us to pay'.
That's 'Simples'. :cool:

You have no idea what the OP's life is like - neither do i but I'm not on the 'dependency culture' bashing bandwagon..
Maybe the Clinique is the only little luxury she allows herself - and if she is looking after a disabled child who are you to say she should forgo that?
Maybe she does put her child child's welfare and needs before her own and does understand that - first and foremost - she is responsible for her child's care.
She's applying to the FamilyFund, not the State!

I think you are confused - we are not talking about benefits here.
I read a lot of posts on the Benefits board and certainly don't condone the 'dependency culture'.
I dislike posts that try to get round the system - for example someone who's thinking of moving in with a partner but wants to keep their benefits - but this is different.

Tiddlywinks wrote: »

Does that make it any better?

I think that is even worse.

In previous posts the OP talks about hotels for Legoland, having a recent loft conversion, buying a new tablet and using premium beauty products... Yet wants a charity to fund a holiday.

She needs to get her priorities straight!

AND we all need to stop acting like it's OK to take advantage of the "system" - it's not!

I suggest you take this advice;

Pollycat wrote: »

Instead of having a go at the OP - who is only considering applying for something that she (as a parent of a disabled child) may or may not be granted - why not direct your ire at the organisations who allow such things to happen.

Brighton_belle

Tiddlywinks wrote: »

Does that make it any better?

I think that is even worse.

In previous posts the OP talks about hotels for Legoland, having a recent loft conversion, buying a new tablet and using premium beauty products... Yet wants a charity to fund a holiday.

She needs to get her priorities straight!

AND we all need to stop acting like it's OK to take advantage of the "system" - it's not!

I can't afford holidays either, but you know what, I think it's really really tough looking after a disabled child and meeting the needs of your other children too. A break away may do them all good. And if there are funds for that purpose and they qualify, then good.

It's too easy to make assumptions based on a few posts.
Maybe that loft conversion was connected to having a disabled child, and maybe the Clinique is the one thing that helps the OP cope with the constant demand 24/7 of a disabled child and she spends absolutely nothing else on herself and it lasts a very long time. Maybe the tablet was to help the children.

OP, apply to the fund and I hope you get to have a break as a family.

kingfisherblue

I haven't read any of the OP's other sts, so I can't comment on those. However, I have received items, including partial payment for a holiday, from FF, so I think I can add my experiences.

Firstly, FF exists to help disabled children and their families. When you have a severely disabled child, the whole family is affected. FF supplies a variety of items to help the families, including vouchers towards holidays. The vouchers do not necessarily cover the whole amount, especially if you take the holiday during school holiday periods. A holiday for the family is supposed to help reduce the stress of living with a disabled child, and give the whole family a chance to relax.

FF have clear guidelines regarding income, and if the OP is found to be above the level stated, they will not qualify. FF also check the child's disability and if it is not deemed 'severe enough' or have a big enough effect on family life, they will be turned down. I know of one family who was turned down as the child's learning difficulty and deafness were not classed as severe.

The FF is a charity and I have personally found it to be very helpful. They provided a special needs car seat several years ago, when my son was escaping from his 'normal' car seat - this was invaluable, as it was a safety issue, but the price of a special needs car seat was astronomical.

So it isn't just about holidays for free, it is about getting something to support the family's needs that arises a result of a disability. Yes, that 'need' may be a holiday, and others may say that they also need a holiday, but until you have cared for someone with disabilities, you don't really know how stressful it can be. Life does change, and a few days away can make a difference to family life, allowing everyone to relax a little (although you don't stop being a carer because you are on holiday!)

As I said earlier, I don't know the OP's circumstances. I don't know if they will qualify for the FF, but if they do, the they are entitled to apply if they fulfills the charity's criteria.

Tiddlywinks

The OP has described (in other threads) her son as being "mildly autistic".

Firstly, I accept that autism brings challenges but let's not go overboard about how much the OP might need to treat herself or how much more difficult her life is as a result.

People face challenges everyday... some see them as part if life, others see them more "opportunistically"...

kingfisherblue

I forgot to add, my son has an iPad, provided by a different charity. It is a communication device for him, as he has poor speech that is difficult for others to understand. He uses an app called Proloquo2Go to help him to communicate with others. In my son's case, a tablet is an additional piece of disability equipment. He does enjoy music on it as well, though.