Child benefits

AubreyMac

Is this still available for all children or is it now means tested?

My sister has had a baby, tragically we have learnt her baby is severely disabled. This has now put her in a situation where she has to be a full time stay at home mum whilst her husband continues to work as they live pretty much in the sticks and far away from relatives who could offer support. The nurses at the hospital are saying child benefits is now means tested but are not 100% sure what the salary threshold would be.

If she is unable to claim child benefits, does that also mean she can't get disability or carers allowance for her child?

Where exactly can we find the facts? The jobcentre website wasn't much help.

Mojisola

Read up on these -

https://www.gov.uk/child-benefit

https://www.gov.uk/disability-living-allowance-children/overview

https://www.gov.uk/carers-allowance/overview

Mojisola

Also - https://www.gov.uk/help-for-disabled-child/overview
and - https://www.nct.org.uk/pregnancy/babies-disabilities

whitewing

Also, do you have a diagnosis for the disability as sometimes those specific organisations can give advice based on their members' experiences.

The health visitor may also be able to point you in the right direction for other support too, so may be worth a phone call.

AubreyMac

Thank you so much, I will pass these on. All the reading is beginning to be a bit confusing as my sis needs accurate advice specific to her situation. I know it's not the nurses job to know but it isn't helpful when nurses don't know either. Her husband earns well but now that she will have to give up work completely to be a full time carer they may not be so comfortable afterall.

Whitewing - Thanks for that, never thought about it. We do have a diagnosis (rather not share here for now) but other problems could arise as the child grows as for now the doctors can't tell if the baby will develop and learn well, we have been told global developmental delay is very common.