Latest News for Parents & Carers

Around six million disabled people will receive a £150 cost of living payment from the end of September, the government says. The payment is intended to help disabled people with the rising cost of living and the higher costs they face, such as for care and mobility needs.

A pop-up leisure centre for children with disabilities has launched a fundraising appeal to build a permanent base. Physiotherapist Stephanie Wheen set up Gympanzees four years ago when she saw the lack of facilities in Bristol. She said she gets “desperate calls” from parents asking them to run all year round.

As her sons were diagnosed on the autism spectrum, Sandra Thom-Jones began to wonder if she too was autistic – and fear she wasn’t.

A combination of the pandemic and social media pressures is driving a surge in mental health problems, including eating disorders, among young people. Lizzie, a former patient at West London NHS Trust, developed anorexia in her teens after struggling with anxiety and depression when she was just 12.

A report by the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Committee has called on the Government to update its energy support packages to help the most vulnerable and low-income households.