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Disability Living Allowance for children

A plain-English guide for parents showing how to explain the extra care, supervision, and mobility support their child needs.

8 min guide
Start here if you need a core benefit route

Why this guide matters

Many later support routes become easier to spot once DLA is in place, so this guide helps families begin with the strongest foundation.

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Who this is for

Parents of children under 16 with extra care, supervision, or mobility needs.
Families who need help describing impact rather than relying on diagnosis labels alone.
Carers trying to connect home, school, sleep, and safety needs into one clear picture.

Evidence to gather

Care diary notes
School information
Clinic letters
Medication or therapy details

Free guide steps

  1. 1Read the guide summary first so you know what sort of examples matter.
  2. 2Describe what support your child needs compared with another child of the same age.
  3. 3Use day-to-day examples from home, school, travel, and overnight routines.
  4. 4Save the evidence checklist before you start the claim so you can fill gaps quickly.

Premium section

Unlock the planner pack, saved-plan tools, and templates that turn this guide into action.

SEN Connect Plus is designed to help families act on the guidance rather than reread it. Each premium layer adds working tools that support preparation, follow-up, and calmer communication.

Editable example wording for care and supervision answers.
A stronger evidence planner organised by time of day.
Follow-up prompts for linked support such as Carer’s Allowance.
Downloadable plannersOpen ready-made EHCP preparation planners, DLA diary templates, and school meeting note sheets the moment a family needs structure.
Personalised saved plansKeep a running family plan with saved next steps, personal notes, evidence reminders, and linked resources instead of starting over each time.
Local authority matchingTurn a postcode into the right local authority context, SEND directory prompts, and contact questions before time is lost chasing the wrong team.
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Related guide pages

Keep the next action connected.

See the membership flow →

6 min guide

Carer’s Allowance

A short guide to help families understand whether caring responsibilities and existing benefits make this route worth checking next.

5 min guide

Universal Credit disabled child element

A practical explanation of how families already on Universal Credit can check whether the disabled child element has been added correctly.