Families with disabled children are going without essentials such as food and heating.
This is the norm, not a temporary crisis brought on by the economic slump, says a shocking new survey by Contact a Family.
‘Counting the Costs 2010’ asked over 1,100 UK parents caring for a disabled child about their current financial situation.
The survey’s key findings include:
• Almost a quarter are going without heating (23%);
• One in seven (14%) are going without food;
• More than half have borrowed money from family or friends (51%) to keep financially afloat or pay for essentials;
l More than 40% have applied for a charity grant;
l Almost three quarters (73%) are going without days out and leisure time with the family.
Srabani Sen, chief executive of Contact a Family, said: ‘Many families with disabled children are in financial dire straits.
‘Everyone has been hit hard by the recession, but families with disabled children were already having to cope with a harsh combination of extra living costs and the difficulty of holding down a job and caring.
‘These financial pressures have been worsened by the economic slump and have left many at breaking point.’
‘Counting the Costs 2010’ shows that financial difficulties have a negative impact on many aspects of life and increase families’ social isolation.
Over two-thirds (68 per cent) of those surveyed were going without holidays.
‘Even basic activities, such as swimming or going to the local park that other families take for granted, are difficult and this is worsened by a lack of money,’ Contact a Family said.
In the last 12 months, 29 per cent of parents surveyed said they had fallen behind with their utility bills, 15 per cent with their Council Tax, 14 per cent with their mortgage or rent, and 34 per cent with their credit card or loan repayments.
Over 25 per cent have taken out loans, and three quarters of those have used the loan to pay off other debts.
‘I do not know how to describe the hell that is imposed on us as a family due to financial worries,’ one parent told the charity.
‘It impacts on every single aspect of our lives.’
Another said: ‘I have suicidal thoughts over the amount of debt we have sunk into.
‘I can’t see our situation ever improving. Friends think I am strange for not meeting in cafes.
‘A cup of tea is the equivalent of two hours Carer’s Allowance.’
Contact a Family sounded the alarm about the impact of the Tory government’s plans for savage public spending cuts over the next five years.
Srabani Sen said: ‘In the forthcoming Comprehensive Spending Review we call on the government to pay particular attention to ensuring that families with disabled children are genuinely protected.’