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Overview

Child disability payment (CDP) has replaced disability living allowance (DLA) for children living in Scotland. It is very similar to DLA. All children who were getting DLA and live in Scotland will have been transferred to CDP.

When a parent claims child disability payment (CDP) for a child, they may ask someone to give them a supporting letter. Social Security Scotland may also contact the child's school to ask for more information about a pupil’s needs.

Child disability payment

There are two components of CDP. A pupil may get one or both components depending on their particular needs and difficulties.

The care component is for children who need extra help with day-to-day activities, including learning at school. These include communication needs, social interaction, concentrating and staying motivated as well as dressing, eating, using the toilet, washing, etc. Needing prompting or encouragement with these can count, as well as actual physical help. The benefit can also be awarded if a pupil needs extra supervision to avoid danger to themselves or others.

The mobility component is for children who have a physical disability or long-term health condition that causes difficulty walking. This includes genetic conditions such as Down's Syndrome or an Autistic Spectrum Disorder if they make walking outside difficult. This component is also for children who need extra help to get to new places and when outside in areas they do not know well. Even if a child can physically walk, they may still qualify for the mobility component. Children with sensory impairments or behavioural difficulties could be eligible, for example.

New claims can generally only be made for those under 16 years old at the time of the claim, but they can remain on CDP until they are 18. If they are under 16, their needs must be substantially greater than those of someone the same age without any disability or health problem or be like those that a younger child would be expected to have.

Note: some pupils aged 16 or over may claim adult disability payment (ADP). The entitlement rules are very different from CDP. Seek advice if a young person is asking you to support them with an ADP claim. If a pupil is already getting CDP, they should seek advice about whether it is advisable to claim ADP in this situation.

If you are asked to provide supporting information

If you are asked by a parent to provide supporting information for a claim for CDP, consider whether you or a colleague are best placed to complete it. If nobody at the school can provide the required information, check with the parent if there are other medical or social care professionals involved with the pupil, as they may be in a better position to help.

If you are able to do so, it is best to provide a specific statement to support the claim. You might find it useful to see the claim form, to see the things that the pupil's parent has felt it is important to mention. If they have one, a copy of any individualised educational programme or co-ordinated support plan may demonstrate some of the extra help that the pupil needs. It is not usually advisable to provide a standard school report as they don't often show the extra help and support that is needed.

If you are not able to provide a supporting statement immediately, don't hold on to the pupil’s form. If the form goes missing, or there is a delay in returning it to the Social Security Scotland office, the family may lose money. Your letter can be included with the form or returned separately.

The Scottish government has published advice on providing and returning supporting information on mygov.scot.

Social Security Scotland may also contact the school directly about the pupil. The child's parent will have given permission for them to contact you to seek further evidence about the child's needs if required. There is guidance about this process on the Social Security Scotland website.

What kinds of supporting information are helpful

The following points may be helpful to consider when completing any form of supporting statement, either directly for the parent or in response to a request by Social Security Scotland.

  • State all of the pupil’s disabilities and health problems that you are aware of.
  • Explain any help that the pupil needs with taking medication or other treatment at school, including emergency medications, if applicable.
  • If the school is non-mainstream, indicate the staff-pupil ratio, and any specialist training that staff have.
  • If the education is in a mainstream setting, explain what classroom-based support is provided to the pupil, and any other extra help that is needed.
  • Describe any special classroom materials or techniques used by the pupil (such as Braille materials, signing, etc.), and if help is needed to use these.
  • Describe any behavioural problems that the pupil has, and what staff do to help overcome them.
  • Highlight any difficulties the pupil has with the logistics of school life, whether caused by physical problems getting around school, memory problems, or the need to follow a fixed routine, etc.
  • Describe the extra help needed with personal care tasks during school hours. This may include such things as using the toilet or dealing with incontinence, changing for PE, or eating and drinking, including any special diets.
  • Explain the arrangements made for school trips, and whether extra needs result from a physical condition or a requirement for close supervision. Bear in mind that the school’s arrangements may already provide a high level of supervision, even if no extra arrangements are in place for a particular pupil.
  • If you are aware of the extent of a pupil's needs for extra help outside school hours, explain this.

The most important thing is to use your knowledge of the individual pupil to make clear the extra help that they require compared to a non-disabled child.

Further information and advice for parents

A carer's centre, Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB), local welfare rights services at your council or local housing association, or a specialist disability charity may be able to help with benefit claims.

The charity Contact, for families with disabled children, operate an advice helpline on 0808 808 3555. Information can be found on the Contact website.

You can find your nearest advice centre using Advicelocal.
There is more information about child disability payment, including how to apply, at mygov.scot.