General practitioners have voiced concerns over Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) disability payments being made to nearly one million children across the UK. The number of young recipients is expected to reach a historic milestone, with government forecasts predicting that 1.03 million children will be claiming support by 2027. Currently, approximately 900,000 children receive Disability Living Allowance (DLA), but fresh figures indicate this total will exceed one million by next year.
Alarm Bells Ringing
Joe Shalam from the Centre for Social Justice warned that these forecasts should ring alarm bells. He stated: "Our research has found GPs increasingly concerned that young people are being pushed into medical and welfare pathways rather than their needs being met early through family, school and community support." Shalam added that the danger lies in more children being placed on a conveyor belt towards long-term dependency, which is detrimental to both taxpayers and the children whose potential is being written off before adulthood.
Understanding Disability Living Allowance
Disability Living Allowance for children helps with the extra costs of caring for a child under 16 who has walking difficulties or requires significantly more care than a child of the same age without a disability. To qualify, all eligibility requirements must be met. The DLA rate ranges from £30.30 to £194.60 per week, depending on the level of assistance the child needs.
Transition to Personal Independence Payment
When a child turns 16, they must apply for Personal Independence Payment (PIP). They will receive an invitation letter shortly after their 16th birthday, or after leaving hospital if they were in hospital on that birthday, or about 20 weeks before their DLA award ends if it was granted under special rules for those with a life expectancy of 12 months or less. DLA payments will cease unless the application for PIP is submitted by the specified date. If the application is made on time, DLA continues until the claim is assessed.
