Disabled Children Register (BAND) and Max Card
Help us see the support we need to give people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) in Buckinghamshire by signing up for the Buckinghamshire Additional Needs Database (BAND), also known as the Disabled Children Register (DCR).
BAND allows us to gather information about local children and young people with SEND up to 25 years.
It records information such as:
- types of disabilities
- ages of children and young people with SEND
- where children and young people with SEND live
This helps us to plan and improve local support and services for children and young people with SEND and their families.
If you register you can get a Max Card for discounted family days out.
How to register
To register, you must live in the Buckinghamshire Council area.
To check if you are in the right area, enter your postcode in the find your local council tool on GOV.UK.
You may need to set up a new customer account
Our online form changed in December 2025. If you had an account before 1 December 2025, you will need to create a new customer account to access the form.
If you have recently created an account to access services such as School Transport, School Admissions, Waste Permits, or Garden Waste payments, you can use the same login details to access this form.
Manage your details
If you need to update your details, you can log in to your account.
We will send reminders to you asking you to check and update all details each year.
If you would like your and your child's/children's details removed, you can delete them once logged into your account.
Request a replacement Max Card
To request a replacement Max Card, log in to your account.
Replacement max cards can take 4 to 6 weeks to arrive.
Help and support
If you have any questions or need support with the forms, our team are here to help Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm. Get in touch by:
What is Max Card
Max Card is a discount scheme for children with SEND up to 25 years.
It allows families to visit hundreds of attractions across the UK for free or at a discounted rate.
To get a Max Card you need to add your child or children's details to BAND (DCR).
Once you have registered, you will get a Max Card within 4 weeks. You can find the expiry date on the back of the card. If your card has expired you can request a replacement card by logging into your account and request replace my max card.
BAND and Max Card terms and conditions
- You must complete a form to register a child. You will be asked if your child has a mild, moderate, or severe: physical disability; visual impairment; hearing impairment; learning disability; speech or language impairment; social communication impairment; psychiatric illness; chronic health condition; behavioural or emotional issue.
- We will also ask if your child is getting short breaks in Buckinghamshire so that we can continue to improve our services.
- If you register your child, it will not affect any services your child currently receives. It will not affect any future entitlement to services. Every child’s needs will continue to be considered on an individual basis.
- All information held is treated in the strictest confidence and protected in accordance with the Data Protection Act 2018. By signing up you confirm consent for the council to process data in the council's systems.
- Your information will be used anonymously to help plan, monitor, and develop services for disabled children and their families in Buckinghamshire.
- Some information may be shared with authorised personnel in the council and other organisations. You will have full access to the information that is held about your child and the right to remove it at any time.
- Section 10 of the Children Act 2004 provides the legal basis for partnership working across local authorities, health authorities, and other relevant parties (for example, parent forums). These may be used for the planning and delivery of short breaks and other services.
- We will use your contact details to keep you up to date with developments in services, the parents’ forum FACT Bucks, and other information for disabled children and young people.
- If you would like your contact details to be used by Buckinghamshire Council to send you relevant information, or you would like your contact details to be given to FACT Bucks to send you relevant information, then complete the ‘opt in’ boxes on the registration form.
- Registration is not a requirement to get any services in Buckinghamshire and does not mean automatic entitlement to any service.
- When you complete your registration, you will be given the option to receive a Max Card. If you choose to receive this, none of your information is shared with Max Card.
- Max Cards will be supplied while stocks last. There is no guarantee or entitlement.
- To keep BAND up to date, every 12 to 18 months you will be sent a reminder to check that the information held about your child is current and accurate. You will be asked to make any amendments to your information that may have taken place, for example, a change of address or school.
- The record will be archived for 6 months when your child turns 25, and it will be deleted after that time unless you choose to delete it sooner.
- You can delete your record at any time from your account.
The Max Card is for children and young people with a disability who meet the definition of disability under the Equality Act 2010. A person with a disability is defined as having "a physical or mental impairment which has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on their ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities". Substantial is defined as "more than trivial".'
Learning Disability Register
If your child has a learning disability, ask your GP to add them to the learning disability register.
By joining the register your child will get extra support when visiting your GP, and when they're 14 and over they should also get an annual health check.
If your child also has a medical condition that needs managing in school, such as:
- asthma
- epilepsy
- Type 1 Diabetes
Your GP or other health professionals can work with you, your child and the school or setting to draw up an Individual Health Care Plan (IHP) for the school to follow.
The Mencap website provides advice and information on the learning disability register and how you can join.
Directory of activities
You can find out about activities, clubs and groups, places to visit and more, in our SEND directory.