SEND benefits

People with SEND can apply for an Access to Work grant to help make their workplace more suitable.

You should first speak to your employer to ask if they can make reasonable adjustments to help you do your work.

If your employer is unable to do this, an Access to Work grant can help you pay for:

• special equipment, adaptations or support worker services to help you do things like answer the telephone or go to meetings
• help getting to and from work

Read more about Access to Work and eligibility.

Attendance Allowance can pay for extra costs if your disability is severe enough that you need someone to help look after you.

Read more about Attendance Allowance and eligibility.

People with SEND can apply for an Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) if their disability or health condition affects how much they can work.

ESA gives you:

• money to help with living costs if you are not able to work
• support to get back into work if you are able to

Read more about Employment and Support Allowance and eligibility.

People with SEND over the age of 16 can apply for a Personal Independence Payment (PIP).

This is to help with any extra costs you have to pay because of your SEND.

To see if you are eligible for PIP, you need to be assessed by a health professional.

PIP replaces the Disability Living Allowance (DLA) for adults.

If you are already claiming DLA, you can keep doing this until the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) asks you to apply for PIP.

You do not need to do anything until DWP writes to you about your DLA, unless your circumstances change.

Read more about Personal Independence Payments.

If you care for someone for at least 35 hours a week, you may get a Carer's Allowance.

Claiming Carer's Allowance may affect other benefits that you and the person you care for can get.

Read more about Carer's Allowance eligibility and how to make a claim.

You could get Carer’s Credit if you are looking after a person with SEND for at least 20 hours a week.

Carer’s Credit is a National Insurance credit that helps with gaps in your National Insurance record.

This is important as your state pension is based on your National Insurance record.

Read more about Carer’s Credit eligibility and how to make a claim.

Carer Premium is an extra payment you can get if you are entitled to a Carer's Allowance.

You must also be claiming one of these benefits:

• income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
• Income Support
• Council Tax support
• income based Jobseeker’s Allowance
• Housing Benefit
• Pension Credit
• Universal Credit

Read more about Carer Premium or ask for details at your nearest Jobcentre Plus.

Disability Living Allowance (DLA) for children may help you with the extra costs of looking after a child who:

• is under 16
• has difficulties walking, or needs more looking after than a child of the same age who does not have a disability

When your child turns 16, they will no longer get DLA. They must apply for Personal Independence Payment (PIP) instead.

Read more about DLA for children eligibility and how to make a claim.

If you have SEND, or are caring for a child with SEND, you may be able to get Disabled Facilities Grants (DFG) to make changes to your home.

This could be to:

• widen doors and put in wheelchair ramps
• improve access to rooms and facilities, such as stairlifts or a downstairs bathroom
• change heating or lighting controls to make them easier to use

Read more about DFG eligibility and how to make a claim.

A personal budget is used to help get the intended results or outcomes from an education, health and care (EHC) plan.

You can use a personal budget to pay for education, health, social care and other services you choose, which gives you more flexibility and control.

Personal budgets are available to:

• young people with SEND who have an EHC plan
• parents or carers of children with SEND who have an EHC plan

The money in a personal budget can be paid directly to you, so you can decide how the money is best spent. This is known as a direct payment.

Read more about personal budgets and direct payments.