Excerpts:

The Every Disabled Child Matters campaign (EDCM) and the Family Fund have today (4th July) launched ‘Breaking down barriers: making work pay for families with disabled children'. This report sets out the findings of a survey of families with disabled children who receive grant help from the Family Fund on the barriers they face entering and remaining in employment.

The survey indicates that limited support in meeting the high costs of childcare, and a lack of suitable provision, means that parents of disabled children cannot afford to return to work. Only 24% of survey respondents currently access childcare, and 66% of respondents stated that they pay more for childcare for their disabled child than for their non-disabled child. One parent summed this up, saying: ‘I could not afford to go back to work full time as both my children have disabilities and would need separate childcare... the cost would make working a pointless exercise'.