Disabled children e-petition

15 August 2011

An e-petition has been created by The Children's Society asking the Department for Work and Pensions to not let disabled children pay the price for welfare reform.

The petition says:

"Following the introduction of the government's new "Universal Credit" welfare system, many families with disabled children will face a cut to the financial support they receive. The new system will result in these children losing up to £1400 per year (£27 per week) compared to the current system - by the time a disabled child reaches 16, this could cost the family £22,000. Because the support is means tested the poorest families could stand to lose the most.

"The Government estimates that 100,000 disabled children would lose out under this change - other estimates suggest the number could be considerably higher. Financial support is crucial to help these families with the costs of raising a disabled child and manage their extra caring responsibilities; now is the time to makes some noise and ensure that these damaging proposals do not get approved. Disabled children should not pay the price for welfare reform - sign this petition to stop this cut."

The closing date for the petition is 5 August 2012.