Help with Disability Living Allowance for children

A plain-English eligibility check, then a step-by-step wizard for the DLA1A Child form. Every question has prompts and a short example — designed for parents and carers who find this kind of form hard.

DLA is for disabled children under 16 in England and Wales. (Scotland uses Child Disability Payment instead.) Like PIP, it’s not means-tested and not diagnosis-based — it’s about the extra help your child needs compared to other children the same age.

Your privacy: the check and the form-fill run entirely in your browser. Your answers are saved on this device, never sent anywhere by us, and you can clear them at any time.
Start the check

What to expect
  1. Check — answer a few questions to see if DLA is likely to apply to your child.
  2. Get the form — phone 0800 121 4600 to have the DLA1A posted to you, OR download it from gov.uk. If you call and return within 6 weeks, the claim is backdated to the call date.
  3. Prepare — use our wizard to write strong answers for the care and mobility sections, with prompts and short examples for each.
  4. Copy onto the form in pen — DWP only accept the original printed form, completed by hand. We do not (and can’t) submit on your behalf.
  5. Decision — by post, usually within 6–8 weeks. If you disagree, you have 1 month to ask for a Mandatory Reconsideration.

If you’d like a real human to help, Contact (the charity for families with disabled children) and Citizens Advice both offer free expert support — see the sidebar.

Before you start

DLA for children isn’t means-tested or diagnosis-based — we won’t ask about your money. We will ask in detail about the help your child needs and how that compares to other children of the same age. That comparison is the heart of the claim.

You might want to gather:

  • Your child’s full name, date of birth, address.
  • Your details (parent / carer / guardian) and a UK bank account in your name.
  • Names and addresses of your child’s GP, consultants, school SENCO, therapists.
  • Any SR1 form if your child is nearing the end of life.

If your child is in Scotland, claim Child Disability Payment instead. If you’re in Northern Ireland, use nidirect.gov.uk.

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