domiciliary care allowance

hi i was just wondering if anyone could help me with this?? i applied for dca for my 2 sons and have been refused. the boys have a specific speech and language disorder and have problems with their fine motor skills. they have problems learning at school and are 1 yr behind their class. one is 6 and the other is about to turn 4. they cant dress them self, the six yr old is not body aware which means he does everything with force and is too rough around younger children ( i have a 6 month old). need to be watched constantly the are not road aware and dont seem to understand daily dangers for eg. hot things that they will get burnt on. they youngest boy cant really talk clear so i have to be with him all the time to know what he wants as others dont understand him. i have 3 sons with the same disorder the oldest is 8 and he gets dca they all have different speech therapists and ots and physiologists which leave 4 to 6 apps a week . do you think i should appeal the decision or just accept it?

Most definitely appeal the decision.

A lot of these applications are being refused at first instance. If you have any doubts as to the refusal, then stick in an appeal. Success rate at appeal is reasonably high!

You say your eldest son already gets DCA, maybe theres a limit to how much one household can get. Did they give you a reason as to why your application was denied?

i haven't got the letter yet they told me over the phone so i dont no the reason.

Plenty of families are in receipt of DCA for more than one child so that won't be the reason. Its most likely to be because whilst they accept the child has a condition or disability, they don't think it is severe enough to justify DCA. A most important thing to mention in the appeal is precedent i.e. that your 8 year old is in receipt of DCA for the same condition. You will need strong medical evidence from everyone involved in the management and treatment of the childrens' condition i.e letters from doctors, consultants, speech therapists, OT's and therapists outlining the condition, treatment, medication and their support of your application, if appropriate.

Also mention the various appointments the children attend and the regularity and any costs incurred... Good luck.

thanks fababby. i have reports from the therapists which i had already sent in they didn't seem to make much difference. if i was to appeal i wouldn't know where to start lol. im still not sure what to do:S

Lots of documents/reports are not often read in detail Exhausted so that wouldn't concern me unduly . Simply write out a letter in your own words saying you want to appeal their decision, based on the fact that your children require substantially more care and attention than another child of the same age without their condition. Then outline a log or day in the life of your children - the extra care and attention they need substantially in excess of their peers from first thing in the morning to when they go to bed at night. You mention some in your original post - simply add in the rest of the detail - all the things you have to do including the supervision. The various appointments support your appeal and outline what the domiciliary care allowance will help pay for. Highlight with an actual highlighter pen the relevant bits of the report that support/evidence what you have said in terms of additional care and attention and refer to it in your letter.

Finally, tell your professionals what you require in terms of the appeal and they should provide you with letters supporting your appeal which you should include with your letter. Get the appeal in on time - within 21 days of receipt of their written decision.

Compared to the work involved caring for your 3 small children, this appeal will be a walk in the park! You are more than able for it. Good luck again...

thank u so much fababby im really grateful for your help .

Appeal!

Did you appeal, what was the outcome?

yea i did appeal. they told me a decision was made but they wouldn't tell me what it was so i have to wait for the letter.

Please let us know when you find out exhausted, I would be very interested in the out come as I have a friend in a simular position..

was refused again for both. reason * they doesnt require continuous care and attention, at a level which is substantially in excess of that normlly required by a child of the same age* so not true . any ideas what i do now?