Here are questions that disabled parents often ask.

What support can I ask for from Adult Social Services?

How do I know if I’m eligible for support?

It’s hard to get out of my house. How can I take my child to school?

I don’t need support for myself, but I need support with looking after my children. I don’t want to get involved with Children’s Services. What can I do?

My child is disabled, and so am I. Do I have to deal with two lots of services?

I have a visual impairment. My two children share the ironing and do small errands for me at the weekends. We sometimes cook meals to eat together. Are they Young Carers?




Q. What support can I ask for from Adult Social Services?

A. Support comes in different ways.

It aims to support you and your family’s social care and health needs, whatever they are. 

It’s different for every disabled person and their family because all families work in different ways. 

It’s flexible. It’s about getting the support that suits you, not choosing from a general list. 

Some of the things Adult Social Services can support you with are personal care, basic domestic tasks and managing at home.

All your basic parenting tasks can be supported.

The best way to find out what support you can ask for is to ask for an assessment. 

More on assessments.


Q. How do I know if I’m eligible for support?

A. The general rule is that if you have an impairment which prevents you doing essential activities for yourself or your children, you are likely to have an ‘eligible need’.

Local authorities can decide what level of eligible need they support with services.

They can say how those services are delivered. They have to keep within their budgets.

If your need will get worse without support it is likely you have an ‘eligible need’.


Q. It’s hard to get out of my house. How can I take my child to school?

A. Many disabled parents have this problem. There are different solutions depending on your personal situation and the age of your children.

First, tell your child’s school you are having difficulty. They may be able to help you find local support very quickly.

They'll make sure your child doesn’t miss important lessons while it is being sorted out.

If your difficulty is likely to carry on for a long time it is worth asking for an assessment as a disabled parent.

All of your support needs, and if needed, your child’s support needs, can be looked at together and a longer term support plan can be made.

This can include adaptions to your home to make it easier to get about.

Support to make sure your child can get to school could be arrangements for informal assistance, for example with another parent going to the school. Taking children to school can be included in a parent’s care plan, or help with school transport.

If your child’s school is not accessible, check out out information on the school's duty to help you.

More about schools and disability.


Q. I don’t need support for myself, but I need support with looking after my children. I don’t want to get involved with Children’s Services. What can I do?

A. Many disabled parents do not need support for themselves, but being disabled does make some activities involving children very difficult.

Parenting is part of the adult role, so support for that role for disabled parents will be organised from Adult Services.

In Norfolk, Adult Social Services and Children’s Services share the cost of parenting support. This is because it improves child welfare and prevents more difficult problems in the future.

Children’s Services may also provide extra support, for example a nursery place or Young Carers support.

To do this, Children’s Services have to account for their spending on individual named children. The child is given a Children’s Services file number. The parent must give permission for this.

It will not involve a Children’s Services assessment unless there are very complex child care issues. It may result in more support for you and your child. It’s your choice.

Q. My child is disabled, and so am I. Do I have to deal with two lots of services?

A. No. Where disabled parents have disabled children, Children’s Services organise support for both child and parent. They work jointly with Adult Social Services to provide support for the parent. 



Q. I have a visual impairment. My two children share the ironing and do small errands for me at the weekends. We sometimes cook meals to eat together. Are they Young Carers?

A. Children of disabled parents are not always young carers.

Encouraging their children to learn life skills and to share some family tasks is what all parents should do. 

The balance lies in how much work they do, what sort of work they do and if there’s a choice about doing it.

There should be enough reliable support for disabled parents to prevent children having to do more for their disabled parent than their friends do for their non-disabled parents.

Support should allow disabled parents to make sure their children have a reasonable social life.

Good local leisure and activity services for all children are very important for disabled parents and their children to use. 

Children become young carers when they have to help their disabled parent with too much domestic work or caring for their parent or other relatives in the home.

They may have to give intimate care, medical or emotional support, or have to take on other responsibilities which are more properly managed by an adult.

They often have poor health themselves and sometimes have to manage in desperate poverty. 

This sort of caring can and should be prevented.

Without support, this sort of caring can harm children’s physical or emotional health and development.

It can have a life long effect as it prevents children reaching their full potential at school. It is often difficult for them to have a social life.

Sadly, there are times when some children have their own deep emotional needs due to a parent’s serious illness. When this happens Young Carers project workers can bring great benefits to both children and parents.

However, many disabled parents are not seriously ill although they may have impairment related parenting support needs.

Providing enough reliable support to disabled parents who need it will avoid families having to depend on their children.

Reliable support avoids children having no choice about somehow dealing with problems that are beyond their control. 

More about Young Carers.