Finance & benefits - overview

In Kirklees you can get advice and support about benefits from the Kirklees Citizens Advice & Law Centre (opens link in new window)

We can assist young people with completion of complex forms such as those for Employment Support Allowance and Personal Independence Payment.
Where young people are refused benefits, we can assist them to request mandatory reconsideration and then in making an appeal if required. This support is provided by our Advice Kirklees team in partnership with Kirklees Council.
For young people whose case has been refused at tribunal we provide a specialist service for appeals to the Upper Tribunal funded by Legal Aid.

You may be able to resolve your issue by using this free information.

You can contact them by completing an online form which you can find here (opens link in new window)

You can also call us on the Advice Line which is on Free Phone 0808 278 7896

If you are making an initial claim for Universal Credit then you will be able to get help from the Citizens Advice Universal Credit Help to Claim Helpline on 0800 144 8444. This is a national service.

You can also get help and support from the BetterOff Kirklees (opens link in new window)

BetterOff is a service for people who live in Kirklees.
BetterOff will show you the benefits you are entitled to and will help you to apply for them online. They can also help you with appeals if needed.
BetterOff also provides information on how to find and apply for jobs.

Financial support and benefits for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND)

If you are concerned about the impact which a disability can have on finances there is a range of financial support available, including benefits, tax credits, payments and discounts. You can also get independent advice about what your family may be entitled to.

You can apply for a Kirklees Passport which will give you access to discounts on many activities and services. More information about this can be found on the Kirklees Passport webpage (opens link in new window)

Each year all benefits are subject to uprating in April, this means the amounts paid are increased. Please check Gov.uk (opens link in new window)

Alongside tax credits and child benefit, there are payments specifically for children with SEND and their carers. These include Disability Living Allowance (DLA), Carer's Allowance and Carer's Credit. Which benefits you can get will depend on the assessed needs of your child.

Below are a series of links for these services

For those children and young people who have an EHC plan the local authority can be required to identify a personal budget. This is the notional amount of money needed to make any of the special educational provision for them as specified in their EHC plan.

A personal budget is the clear, up-front total amount of funding allocated by a particular service (social care/health/education) to meet the assessed support needs of a particular child. Families can choose to take this funding as a direct payment or ask someone else to manage the money on their child's behalf, or a combination of the two.

A personal budget is used to purchase the services and support required by a disabled child to meet their specific requirements and to live a more independent life. It provides a family with a lot more choice and control over the services and support that will meet their child's individual requirements in the best way.

More information can be found on the Personal Budgets (education) (opens link in new window)page - opens in new window

These links open in a new window

You may be eligible for free school meals, depending on your family circumstances.

Free school meals (opens link in new window)

If your child's special needs means they need extra help with transport, or taking them out is more difficult, there are a variety of ways this can be made easier and less costly, such as (links open in new window):

There are many types of grants (money which you don't have to pay back) available to help families of disabled children. These can include, but are not limited to, holidays, housing and specialist equipment. Each grant will have different application criteria.

GOV.UK: Disabled facilities grants (opens link in new window)
GOV.UK: Funding for special educational needs and disability (SEND) (opens link in new window)
GOV.UK: 16-19 bursary fund (opens link in new window)
Apply for a grant from Family Fund (opens link in new window) - Helping families who are raising a disabled or seriously ill child or young person aged 17 or under. They provide grants for essential items such as kitchen appliances, sensory toys, family breaks, bedding, tablets/computers, furniture and clothing.

On the leaflet below there is various information that has been put together to help with the cost of living crisis.

There are handy tips on how to save money on household bills including broadband, food and supermarket shopping and how to save money around the house such as in the living room, kitchen, bathroom and outside the home.

There is also help with managing your money, debt advice, buying a home and how to talk about money. For more information see below.

Cost of Living help leaflet (opens link in new window)