Where the Family Fund began
The Family Fund has been helping families for over 35 years!
Sir Keith Joseph, then Minister for Health formed the Fund in 1973 to give practical help to families with children who had congenital conditions. It was a response to the particular needs of parents looking after babies affected by the thalidomide drug and at the time, recognition that the statutory agencies could not respond as flexibly and quickly as needed to help families. The original grant given to make a difference to those families was for £3 million, and the notion was that the lessons learnt by the Fund would be incorporated into mainstream services and benefits. At that time it was assumed that the Fund would not be needed for more than three years.
Today, the need for the Fund has not diminished and as such is even greater! The Family Fund now supports all children with severe disabilities and serious illnesses living at home, where the parents/carers are on a low-income. The Fund works to provide the things a family need most – a washing machine, bedding, and clothing or perhaps a few days away – they aim to make a real difference to their lives.
In 2008/09 Family Fund helped 53,000 low-income families to the value of £31 million. The Fund provided this support in the form of grants, helping children and young people across a whole range of disabilities including learning difficulties, physical disabilities and mental health problems.
Each year we strive to help more families as many continue to live below the poverty line. Despite receiving funding from the governments of England, Northern Ireland, Wales and Scotland, and making efficiencies to allow 90p in every £1 to be distributed in grants, we still cannot meet the needs of the 770,000 disabled children and young people, including those eligible for help from the Fund.
Family Fund extra is the Fund’s way of finding new ways to support and make a difference to all families that care for a disabled child or young person.