Warwickshire News Mine

One hundred holiday support grants of £300 have been offered to local families as part of the government’s Aiming High for Disabled Children programme. 

Alan and Amanda Lothian from Warwick Gates in Warwick were the very first family to apply for the grant after applications opened in June this year. They applied for the funding to enable them to take a break to visit relatives in Tenerife with their four year old son Adam who has Asperger syndrome and a severe speech disorder.

Adam’s condition means his day to day activities have to be meticulously planned and followed with rigid structure which can at times be demanding on his parents.  The opportunity to take a break abroad with family will give them some extra support, and allow them to share caring responsibilities whilst enjoying their time together.

Talking about what the grant means to the family, Amanda Lothian said: “We are so grateful to the Integrated Disability Service for awarding us this grant which has enabled us to take a family break this year. Adam loves being outdoors, especially swimming, he can do this every day whilst he is there and we get a chance to relax too, with the extra support on hand from our family.

“We found out about the grant through our involvement with the Integrated Disability Service’s Early Bird Group for children who, like Adam, have an autistic spectrum diagnosis, and I filled in the application form straight away.  With the current economic climate we hadn’t expected to get away this year so we feel incredibly lucky to have received this help which means so much to us.

“In addition to this funding we have received some invaluable support from the local authority service, pointing us to a great deal of information to help us manage Adam’s condition.  Recently they supported us in getting a place at a local holiday club and arranged one to one support for Adam so he can get involved in activities there. He starts when we come back from holiday which will be wonderful for him.”

The holiday grants are offered as a one-off payment to help families to access short breaks and activities that support breaks such as, transport, cleaning or caring.  Eligible families must live in Warwickshire and be able to demonstrate through application how they would benefit from the funding. 

Lynne Barton is the service development manager for the Integrated Disability Service and leads on rolling out the Aiming High programme in Warwickshire, she said: “I am delighted that we can offer these grants which go toward meeting the wide and creative aspirations and real needs of local families with disabled children.  However the resources we can offer are finite and we are already being inundated with applications. As such we are processing requests on a first come, first served basis to help families access well-deserved breaks.”

The grants are just one element of the support that will be made available through Aiming High for Disabled Children funding from the government.  The Integrated Disability Service consulted widely with parents and young people about what they wanted and will be investing in, family activity days, one on one and group support sessions, help with transport, increased inclusion opportunities and much more over the next two years.

For more information about Aiming High please visit http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/everychildmatters

To find out more about Warwickshire County Council’s Integrated Disability Service please call 01926 742977 or visit http://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/ids

ENDS

For media enquiries please contact Helen List in Warwickshire County Council press office on 01926 414142.

Link to WCC