Child Disability Payment is a new benefit for children in Scotland with disabilities.

It is replacing Disability Living Allowance for children in Scotland.

If your child is already getting Disability Living Allowance, you won't need to reapply. However, your child's claim will be transferred to a claim for Child Disability Payment.

To be entitled to Child Disability Payment, you need to meet the following conditions:

• Be the child's parent or guardian, or be looking after a child who does not live with a parent or guardian
• If the child is terminally ill, anyone can make an application. The person applying must tell child's parent or guardian they are doing so and get their consent.

The child needs to meet the following conditions:

• Be under 16 - children who started getting Child Disability Payment before the age of 16 can choose to carry on getting it until they turn 18
• Be living in Scotland
• Not be subject to immigration control.

The child must also have needs relating to a disability or health condition (including mental health conditions). It is not necessary for them to have a confirmed diagnosis.

Child Disability Payment has a Care Component and a Mobility Component. Your child might be awarded just a Care Component, or just a Mobility Component, or both components.

Getting Child Disability Payment can entitled you to other help.

Care Component

The Care Component can be paid at three different rates:

Lowest rate - £26.90 per week

This applies if your child needs:

• substantially more care or supervision than a child of the same age who doesn't have your child's disabilities would need, and
• attention from another person for at least around an hour per day.

Middle rate - £68.10 per week

This applies if your child needs:

• substantially more care or supervision than a child of the same age who doesn't have your child's disabilities would need, and:
  • frequent attention throughout the day or prolonged attention throughout the night with 'bodily functions', for example  eating, washing, getting dressed and going to the toilet. These care needs can also include help which allows your child to take part in social activities; or
  • continual supervision throughout the day or another person to be awake for prolonged periods or frequent intervals at night, in order to avoid substantial danger to the child or other people.
• or your child gets renal dialysis either during the day or at night at least twice a week. 

Highest rate care - £101.75 per week

The highest rate care component applies if your child needs:

• substantially more care or supervision than a child of the same age who doesn't have your child's disabilities would need, and:
  • frequent attention throughout the day with 'bodily functions', for example eating, washing, getting dressed and going to the toilet. These care needs can also include help which allows your child to take part in social activities; or continual supervision throughout the day in order to avoid substantial danger to the child or other people; and
  • prolonged attention throughout the night with 'bodily functions', for example  eating, washing, getting dressed and going to the toilet. These care needs can also include help which allows your child to take part in social activities; or another person to be awake for prolonged periods or frequent intervals at night, in order to avoid substantial danger to the child or other people.
• or your child gets renal dialysis both during the day and at night at least twice a week.
• or your child is terminally ill. Terminal illness has a different definition for Child Disability Payment than it does for Disability Living Allowance. A child will be considered terminally ill if, in the opinion of their doctor or nurse, they have a progressive disease which can reasonably be expected to cause their death.

Mobility Component

The Mobility Component can be paid at two different rates.

Low rate mobility - £26.90 per week

This applies if your child:

• is aged 5 or over, and
• can walk with or without equipment, but needs supervision or guidance from another person to move around outside. They must need substantially more supervision than a child of the same age who doesn't have your child's disabilities would need.

High rate mobility - £71.00 per week

This applies if your child is:

• aged three or over, and
  • terminally ill. Terminal illness has a different definition for Child Disability Payment than it does for Disability Living Allowance. A child will be considered terminally ill if, in the opinion of their doctor or nurse, they have a progressive disease which can reasonably be expected to cause their death, or
  • cannot walk, or is virtually unable to move around outside, or 
  • has a severe visual disability, or is both blind and deaf, or
  • has no legs or feet (regardless of whether they use artificial limbs), or
  • walking would be so tiring for them that it would harm their health, or
  • they get the high rate care component, and have a severe mental impairment with severe behavioural difficulties which makes their behaviour disruptive and means they need someone to intervene to prevent them hurting themselves or anyone else.

Help you can get if your child is awarded Child Disability Payment

Carers' support

If your child is awarded the Care Component at middle or high rate, you or someone who provides care for the child might be able to get Carer's Allowance and the Carer's Element of Universal Credit.

If someone aged 16, 17 or 18 provides care for the child who has been awarded Child Disability Payment, they might be able to get a Young Carers Grant.

Extra bedroom

If your child is awarded high rate or middle rate care, and their disability means they cannot share a bedroom with another child, you might be entitled to help with the rent costs for an extra bedroom.

Child disability element of Universal Credit

If your child is awarded Child Disability Payment at any rate, you will get the lower rate disabled child element of Universal Credit.

If your child is awarded Child Disability Payment highest rate Care Component, you will get the high rate disabled child element of Universal Credit.

You will need to report to Universal Credit that your child has been awarded Child Disability Payment.

Extra help if you're on the old benefits system

If you're getting tax credits, Pension Credit, or Housing Benefit, you might be able to get extra money if your child is awarded Child Disability Payment. Contact whoever pays your benefits to tell them that your child has been awarded Child Disability Payment.

Child Winter Heating Assistance

If your child is awarded the highest rare care component of Child Disability Payment, you will be entitled to Winter Heating Assistance.

Motability

If your child is awarded the high rate Mobility Component, you will be able to use the component to lease a vehicle, scooter or powered wheelchair.

Vehicle Tax Exemption

If your child is awarded the high rate mobility component, you can apply for a vehicle that is used for the child's needs to be exempt from Vehicle Tax.

Updated: April 2023

You can apply for Child Disability Payment online on the mygov.scot website.

You can apply by phone on 0800 182 2222. You will then be sent a paper form to fill in.

You can get help from an adviser to apply for Child Disability Payment

To dispute a decision on your claim for Child Disability Payment:

• First you have to give Social Security Scotland chance to look at the decision again
• Then, if you still don't agree, you can get an independent tribunal to look at the decision

It is a good idea to get help from an independent benefits specialist if you want to dispute a decision.

In some cases, you can get money while you are waiting for a redetermination or an appeal.

Redetermination

If you think that the wrong decision has been made on your application for Child Disability Payment, you can ask Social Security Scotland to look at the decision again. This is called a Redetermination.

You have 42 days from the date you are told about the decision to ask Social Security Scotland to look again at the decision. If you miss this date, you can still ask them to look again but you will need to explain why you are late.

You can ask for a redetermination by calling 0800 182 2222 or by downloading and filling in a redetermination form and posting it to 

Social Security Scotland

PO Box 10303

Dundee DD1 9FY

Try to send it recorded delivery if you can.

Keep a copy of the form you filled out if you can.

You can also use the Text Relay Service: 18001 +0300 244 4000 or the ContactScotland app for British Sign language (BSL) users.

Social Security Scotland then has 56 days to make a decision on your request for redetermination. 

Appeal

You can appeal to a tribunal if Social Security Scotland:

• Do not make a decision on your redetermination within 56 days of you sending it, or
• Say you can't make a late application for redetermination, or
• Don't change their decision, or
• Change their decision but you still think it is wrong.

You have 31 days from Social Security Scotland's decision on your redetermination to appeal. If you are late, you can still appeal if it is within one year of the decision.

You can appeal by calling Social Security Scotland on 0800 182 2222 or by completing a paper form and returning it to:

Social Security Scotland

PO Box 10309

Dundee DD1 9GF

Try to send it recorded delivery if you can.

Keep a copy of the form you filled out if you can.

You can also use the Text Relay Service: 18001 +0300 244 4000 or the ContactScotland app for BSL users.

Short term assistance

If you are waiting for a redetermination or are appealing a decision to stop or reduce Child Disability Payment, you might be able to get money to replace the payment you are disputing. This is called Short Term Assistance. You should ask for it when you ask for a redetermination or appeal. 

Even if your redetermination or appeal fails, you won't have to pay back the money you get from Short Term Assistance.