[Osem]

Anyone who doesn't understand the physical, mental and emotional demands of caring for disabled children ought to try it for a day or two and see how they fare.

Caring for a child with CP or other serious conditions is a full time job. They often require constant supervision and intervention throughout the night in which case any free time available to the carer when the child is at school, for example, could well be needed for little luxuries like sleep, maybe even just a little relaxation away from the constant stress involved in dealing with that child and the demands of ordinary life including any siblings.

In the normal course of events as kids grow they require less assistance and supervision. As children with special needs grow so do the problems and the demands placed upon their parents. Just their physical size, weight and strength can be a major issue and couple that with hormonal changes and it ought to be clear just how much harder life often gets as the child being cared for grows. At the same time, the general sympathy and understanding of the public reduces and therefore the options available to the parents for taking their children out lessen and they become more isolated.

IMHO, helping families care for and cope with their disabled children when they're younger is an investment in the long term wellbeing of the child and one less place required in care which is incredibly expensive, especially for children with serious medical issues who need specialist provision, nurses etc. The longer parents are able to care for their children at home, the less the demand on the state in other ways whether that be fostering, assisted living, respite care, long term residential care all of which are far more expensive than options DLA and CA.