Child Disability Payment

You can apply if you are the parent or main carer of a child who

• does not already receive Disability Living Allowance (DLA) for children, and
• is aged between 3 months and 16 years old, and
• has had a disability or ill-health condition for 3 months or more and it is expected to continue for at least 6 months.

If your child already receives DLA, you do not need to apply for Child Disability Payment. Social Security Scotland will write to you when they are ready to transfer your payments over.

Payment components and rates

Child Disability Payment is tax-free and made up of Care and Mobility components.

Children over 3 years old may qualify for both the care and mobility component but children under 3 years old do not qualify for the mobility component.

The Care Component is paid at 3 different rates:

• Lowest - £28.70 per week
• Middle - £72.65 per week
• Highest - £108.55 per week

A child may satisfy the criteria for the Lowest Rate if they need attention from someone, for a significant part of the day, in connection with their bodily functions due to a physical or mental disability or is 16 or older and, due to a mental or physical disability, unable to prepare a cooked main meal for themselves.

A child may satisfy the criteria for the Middle Rate if they:

• need frequent attention from someone during the day, or prolonged or repeated attention at night, in connection with their bodily functions due to a physical or mental disability; or
• need continual supervision during the day, or another person to be awake for a prolonged period or at frequent intervals at night, to avoid substantial danger to themselves or others; or
• get renal dialysis treatment, during the day or at night, at least twice a week.

A child may satisfy the criteria for the Highest Rate if they:

• need frequent attention from someone during the day, and prolonged or repeated attention at night, in connection with their bodily functions due to a physical or mental disability; or
• need continual supervision during the day, and another person to be awake for a prolonged period or at frequent intervals at night, to avoid substantial danger to themselves or others; or
• get renal dialysis treatment, during the day and at night, at least twice a week; or
• are terminally ill.

The Mobility Component is paid at 2 different rates:

• Lower - £28.70 per week
• Higher - £75.75 per week

A child may satisfy the criteria for the Lower Rate if they are 5 or over and can walk, with or without equipment, but most of the time needs guidance or supervision from another person to move around outdoors.

A child may satisfy the criteria for the Higher Rate if they are 3 or over and either:

• cannot walk, or is virtually unable to move around outdoors due to their disability
• have a severe visual disability or is blind and deaf
• have a severe mental health disability 
• have severe behavioural difficulties, due to a severe mental health disability, and needs supervision during the day and at night to avoid substantial danger to themselves or others
• would experience a serious deterioration in their health from the exertion of walking
• is terminally ill.

If the child is entitled to the higher rate mobility component, you can apply to lease an accessible vehicle.

How to apply

You can apply online or phone Social Security Scotland on 0800 182 2222 (8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday).

You can upload evidence in support of your application to Social Security Scotland.

Terminal illness

Under the Social Security (Scotland) Act 2018, a person is said to be terminally ill if they have 'a progressive disease that can reasonably be expected to cause the individual's death'.

To meet this definition, their illness has to meet all of the following criteria:

• be advanced and progressive, or with a risk of sudden death
• not be amenable to treatment, or treatment is being refused or declined by the patient for any reason
• lead to an increased need for additional care and support.

In the application you'll be asked for some details about you and the child and you'll be able to send Social Security Scotland the Benefits Assessments under Special Rules In Scotland form or SR1 form if you have it.

A Benefits Assessment under Special Rules in Scotland form is completed by a doctor or nurse if they decide that a child or young person has a terminal illness. This means that Social Security Scotland can fast track their application for Child Disability Payment when they get the form. This form can then be used to let Social Security Scotland know that a person is terminally ill when applying for disability benefits.

Social Security Scotland can request this from the child's healthcare provider if you ask them to.

You can apply online in these circumstances or by phoning Social Security Scotland's specially trained Client Advisors on 0800 182 2222 (8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday).

If you disagree with a decision

You can ask Social Security Scotland to look again at what they have decided, this is called a re-determination.  You can do this if:

• you have had a letter telling you that you're not going to be paid Child Disability Payment and you think you should
• you think the amount of Child Disability Payment you're going to be paid is wrong.

You can ask Social Security Scotland to look at their decision again by phoning 0800 182 2222 (8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday) or if you're a British Sign Language user, use the contactSCOTLAND app to contact Social Security Scotland by video relay or you can complete a paper re-determinations form and return your completed form to:

Social Security Scotland
PO Box 10303
Dundee
DD1 9FY

You will also be sent this form with the letter telling you whether you'll be paid Child Disability Payment.  From the day you receive Social Security Scotland's decision about your application for Child Disability Payment, you have 42 days (6 weeks) to ask them to look again at what they decided.

If you want to ask Social Security Scotland after the 42 days have passed, you'll need to let them know the reason why.

If Social Security Scotland consider that there is good reason for the request being made late they can still accept it. As long as it is made no more than one year after you're informed of their decision.

If you disagree with a re-determination decision

Please contact Welfare Rights at this point by emailing welfarerights@pkc.gov.uk pr by phoning 01738 476900 (option 1) so we can assist with lodging the appeal and can represent you at any future appeal hearing.

You have the right to appeal Social Security Scotland's re-determination decision about your application for Child Disability Payment.

From the day you receive Social Security Scotland's new decision you have 31 days to make an appeal. Appeals go to the Social Security Chamber of the First-tier Tribunal for Scotland (the Tribunal).

You can appeal to the Tribunal if:

• you do not agree with what Social Security Scotland decides
• Social Security Scotland tells you they have not been able to look at their decision again within 56 days (8 weeks)

If you choose to appeal the decision after 31 days you will require permission from the First-tier Tribunal for Scotland. Your appeal must be brought within one year of you receiving Social Security Scotland's decision.