Did you know this about having a child with additional needs?

Having a child with additional needs can be costly, time-consuming, tiring but ultimately rewarding. All of the extra stress and work can put pressure on relationships. Below you will find some statistics about caring for a child with additional needs in the UK.

How many children have additional needs?

• There are 570,000 children with disabilities in England. (1)
• There are 770,000 disabled and chronically ill children. (2)

Are relationships affected by having a child with additional needs?

• A survey of couples caring for a child with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder found that 65% of couples had divorced, separated or experienced marital distress. (3)
• In a survey of parents caring for a child with a disability 53% believed it had caused either ‘some’ or ‘major’ difficulties or the breakdown of the relationship. (4)

source: acamh.org

How much does it cost to raise a child with additional needs?

• The cost of bringing up a child with disabilities is £7,335 per year compared to £2,100 for a non-disabled child. (5)

How much time do couples spend caring for a child with additional needs?

• 1.2 million people of working age provide care for 20 hours a week or more; three quarters of a million are either economically inactive or work part-time – of these, 70 % are women. (6)
• 15% of those who receive more than 20 hours unpaid care by adults are children.
• 26% of married couples with children who are providing unpaid care are caring for their own child. (6)

References:

1. HM Treasury. (2007). Policy review of children and young people: A discussion paper. Available from: http://hm-treasury.gov.uk/media/9F7/46/cyp_disabledchildren180507.pdf
2. National Statitsics. (2004). Living in Britain : Results from the 2002 General Household Survey. Available from: http://www.statistics.gov.uk/lib2002/default.asp
3. ADDISS. (2006). ADDISS Families Survey. Available from: http://www.adhdisreal.co.uk/survey.htm
4. Contact a Family. (2004). No time for us: Relationships between parents who have a disabled child: A survey of over 2000 parents in the UK. London: Contact a Family.
5. Beresford, B. (1994). Caring for a severely disabled child. Social Care Research Findings, 54. Joseph Rowntree Foundation: York.
6. Smallwood, S. & Wilson, B. eds. (2007). Focus on Families. Hampshire: Palgrave Macmillan. Crown copyright material is reproduced with the permission of the Controller of HMSO and the Queen’s Printer for Scotland.