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Mobility Equipment
Specialist Mobility Equipment
A piece of specialist mobility equipment can help families overcome practical and physical challenges but also offer invaluable independence, confidence and improved self-esteem.
Caudwell Children provides a wide range of specialist mobility equipment for disabled and autistic children/young people. For more information please read our Frequently Asked Questions below or contact us for more information, call 0345 300 1348 or email applications@caudwellchildren.com
Powered Wheelchairs
For children and young people who depend on a wheelchair for mobility, the freedom to move independently can be the key that opens up the world and their future.
A powered wheelchair enables children to move independently, including raising up to eye-level or lying down for increased comfort and range of motion*.
*wheelchair functions may vary depending on user needs and make/model
Read the Frequently Asked Questions
Specialised Sports Equipment
The participation in sports activities provides lots of physical and emotional benefits for children and young people. We provide funding for specialist disability sports equipment, including wheelchairs, which enable the continued participation, development and success in sport.
Therapy Tricycles
The sense of freedom, social participation and physical wellbeing that cycling can provide is a special moment in lots of children’s lives. Therapy tricycles ensure children who can’t ride a normal bicycle still get to feel the same exhilaration, while also benefiting from physical therapy.
Car Seats and Harnesses
For children who cannot use generic car seats (due to weight/height or safety), specialist car seats and harnesses can enable families to travel in the car in comfort and without the fear of injury.
Apply for a Car Seat or Harness below or check our read the Frequently Asked Questions
Buggies
For lots of families caring for disabled or autistic children/young people a standard buggy is not suitable and can be uncomfortable or dangerous.
We provide funding for specialist buggies to enable disabled and autistic children the same access to outdoors as other children.
Apply for a Buggy below or check our Frequently Asked Questions for more information.
Eligibility Criteria
- Families can apply for equipment directly.
- Child must have a confirmed disability and be aged 0-18 years old or under the age of 25 for sports equipment only.
- Must legally live in the UK.
- You will be considered for our support if you can demonstrate that either: You are in receipt of means-tested benefits OR your household income is no more than £60,000 excluding benefits. Please check FAQ’s for details.
- Applications must be supported by an Occupational Therapist or healthcare professional.
Need help to apply?
Our Applications team are on hand to help with any questions or guidance you need to support your application.
Frequently Asked Questions
We provide support for the following pieces of equipment: specialised buggies, specialised car seats and harnesses, sensory equipment, therapy tricycles, specialist sports equipment and powered wheelchairs.
You can find more information in regards to all of our services here.
If you are applying for a piece of equipment then yes; Caudwell Children is able to provide up to 80% of the cost. Our percentage is calculated based on the cost of the piece of equipment and the amount of funds the charity has available. We call the balance the “family contribution”.
Applications can be submitted via our Mobility Equipment web page.
You will be considered for our support if you can demonstrate that either:
You are in receipt of means-tested benefits, and you can send us all pages of a benefits letter showing your full name and address, dated within the last 12 months.
This would be one of the following:
- Universal Credits
- Tax Credits
- Pension Credits
- Income Support
- Housing Benefit
OR
Your household income is no more than £60,000 excluding benefits, and you can send us one of the following:
- Wage slips for each person in the household showing the full name and address, dated within the last three months.
- P60’s for each person from the last financial year.
- Your most recent set of accounts or a letter from your accountant if you work for yourself.
In both instances you will also need to declare that your savings do not exceed £16,000.
Caudwell Children will work with families where possible, to help them in sourcing this contribution from other charities or trusts.
Ideally these funds should be paid to Caudwell Children, so that we can place the full order, but we understand that some other charities may not be able to do so.
You can also pay the family contribution in smaller amounts as and when you have the money available or you can fundraise yourself.
If you are applying for a piece of equipment, we do require a professional to support the application. This could be an occupational therapist, physiotherapist or in some instances a healthcare professional.
A questionnaire will be sent to you by Caudwell Children during the application process for completion. We will accept a supporting letter in place of this form, providing that it is on headed paper.
If you are applying for a piece of sports equipment, the application will need to be supported by a sports coach.
No. All of the equipment that we provide is for the child to keep. Once a piece of equipment is no longer suitable for a child any profits made from the sale of the equipment can then be donated back to the charity; enabling us to support more children.
Unfortunately, we are unable to cover the cost of any maintenance or insurance.
We do advise families to add specialist equipment on to an existing insurance policy if possible but in some cases, you should get the equipment insured through a specialist insurer e.g., for powered wheelchairs.
We also recommend that you look into the maintenance costs of any piece of equipment beforehand and consider taking a maintenance agreement and extended warranty.
Unfortunately, this means we are unable to complete your application but please contact the Applications Department on 0345 300 1348 or by email: applications@caudwellchildren.com to discuss this with us.
We can’t order your equipment until we have received the family contribution and you have returned your signed agreement form.
Delivery times are then dependent on the company providing the equipment, this can range from just a few days to several months for a bespoke wheelchair.
