Equipment FAQs

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. 

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”.

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.

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.

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.