Financial support

Most children and young people with cancer are entitled to Disability Living Allowance (DLA) from the government. This is a benefit which helps with additional day-to-day costs. But we know that it can take up to three months for DLA payments to come through. Our new patient grant is designed to help keep on top of costs until DLA can be paid to a family. We offer every newly diagnosed family £600, broken into three monthly payments to help make things a little easier.

We can also help families facing financial hardship with a family assistance grant – a one-off payment of up to £250. This is designed to help if you’re faced with an unexpected cost related to your child’s treatment or condition. It can’t be used to pay day-to-day costs like bills.

There are a few other types of grants that we offer to help make life a little easier for families. Families going on one of our funded holidays will receive a holiday grant to spend while they are away. This might help with travel, food, or activities to create special family memories. For the first two Christmases after diagnosis, we give Christmas grants to help relieve additional financial pressures at this time of year. Finally, there are compassionate grants available to families sadly dealing with the loss of their child.

Holiday and Christmas grants are paid automatically to eligible families. All other grants are issued on a referral basis from the social work team at Leeds Children’s Hospital. If you have queries about grants or would like to apply, you can speak to your Social Worker, Outreach Nurse or our Family Support Workers who will be able to advise you and liaise with us.

Our team are on hand to chat about any financial difficulties you may be facing and how to get help. We can help advise on applications for Disability Living Allowance and put you in touch with financial advisors to help with budgeting. We can also help find other grants and support you may be entitled to from other organisations.