What You Need to Know About Holiday Grants for Children with Special Needs in the UK

Holidays are important opportunities for families to create memories, memories to hear the laughter, feel the warmth of the sun, and take a complete break from ordinary life challenges. For families with young people with disabilities and/or additional needs, the importance of a holiday is given a different meaning. It is about connecting with family and having fun together.

At Kes-Vir, we understand that, as a family with a child who has special needs, you have two mountains to climb before setting off on a holiday, First, the financial mountain of actually getting there, and second, the knowledge that your child will be able to participate positively and confidently in every activity when you get there. A successful & Accessible holiday is based on each child's ability to have fun freely and without apprehension.

Funding the Fun

While the extra expense of accessible travel and accommodation can be considerable, you are not expected to pay for this alone. There is a whole network of charities across the UK that provide grants to assist financially with these expenses, and most families are surprised  to find out that they will qualify.

Who qualifies?

• Families with a child who has a diagnosed disability or serious medical condition.

• Low income families or who receive certain benefits (eg Universal Credit, DLA)

• UK Residents who haven't had a family holiday for at least a year.

These Holiday grants for children with special needs in the UK are most often used for accommodation, travel and sometimes, in addition, some specialist and essential equipment required to participate in the holiday activities.

How To Find Grants and Apply for Them:

• Consult The Experts: The Family Fund is the UK's largest grant-providing charity dedicated exclusively to families of disabled children, and is a vital source of information. For a broader search, platforms like Turn2us have a comprehensive grant search facility on their website.

• Prepare Your Documents: You will need proof of your child's diagnosis and evidence of your financial circumstances, such as a letter confirming your benefits claim.

• Share Your Story: Finally, when applying, you can share your ideas about what a holiday might mean for your child and the well-being of your family. A clear personal application can help immensely.

The Gear That Unlocks Joy

Organising the money for a vacation is a huge success. The next stage is making sure you have covered off that all the activity on holiday will be accessible to your child without stress or anxiety. There is nothing worse than arriving at a lovely swimming pool or beach and discovering your child cannot participate because they cannot use their usual swimwear.

This is where proactive planning of the correct equipment becomes a fundamental part of a successful holiday. For many families, swimming is the focal point of the holiday, where they can have freedom and pure enjoyment of sensory experiences. The hurdle of incontinence should never create a barrier to those wonderful experiences. Purpose-built Special needs travel swimwear is designed to provide a completely secure and complete solution to swimming for you and your child with total confidence in the water.

New generation Special needs swimwear for children is a million miles away from the heavy, clinical options. At Kes-Vir, our focus has been to develop products that stay discreet and dependable, come with built-in waterproof pants and can be adjusted to fit comfortably, but are also stylish and colourful!

Your Holiday Success Checklist

To bring everything together, here is a simple checklist to ground yourself in planning:

• Research Grants Early: Give yourself months to find funding and apply.

• Plan an inclusive itinerary: Choose a destination and activities that you can all enjoy.

• Get appropriate gear: Equipment should not be an afterthought. Think about specialist swimwear, you will need to purchase that well before.

• Discuss with the child: Talk about exciting things you are going to do to build excitability and calm nervousness.

• Get ready to have fun: This is, of course, the most important step!

Conclusion

Organising a family holiday may be more involved if a family member has a disability or different ability, nevertheless, memories will be made. If you have the correct financial support in place and prepare for the correct piece of equipment, you will limit the barriers to a truly relaxing and memorable experience. Every child deserves to feel the joy and freedom of a holiday, and with the right preparation, they absolutely can. If you are an organisation, Kes-Vir's goal is to provide happiness that allows families to enjoy the simple pleasure of being together in the water, without worry.

Discover our collection of confidence-boosting swimwear at Kes-Vir and plan your perfect, worry-free family getaway today.