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© 2026. The Purpl Co Limited. All rights reserved.
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© 2026. The Purpl Co Limited. All rights reserved.
17 min read
Written by
Georgina, Founder of Purpl
Published on
October 20, 2026
Last reviewed: 19 October 2026
Applies to: England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Scotland uses Child Disability Payment.
Written by: Georgina, Founder of Purpl | Disabled & Neurodivergent Advocate
What evidence do you need for a Child DLA application?
The most useful evidence for a Child Disability Living Allowance (DLA) application shows how much additional care, supervision or mobility support your child needs compared with another child of the same age. Medical letters, school reports, care plans and everyday examples can all help. You don’t need a formal diagnosis to apply.
When you’re raising a child with additional needs, the extra care you provide often becomes part of your normal routine. You might spend longer helping them get dressed, supervise activities other children their age can manage independently, or wake several times during the night to provide reassurance.
Because you do these things every day, it’s easy to forget that they count as additional care.
And that’s what can make completing a Child DLA application so difficult. You’re being asked to explain things you’ve become so used to doing that you barely notice them anymore.
The good news is that you don’t need endless medical reports or complicated terminology. What matters is helping the decision-maker understand your child’s needs and the support you provide.
In this guide, we’ll explain what evidence is useful, how to describe your child’s difficulties and how to avoid overlooking important details. We’ve also created a free Child DLA evidence gathering toolkit to make the process easier.
Did you know parents and carers can join Purpl too? You don’t need to be disabled yourself to access our disability discounts. Purpl helps eligible disabled people, people with long-term health conditions, and parents and carers save money on everyday essentials, family days out and more.
The best Child DLA evidence helps explain what your child needs assistance with, why that help is necessary and how their needs differ from those of another child of the same age.
Child DLA has two components: care and mobility. Depending on your child’s needs and age, they may qualify for one or both.
The care component considers the additional help or supervision your child needs. The mobility component looks at qualifying difficulties with walking or getting around.
According to the official Child DLA eligibility guidance, a child must need substantially more looking after than another child of the same age without a disability, or have qualifying difficulties getting about.
In most cases, their needs must have existed for at least three months and be expected to continue for at least another six months. Special rules apply to children nearing the end of life.
The comparison with another child of the same age is particularly important. Most three-year-olds need help getting dressed, for example, but an older child who requires constant prompting, physical assistance or close supervision may need considerably more support than would normally be expected.
Here are the different types of evidence worth considering.
You may already have useful medical evidence without realising it. Consultant letters, paediatric assessments, occupational therapy reports, speech and language assessments and information from mental health professionals can all help explain your child’s condition and needs.
However, it’s worth looking at what each document actually tells the decision-maker.
A letter confirming an autism diagnosis, for example, might explain your child’s condition without mentioning the additional help they need with eating, personal care or sleeping. That’s where your own examples can make a real difference, helping to explain what daily life looks like beyond a medical appointment.
Purpl tip: Check the medical documents you already have before requesting anything new. A hospital letter or therapy assessment might contain useful information about your child’s needs, even if it wasn’t originally written for a benefits application.
Your child’s school or nursery may have information showing how their disability affects them outside the home.
An Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP), SEN Support Plan, Individual Development Plan in Wales, or other relevant support documentation may contain useful details.
You could also include risk assessments, behaviour support plans or records of additional assistance.
For example, a school report might explain that your child needs one-to-one supervision during breaktimes, help communicating their needs or additional support with eating and toileting.
You don’t need an EHCP to claim Child DLA, though. Many children have significant additional needs without a formal education plan.
Parents often know more about their child’s day-to-day support needs than anyone else.
You know which routines take longer, what happens when your child becomes overwhelmed and the things you do to keep them safe.
That knowledge matters, particularly when some difficulties aren’t obvious during a short appointment.
Statements from grandparents, childminders, support workers or other people who regularly care for your child can also help.
The key is to describe what actually happens. Rather than saying your child needs constant supervision, explain what you’re supervising, why it’s necessary and what could happen without that support.
A care diary can bring all this information together.
It’s particularly helpful when your child’s needs fluctuate or when you’ve become so familiar with their routines that it’s difficult to remember everything you do.
You don’t have to keep a diary to claim Child DLA, but it can help you give clearer answers on the official application form.
Yes. You can apply for Child DLA without a formal diagnosis if your child’s disability or health condition means they meet the relevant care or mobility criteria.
This is especially important for families waiting for autism, ADHD or other developmental assessments.
Waiting lists can be long, but your child’s additional needs don’t suddenly begin when a diagnosis is confirmed.
For example, your child might already need substantial help with communication, dressing, eating, emotional regulation or recognising danger. You can explain these difficulties in your application even if they’re still waiting for an assessment.
Referral letters, observations from school and reports from professionals can all provide supporting information.
Focus on the difficulties your child experiences now and the support they need because of them.
Rather than simply writing that you’re waiting for an autism assessment, you could explain that your child becomes distressed by certain clothing textures, struggles to manage unfamiliar environments or needs close supervision because they don’t recognise danger.
Describe what you do to help, how often you need to intervene and how this compares with the support another child of the same age would normally require.
The Child DLA eligibility criteria focus on qualifying care and mobility needs rather than requiring a particular diagnostic label.
Purpl insight: A diagnosis can help explain why your child needs support, but it doesn’t always capture how much time and effort that support involves. Your everyday observations may reveal difficulties that aren’t obvious during a medical appointment.
A Child DLA care diary is simply a record of the additional help, supervision and mobility support your child needs throughout the day and night.
It doesn’t have to be complicated or beautifully written. The purpose is to capture the details that are easy to forget when you’re busy caring for your child.
Seven days is a useful starting point because it includes school days and weekends. If your child’s needs change significantly from week to week, keeping a diary for longer may give a more representative picture.
Think about the times when your child needs more help than another child of the same age.
That might include:
Where possible, note how long the support takes, how often it happens and what you actually need to do.
You don’t need to complete every category every day. Only record what applies to your child.
Imagine your child has significant sensory difficulties and struggles to get ready for school.
Instead of writing only that they had difficulty dressing, you could record:
Monday, 7.30 am
“My child became distressed when putting on their school uniform because of the feel of the fabric. I helped them remove it, reassured them and tried different clothing options.
“They needed repeated prompting and physical assistance to finish getting dressed. The whole process took approximately 45 minutes.
“This happens around four mornings a week. On other mornings, they still need prompting but can usually get ready more quickly.”
This gives a much clearer picture. It explains what happened, the additional care involved, how long it took and how frequently the difficulty occurs.
You don’t need to use these exact words. Your own examples, in your own language, are what matter.
Yes. Your diary should reflect your child’s typical needs, including days when things are easier.
Some children experience fluctuating symptoms such as fatigue or pain. Others cope reasonably well in familiar surroundings but need much more support when routines change.
For example, your child might manage a short walk on some days but experience significant pain or fatigue on others. Or they may appear to cope at school before becoming exhausted or overwhelmed when they get home.
Recording those differences can help show the full picture.
Purpl tip: Don’t forget the support that prevents something from happening. If you’re constantly supervising your child near roads because they cannot recognise danger, the fact that no accident occurred doesn’t make that supervision less important.
One of the hardest parts of a Child DLA application is turning your everyday experiences into written answers.
You might know that your child needs constant supervision or struggles with dressing, but those statements alone don’t explain how much additional care is involved.
Try to describe what happens, what you do to help, how often that help is needed and why it goes beyond what would normally be expected for their age.
Here are three examples.
A brief answer might say:
“My child struggles to get dressed because of sensory difficulties.”
A more useful explanation would be:
“My child needs an adult to stay with them throughout dressing because certain clothing textures cause significant distress. I help them choose clothes, provide repeated reassurance and physically assist when they become overwhelmed. This usually takes around 40 to 45 minutes and happens most school mornings.”
The second version gives the decision-maker a better understanding of the additional care involved.
A brief answer might say:
“My child has no road awareness.”
A more useful explanation would be:
“My child doesn’t reliably recognise traffic dangers and has previously attempted to cross the road without checking for vehicles. I need to stay close enough to intervene immediately whenever we’re near roads, including on familiar journeys.”
This explains the risk and why supervision is necessary.
A brief answer might say:
“My child doesn’t sleep well.”
A more useful explanation would be:
“My child wakes around three times most nights and needs an adult to help them settle. They become distressed and may leave their bedroom without recognising potential dangers. Each waking usually involves around 20 minutes of reassurance and supervision.”
Night-time care can be particularly easy to overlook because parents often become accustomed to disrupted sleep.
The official Child DLA form and guidance explain the different care and mobility questions. Read each one carefully and use examples that are relevant to your child’s actual needs.
That’s fine to explain too.
Your child might get dressed independently on a quiet weekend but need extensive support before school because of anxiety or sensory overload.
Rather than saying they always struggle, explain when they manage, when they need help and what makes the difference.
Purpl insight: Parents often make complicated routines look effortless because they’ve spent years adapting them. When completing a benefits form, explain those adaptations and the support you provide, not just whether your child eventually manages the activity.
Schools, nurseries and healthcare professionals can help explain your child’s additional needs, particularly when they’ve observed difficulties or provided support over time.
But you don’t necessarily need to ask everyone involved in your child’s care to write a new report.
Start by looking at what you already have, then identify whether there are important gaps.
If your child receives additional support at school, you could ask their teacher or SENCO for a short statement describing what that support involves.
For example, do staff need to supervise your child closely because of safety concerns? Do they provide help with communication, eating, toileting or emotional regulation? Does your child need one-to-one support during particular activities?
A statement describing what staff actually do is generally more informative than one simply confirming that your child has additional needs.
Need help asking for supporting evidence?
We’ve also prepared a Child DLA evidence checklist with letter templates to help you request relevant information from schools and healthcare professionals. These can be useful if you’re unsure what to ask for or how to word your request.
Related resource: Child DLA evidence checklist and letter templates
This is something many parents worry about, especially when their child appears to cope at school but becomes exhausted, distressed or overwhelmed afterwards.
A school report might describe a child who participates in lessons and follows instructions, while at home that same child needs considerable help recovering from the school day.
Both experiences can be accurate.
Explain what happens at home, why you think the difficulties differ and what additional support you provide. A school report doesn’t have to describe exactly the same difficulties you see for both accounts to be useful.
A GP letter can be useful when it contains relevant information about your child’s condition or care needs.
However, your GP may not know the details of your child’s daily routine, particularly if most of their support comes from family members, school staff or therapists.
Before paying for a new letter, check whether existing assessments or medical reports already explain the difficulties you want to evidence.
Some GP practices charge for non-NHS supporting letters, and a new letter isn’t automatically more useful than an existing report.
If you’re unsure what evidence to gather, Contact provides specialist advice and support for families with disabled children.
Even when you’re providing extensive care, it’s surprisingly easy to leave important information out of an application.
Here are some common things to watch for.
A diagnosis helps explain your child’s condition, but it doesn’t necessarily show the additional care they need.
Include the practical difficulties alongside any medical information.
When you’ve helped your child with the same routines for years, you might not realise how much additional time and supervision they involve.
Think about everything you do throughout a typical day, including the support that prevents difficulties from occurring.
Difficult days matter, but the application needs to reflect your child’s overall needs.
Explain how often those days happen, what support is needed on easier days and whether there are patterns or triggers.
Additional care isn’t always physical assistance.
A child may be able to complete an activity but still need close supervision because of safety risks or other disability-related difficulties.
More evidence doesn’t automatically mean stronger evidence.
A focused report explaining your child’s additional needs may be more useful than a large bundle of documents that don’t relate to the difficulties described.
Child DLA generally cannot be backdated, so don’t assume you need every supporting document before starting the claim.
In England and Wales, the claim can usually start from the date the DWP receives your completed form, or from the date you telephone to request a claim pack if you return it within six weeks.
The official guidance on how to claim Child DLA explains the process. Northern Ireland has its own application arrangements.
If you’re still waiting for evidence, check the instructions or seek independent advice rather than delaying unnecessarily.
Purpl tip: Keep copies of your completed form, diary and supporting documents. They may be useful if you’re asked for further information, your child’s needs change or you need to challenge a decision.
When you’re already managing appointments, school arrangements and your child’s additional needs, finding time to organise evidence can feel like another job.
That’s why we’ve created a free Child DLA evidence gathering toolkit.
It’s designed to help you capture the care you’re already providing, rather than asking you to remember everything when you’re sitting in front of a lengthy application form.
Free download: Purpl Child DLA evidence gathering toolkit (PDF)
You can complete the diary every evening or add notes throughout the day, whichever works best for your family.
And if you remember something later, you can return to an earlier entry.
Start by recording your child’s needs over a typical week. You don’t need to fill in every section every day, and it’s fine to leave out anything that isn’t relevant.
At the end of the week, look through your notes. Are there difficulties that happen regularly? Are some days harder than others? Is there support you provide so automatically that you nearly forgot to record it?
Use the weekly summary to bring those details together. Then, when you’re completing the Child DLA form, you can refer back to your notes for real examples.
The toolkit isn’t an official DWP form and isn’t compulsory. It’s simply a practical resource to help you prepare. If you decide to submit diary entries as supporting evidence, make sure they’re accurate, relevant and consistent with your application.
A Child DLA award may also affect your family’s entitlement to other benefits and financial support.
This is worth checking because the extra cost of raising a disabled child can extend well beyond specialist equipment or medical appointments. There may be additional transport costs, higher household bills, extra childcare needs or expenses associated with therapies and accessible activities.
If you care for your child for at least 35 hours a week and they receive the middle or highest rate care component of DLA, you may qualify for Carer’s Allowance, subject to the other eligibility rules.
There are also earnings conditions, and claiming Carer’s Allowance can affect other benefits received by you or someone else.
In Scotland, Carer Support Payment has replaced Carer’s Allowance for new applications.
Our guide, What financial help can carers claim in the UK?, explains the different types of support available to unpaid carers and how they interact.
If your family receives Universal Credit, a qualifying Child DLA award may mean you are entitled to an additional amount for a disabled child.
The amount depends on your child’s award and the applicable rules.
You may also be eligible for other support, including certain Council Tax reductions or assistance with childcare costs.
It’s worth checking your full entitlement after receiving a Child DLA decision, rather than assuming the DLA payment is the only change.
You can use the Turn2us benefits calculator to explore possible entitlements.
Some charities and local schemes provide financial support for families raising disabled or seriously ill children.
Depending on the scheme, grants may help with specialist equipment, essential household items, home adaptations or family breaks.
Family Fund is one organisation worth exploring, particularly for eligible lower-income families.
A Child DLA award may also provide useful evidence when applying for disability-related concessions at attractions and venues.
Some places offer free essential companion tickets, while others use access schemes or require particular evidence.
Eligibility is not automatic, so always check the venue’s rules before booking.
Purpl Tip: If your child receives a new DLA award, make a list of the other benefits, grants and concessions you want to check. A successful claim can sometimes open the door to additional support that wasn’t available previously.
Getting the financial support your child is entitled to matters, but so does finding ways to make everyday family life more affordable.
At Purpl, we work with brands to secure discounts for eligible disabled people, people with long-term health conditions, and parents and carers.
You don’t need to receive PIP or have a Blue Badge to join. Parents and carers may be eligible even if they aren’t disabled themselves.
Here are a few offers that could be particularly useful for families.
Specialist sensory products can be expensive, particularly when you’re trying to find the right equipment for your child.
Purpl members can currently get 10% off at Sensory Direct, which sells products including ear defenders, sensory toys, weighted products, fidgets and communication aids.
Explore the Sensory Direct discount.
Food shopping is one of those expenses you can’t avoid, and costs can be even higher when your child has particular dietary or household needs.
Eligible Purpl members can currently get 10% off Morrisons online grocery orders of £25 or more, subject to the offer terms.
Family days out can become expensive, particularly when you’re arranging accessible facilities, additional support or suitable activities.
Purpl features discounts on selected attractions and experiences. It’s also worth checking whether the venue offers free essential companion tickets, as these can sometimes provide additional savings.
Explore Purpl’s latest discounts.
Purpl tip: Before buying specialist products or booking a family day out, check the total cost, including delivery charges, accessibility arrangements, returns policies and companion ticket eligibility. The biggest advertised discount isn’t always the best overall saving.
Offers and terms may change. Check the individual offer pages for current details and eligibility.
Yes. A formal diagnosis isn’t required to claim Child DLA. Your child may qualify if their disability or health condition means they meet the relevant care or mobility criteria. Include information about their everyday difficulties and the additional support they need.
The most useful evidence explains your child’s additional care, supervision or mobility needs. This might include medical assessments, school reports, care plans, supporting statements and real-life examples recorded in a diary.
Yes. Parents and carers can provide detailed information about their child’s needs. Explain the support you provide, why it’s necessary, how frequently it’s needed and how it differs from the care normally required by another child of the same age.
There is no compulsory diary period. Seven days is a practical starting point because it can capture school days and weekends. If your child’s needs fluctuate considerably, a longer record may be more useful.
No. An Education, Health and Care Plan isn’t required to claim Child DLA. An EHCP may provide useful supporting information, but children without one can still qualify.
You may be able to provide further evidence while your application is being considered. Contact the relevant DLA office to explain what you want to send and check how to make sure it is linked to your claim. Don’t assume that evidence sent after a decision has been made will automatically be considered.
No. Child DLA isn’t means-tested, so household income and savings don’t determine entitlement. Eligibility depends on the child’s care or mobility needs and the other qualifying rules.
You know your child better than anyone, but putting their additional needs into words isn’t always easy, particularly when the support you provide has become part of everyday family life.
You don’t need to describe a perfect week or find the perfect medical report. What matters is giving an honest, detailed picture of the care your child needs, including the things you do without thinking twice.
Start with the evidence you already have, record real examples and explain the additional support your child needs compared with another child of the same age.
If you’re preparing an application, our free Child DLA evidence gathering toolkit can help you capture those details, one day at a time.
And remember, if your child receives an award, it’s worth checking what other financial support, grants and concessions may be available to your family.
These resources provide official application information and independent advice. The correct application process depends on where your child lives.
Georgina is the Founder of Purpl and a disabled and neurodivergent advocate. Living with multiple sclerosis and ADHD, she understands how disability can affect everyday life, independence and financial security.
She created Purpl to help disabled people, people with long-term health conditions, and parents and carers reduce the extra cost of disability through meaningful discounts, accessible information and community support.
Georgina is also passionate about raising awareness of the Disability Price Tag and the value of the Purple Pound, helping businesses better understand the needs and spending power of disabled consumers.