What price an ordinary life?

Resources for disabled children are limited and it is important that they are well spent. Yet there are few detailed studies of costs and benefits on which to base decision making.

NPC’s latest report, What price an ordinary life? aims to reveal as much as possible about the financial costs and benefits of two services for disabled children and their families – short breaks and key worker services.

Did you know?

  • Thirty two percent of disabled children live in lone parent families, compared to 22% of other children.
  • Parents of severely disabled children do on average 14 washing loads a week, compared with only two for non-disabled children.

The report highlights:

  • financial savings are only one potential benefit of services for disabled children. Other non-economic benefits, such as the happiness of the family, may also impact decisions, and NPC is currently developing a tool to measure the impact of charities’ work on children’s well-being.
  • there is a lack of data in this area. It recommends more research to build this knowledge base and to provide a stronger ground for allocating funding.

The report What price an ordinary life? was produced to input into the Treasury/DfES review of services for disabled children produced earlier in 2007.

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