DLA Evidence Guide for Children: Proving Care and Mobility Needs

Applying for Disability Living Allowance (DLA) for a child can feel daunting, but understanding what decision makers are looking for can make the process much more manageable. DLA is awarded when a child needs significantly more care, supervision, or help with getting around than a child of the same age who does not have a disability or health condition. The most persuasive evidence is recent, specific, and clearly demonstrates the frequency, duration, and risks associated with your child’s needs—both during the day and at night.

To build a strong case, it’s important to use structured diaries, school and clinical letters, and incident logs. These should be mapped to DLA’s care and mobility components, always keeping in mind the correct age thresholds for mobility.

What Decision Makers Need to See

Decision makers compare your child’s needs to those of a typical child of the same age. It’s not about comparing to an adult or to your child’s best days. They want to see a clear picture of your child’s day-to-day life, including:

• The help your child needs during both day and night, with details about how often support is needed, how long it takes, and what risks are involved (such as safety concerns, distress, seizures, or wandering).

• Outdoor mobility and supervision needs, with attention to the specific age thresholds for mobility rates.

• Corroboration from school, college, and health professionals, which adds weight to your own account.

Turning Needs into Evidence: Practical Tools

Daily Care Diary (2–4 weeks)

A daily diary is one of the most effective ways to show the extra care your child needs. Track help with dressing, toileting, eating, medication or therapy, behaviour, and supervision. For each day, note:

• Morning: What help was needed with dressing, washing, toileting, and breakfast? How long did it take? Were there any incidents?

• School/Daytime: Did your child need prompting, 1:1 support, or have meltdowns? Were there safety issues or absences?

• Evening: Was help needed with homework, meals, routines, or behaviour?

• Night: How many times was your child woken? Was help needed with toileting, pain, seizures, or nightmares? How long did it take to settle them?

• Risks/Incidents: Describe what happened, how long it lasted, and who helped.

• Notes on therapy/medication: Record doses, side effects, and any help required.

Night-Time Log (2–3 weeks)

Night-time needs are often overlooked but can be critical for DLA. Keep a log showing:

• Date and time your child woke

• Reason for waking

• What help was needed

• How long it took

• Any safety risks

• How your child was affected the next day

Incident/Behaviour Log (ABC)

For challenging behaviour or safety incidents, use the ABC method:

• Antecedent: What happened before the behaviour?

• Behaviour: What exactly did your child do?

• Consequence: What help was needed and what was the outcome?

• Duration: How long did it last?

• Frequency: How often has this happened in the week or month?

• Risk: Was there harm to your child or others, wandering, or self-injury?

Medical and Educational Evidence That Helps

Professional evidence can make a real difference. Useful documents include:

• School/SENCO reports: These might detail learning support, 1:1 hours, behaviour plans, incident logs, risk assessments, attendance notes, or adjustments to the timetable.

• EHCP extracts: Section B (needs) and Section F (provision) are especially relevant.

• CAMHS, paediatrics, or neurology letters: These should outline diagnoses, the impact on daily life, and the need for supervision.

• OT, SALT, or physiotherapy reports: These can describe self-care, sensory processing, communication, mobility, and equipment needs.

• Specialist nurse logs: For epilepsy, diabetes, or respiratory conditions, seizure or hypo logs and management plans are helpful, especially if they show night checks.

• GP summary: A concise statement focusing on your child’s function and supervision needs.

When submitting these, include a short cover note linking each document to your child’s daily needs or outdoor safety.

Mobility Evidence (and Age Thresholds)

Mobility needs are assessed differently depending on your child’s age:

• Lower rate mobility (age 5+): Your child can walk but needs help or supervision outdoors, for example, due to lack of awareness of traffic or needing an adult to accompany them at all times.

• Higher rate mobility (age 3+): Your child cannot walk, can only walk a short distance without severe discomfort, would become very ill if walking, or is blind/severely sight impaired.

Record details such as:

• How far your child can walk before stopping, how long it takes to recover, and any signs of pain or distress.

• Supervision needed for danger awareness, road safety, bolting, or sensory overload.

• Letters from clinicians or therapists noting functional limits and risks outdoors.

Requesting Useful Letters

When asking for supporting letters, be specific about what you need. For schools or SENCOs, ask them to describe the support your child requires compared to a typical pupil, including 1:1 or small-group support, supervision during transitions or playtimes, incident frequency, and how difficulties affect learning, social interaction, safety, and self-care.

For clinicians, request a brief summary of diagnosis, the impact on self-care, behaviour, sleep, and safety, the frequency of episodes (such as seizures or meltdowns), and the level of supervision required, including night-time needs and risks.

A supporter statement from someone who helps your child regularly can also be valuable. They should describe what they observe, how often they help, and provide recent examples, including risks and consequences if your child is unsupervised.

Packaging Your Evidence

Organise your evidence under two headings: Care component and Mobility component. Use short summaries to point to diary entries and letters (for example, “See Night Log 12–26 July; SENCO letter para 4”). Focus on quality over quantity—a well-organised, clearly indexed pack is far more effective than a large, unfocused bundle. Always keep originals safe and submit copies.

Final Checklist

Before submitting, check that:

• Your diary and night-time logs cover at least two weeks and show frequency, duration, and risks.

• School and clinical letters focus on function and supervision, not just diagnosis.

• Mobility evidence reflects the correct age thresholds and outdoor risks.

• Incident logs use the ABC method with dates and outcomes.

• Your cover note maps each item to the DLA components and rates you are seeking.

• You have saved copies and booked any deadlines in your calendar.

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Disclaimer: This blog post provides general information for educational purposes only. It is not legal advice. Outcomes can vary based on your personal circumstances.