Common Questions about Equipment Grants and Loans

At Newlife, we understand that caring for a child with a disability can bring many challenges and place significant pressure on families. Our aim is to support children and young people by providing essential, life‑changing equipment wherever we can. Because demand for our services is extremely high, we are not able to help every child, but we remain committed to supporting as many families as possible.

To help you get the most from our services and ensure a smooth application process, please read this FAQ sheet carefully. It explains how our support works and what you can expect throughout the application journey.

You can apply if the child is a UK resident or has lived in the UK for more than 6 months.

Your child must be under 19 years old. Please note that funding must be granted before your child’s 19th birthday.

Your child must also have a disability or a health condition.

You cannot apply if you have already received an equipment funding grant in the past 12 months.

We can support with a wide range of specialist equipment up the value of £10,000:

• Buggies
• Wheelchairs (manual or powered)
• Beds
• Car seats

Medical/Postural needs refer to children who may require specialist equipment such as beds, buggies, car seats, or wheelchairs to help support and maintain their posture. This may relate to sensory, physical, neurological, or medical conditions.

The equipment may also be needed to support a medical condition, carry essential medical items, and ensure safe, comfortable care in daily life.

Applications for this type of equipment must be supported by Occupational Therapists, Physiotherapists, or condition-specific nurses.

Environmental needs refer to equipment that helps a child stay safe, comfortable, and supported in their everyday environments—both at home and when out in the community. This may include supporting children who have additional needs, such as Neurodiversity/ Mental Health conditions, learning delays, or who may not have specific postural or medical needs but could still benefit from extra support in daily life.

This can include equipment such as:

• Strong, supportive beds for home use
• Car seats to help keep children safe when travelling
• Buggies or manual wheelchairs that support access to the community

These types of equipment can also help encourage independence and positive behaviour.

Families may be supported in these applications by professionals such as Occupational Therapists, Physiotherapists, Nurses, Social Workers, or Health Visitors.

General Rules (Apply to All Applications)

We cannot fund:

• Equipment already ordered before funding approval
• Equipment used for restraint or outside the manufacturer’s intended purpose
• Applications where funding has been provided within the past 12 months
• Grants for elective or planned hospital admissions
• Equipment for one-off or occasional use only
• Equipment not supported by a recognised professional
• Requests not involving appropriate professional involvement
• Requests where statutory services have not been contacted (except in specific car seat cases)
• Equipment outside our approved suppliers
• Moulded or bespoke/custom-made equipment
• Adaptations to existing equipment
• Duplicate provision
  
  Beds
  We cannot fund:
• Beds for co-sleeping, time out, or safe spaces 
• Beds for residential homes, hospices, or hospitals
• Non-essential customisations, warranties, insurance, or service packages
  
  Buggies
  We cannot fund:
• Travel, double, or standard high-street buggies
• Weather protection as extras
• Activity trays
• Buggies for children under 5 without a medical or postural need
• Buggies for children over 8 without a medical or postural need
  
  Car Seats
  We cannot fund:
• Car seats for school transport
• Car seats for children under 12 unless there is a medical/postural need or exceptional circumstances where all other options have been exhausted
• Car seats for children who already have access to a wheelchair accessible vehicle (WAV)
• Loan Car seats 
  
  Wheelchairs & Power Chairs
  We cannot fund:
• Children not assessed as safe to use powered mobility equipment
• Powered wheelchairs where there is no suitable, level, secure, and dry charging point
• Non-essential customisations, warranties, insurance, or service packages
• Power chairs for children without a medical/postural need
• Loan wheelchairs

Some children’s needs can change very quickly and become urgent. In these situations, families cannot always wait for statutory services (such as the NHS or local authority services) to provide the equipment they need.

This may include children who:

• are very unwell or medically unstable
• are getting worse quickly
• are receiving palliative or end of life care
• need equipment urgently so they can leave hospital safely (this does not include planned, routine surgery)

When a child has urgent needs and the right equipment is available in Newlife’s loan service, we may be able to provide an Emergency Equipment Loan for up to 6 months.

Please be aware that applying does not guarantee funding. Demand for our services is extremely high, and while we aim to support as many children as possible, unfortunately we cannot help in every case.

Applying through our online application form is the quickest and easiest way to apply.

When you are ready, you should complete the application form **INSERT LINK TO PAGE**. You will also need to choose a professional to support your application, and you should make sure you have spoken to them before you apply.

You will need your child’s NHS number when you apply, so please have it ready.

Part A of the application should normally be filled in by a parent or guardian.

A health or social care professional can complete Part A only if the family knows all the information that is being provided and has agreed to it, including the terms and conditions.

Applications need to be supported by a qualified professional who knows the child well and is involved in their care. This person should be able to explain how the equipment will help the child at home or in the community.

Where possible, this should be a professional from NHS or social care services. Private professionals can also support the application if they are actively involved in the child’s care.

Medical or postural equipment
This can be supported by:

• Occupational therapist
• Physiotherapist
• Specialist or clinical nurse (linked to the child’s condition)

Environmental equipment
This can be supported by the professionals listed above, plus:

• Community or school nurse
• Health visitor
• Social worker

All professionals must be properly registered with their relevant professional body

We can only accept information from the types of professionals listed above.

If your child is not currently supported by one of these professionals, please see our signposting guidance for other organisations that may be able to help. Different charities and services may have different rules, application processes, and waiting times.

We can only provide equipment that is available through our approved suppliers.

If the item you need is not part of this range, we are not able to assess or fund it. In this case, please refer to our signposting guidance for other organisations that may be able to help.

After you apply, your nominated professional will need to complete Part B of the application form. Once Part B has been completed our team will review your application.

If it meets our eligibility criteria, a member of our team will arrange for one of our preferred suppliers to carry out an assessment for your child.

Following the assessment, and once all parties agree on the proposed provision, your application will then be considered for funding.

Please note that every application is considered individually. We will work hard to ensure that we consider all avenues of funding available. Funding decisions can take up to six months, and approval cannot be guaranteed.

The professional must complete Part B of the application form. We no longer accept supporting letters.

Newlife accepts, Personal Wheelchair Budgets, vouchers, and individual contributions wherever possible, to help us reach and support as many children as we can.

We regularly send email updates on the status of your application, so families are encouraged to check their emails and use the link provided to access the online portal for the latest information.

If you still need assistance, you can call our reception team on ** INSERT NUMBER** to speak with one of the team.

Newlife receives a high number of applications, and each one is carefully reviewed on an individual basis. Decisions are made using the information provided in your application form, along with our internal scoring process.

We consider a range of factors, including:

• Your child’s needs
• How the equipment will be used
• Whether the equipment is suitable and appropriate
• If it matches the manufacturer’s intended use
• Any equipment already in place
• Your child’s movement, function, and posture
• Medical information, including whether your child has a life-limiting condition (these cases may be prioritised)
• Availability of funding
• Whether the application includes the appropriate professional involvement

Because every situation is different, we are not always able to give a detailed reason for why an application cannot be funded.

As a charity, we are not legally required to provide equipment and do not receive government funding. This means we rely on donations and must carefully prioritise the funds we have to support as many children as possible.

We understand this may be disappointing. If your application is withdrawn, we may be able to signpost you to other organisations who can help.

Please contact our Helpline on [INSERT NUMBER] or visit our signposting page for more information.

You can reapply to Newlife for funding 12 months after your original application. This is because each application is carefully reviewed using the information provided, including your child’s needs, how the equipment will be used, suitability, and other key factors. Reapplying sooner is unlikely to change the outcome.

Even if your application has been withdrawn, you can still use our other services, including the Nurse Helpline and Play Loans service. You are very welcome to access these at any time.