Frequently asked questions
This section provides answers to the most popular enquiries that we receive at Family Fund extra. You can find out information on the following topics:
If your question is not listed within the above topics please 'Contact us' through our online form.
The questions below are some of the most popular questions our families and friends ask about Family Fund extra. Please click on the question of interest , or simply scroll down the list to view all answers.
Family Fund extra is the trading name of Family Fund Trading Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary company of The Family Fund Trust for Families with Severely Disabled Children.
Family Fund extra was formed to help all families who care for a disabled child or young person, and is separate from the grant making provided by the Family Fund.
The purpose of Family Fund extra is to find new ways to support and make a difference to all families that care for a disabled child or young person.
Members, once registered, will be able to access arange of savings on everyday products that will go some way to easing the financial pressures they face in caring for a disabled child. In addition we provide members with information and useful contacts, and the ability for them to be heard amongst our community of families sharing their stories and experiences of raising a child or young person with a disability.
Family Fund extra gifts all of its profits to the Family Fund to enable the Fund to try and provide further grants and support to more families with severely disabled children.
As Family Fund extra is an online website, we are unable to provide a dedicated contact telephone line. Shoudl you wish to contact Family Fund extra please use the Ask a question section within your account or the Contact us form.
Members are parents or carers living in the UK who care for a disabled child or young person up to the age of 25, or young disabled people up to this age who register in their own right.
Supporters are individuals or organisations that wish to make a positive difference to the lives of thousands of families who care for a severely disabled child or young person. Supporters will generate income for extra by affiliate shopping (where a retailer makes a donation to extra every time a supporter shops), recycling and donations, but will not be entitled to receive any discounts on products or services.
If you are a parent or carer living in the UK who cares for a disabled child or young person up to the age of 25, or you are a young disabled person up to this age you may apply to become a member of Family Fund extra. There is no income criteria to become a member of Family Fund extra.
No. Your membeship is exclusively to help you, your immediate family and your disabled child or young person.
The Family Fund gives grants to lower income families with severely disabled children for things that make life easier and more enjoyable. It is the largest charitable sector grant-maker to families, helping around 53,000 families each year with things such as holidays, washing machines, driving lessons, computers and hospital visiting costs. All funding comes from the governments of England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.
Parents or carers of severely disabled children can apply to the Family Fund for a grant if:
- Their child is 17 or under in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland and
- Money coming into their household is less than £25,000 in England or £27,000 in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. This is the money received from benefits and tax credits. If a member of the household is working we also count your net income (this is the money you take home after you have paid tax and national insurance. We do not count Disability Living Allowance or Child benefit.
- They have lived in the UK for six months and have permanent residency here.
The Family Fund unfortunately cannot help children and young people in local authority care, including those living with relatives or foster carers. Please see the Family Fund website for further information www.familyfund.org.uk
No. Many of the grants that are awarded by the Family Fund are done so through a contracted relationship with a supplier. A family may be able to utilise extra to 'top up' a grant from the Family Fund, which is for Thomas Cook vouchers or a Comet gift card. E.g. additional Thomas Cook vouchers are required to pay the difference on a family holiday. These could be purchased through the extra voucher shop with a discount applied to the total purchase.
You can share your story through 'Tell us your story'.
If you need to change your contact details or any other aspects of your membership you may do so through 'My Family Fund extra'.
If you are a young person, or you care for a disabled child or young person your membership to Family Fund extra will expire on the 25th birthday of the child or young person.
Should you no longer wish to be a member of Family Fund extra you may contact us at extracustomer@familyfund.org.uk and we will cancel your membership.
Any family who is eligible for Family Fund assistance will have already been through a comprehensive assessment process and, as such, will automatically qualify for membership of extra without verification. All other members will be verified. Family Fund extra may ask you to provide independent evidence that you care for a disabled child or are a disabled young person.
Examples of evidence would be:
- DLA award
- Copy of Special Educational Needs statement
- Doctors letter or report
- Social worker/Health visitor confirmation
- Child tax credit award
Any member that is unable to provide such evidence may have their membership revoked.
The questions below are some of the most popular questions our families and friends ask about making a donation to Family Fund extra. Please click on the question of interest , or simply scroll down the list to view all answers.
Take a look at the 'Donate' section on this site for information about the different ways you can make a difference. You can make a secure one off donation or a regular donation online, or you can contact us on 0844 247 3424 . Alternatively you can post your donation to us by completing our Donation form and posting this, with your cheque made payable to Family Fund extra, to, Unit 4 Alpha Court, Monks Cross Drive, Huntington York YO32 9WN.
All monies that you donate go to help low-income families who care for severely disabled children. That’s £1 in every £1 going to help make a difference to the life of a young person or child with a severe disability. We are able to make this promise because extra uses a proportion of its retail income to cover all operational costs.
The Family Fund will use gifted income from extra to help families who do not meet the criteria of the core Fund e.g. over the income or age limit. They will also help eligible families with needs that that cannot be met by the core Fund e.g. funeral expenses, utility bills.
If you would like to make a donation to Family Fund extra through a gift from a will, you can do this by contacting us on 0844 247 3424 . Family Fund extra would advise anyone making or updating a Will to seek independent advice from a practising solicitor or bank trust.
If you would like to make a donation to Family Fund extra "in memory" of a loved one, you can do this through contacting us at extracustomer@familyfund.org.uk We will present your personalised message for the person you are remembering. You can also make a donation "in memory" by calling our Customer Services on 0844 247 3424 from 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday. Alternatively, please send your donation to Family Fund extra “in memory” Unit 4 Alpha Court, Monks Cross Drive, Huntington York YO32 9WN.
Please share with us your memory, stating the purpose of the donation and the details you would like us to present on the site
In order to amend your Direct Debit, please contact our Customer Services Department using the
contact us form. Our offices are open from 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday (excluding Bank holidays).
Under the Gift Aid scheme, charities can reclaim an extra 25% in tax on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. Between 6 April 2008 and 5 April 2011, the government will also give UK charities an extra 3% of all eligble donations. This 'transitional relief' does not affect your personal tax position. When you donate to Family Fund extra and confirm that you are a UK taxpayer in accordance with the requirements of the Gift Aid scheme as they apply from time to time, Family Fund extra reclaims Gift Aid on behalf of the Family Fund charity under the Gift Aid scheme. When you donate, you will be asked to confirm whether or not you are a UK taxpayer. Please note that tax can only be reclaimed on donations made by individuals who pay UK income or capital gains tax at least equal to the amount reclaimed on their donations in the current tax year.
All the transactional areas of Family Fund extra (for example donating and buying goods) are on a secure server and use industry standard SSL encryption. When we capture your personal data it is encrypted in transit, and stored in a carefully controlled environment, with restricted access. We are fully committed to protecting the security of your data. More information on the steps we take to protect your privacy can be found within our privacy policy.
The questions below are some of the most popular questions our families and friends ask about Shopping with extra. Please click on the question of interest , or simply scroll down the list to view all answers.
Shop with us and our leading high street retailers will contribute to Family Fund extra each time you shop with the them. As a member you can receive exclusive discounts from leading retailers, as a supporter you can make a difference every time you shop. Some of the retailers will not always provide you with a discount, they will hawever all contribute to the Family Fund every time you shop.
All profits from shopping through extra are gifted to the Family Fund and go to help low-income families who care for severely disabled children.
We endeavour to ensure that the retailers we work with and the links we provide are only reputable organisations that provide reliable information. All external links to the site are individually considered and reviewed in line with our ethical policy. You can purchase the Family Fund extra Comet Gift Card through Shopping extra At this time Family Fund extra does not permit the advertising or selling of goods by an individual through the Family Fund extra website.
If you wish to purchase a Family Fund extra Comet gift card, you may do so through by
clicking here. If you are a member you will need to log into your account first before purchasing your gift card. This will ensure that your 10% discount is applied to your order. If you are a supporter and wish to purchase a gift card you may do so through the above link. Comet will make a kind contribution of 10% of your gift card value to the Family Fund with every purchase.
The Family Fund extra shop is provided by Argos. As a member of Family Fund extra you will receive a 5% discount on all items that are purchased through the Family Fund extra / Argos shop. To register for the Family Fund extra Argos shop you will need to follow the
link to the site and register your details. Once registered you will be able to purchase items from the catalogue. The 5% discount has already been deducted from the price you see. You have two choices for delivery for your chosen items. You can choose the 'Home Delivery' option or you can choose to receive by post a 'Prepaid Voucher' to collect your item in store. Once you receive your voucher you can check availability of the item in your local store and go with your voucher to collect it. Delivery of orders is usually within 5 - 7 days of your order being accepted, however in busy times this may take longer. Argos will send you by email an order acknowledgement and an order acceptance. The email provides you with all of the information that you need. If you have any questions related to your order please call Argos on
0845 6400884 and there call centre staff will be able to assist you. Please note Family Fund extra staff are unable to provide you with any information in relation to any order you place through the Family Fund extra Argos shop as this information is only available to Argos.
The questions below are some of the most popular questions our families and friends ask about Chat with extra. Please click on the question of interest , or simply scroll down the list to view all answers.
Chat with extra is all about our community of families. This section of our website helps you to be part of our growing online community through sharing your stories and experiences. Chat with extra is a moderated forum, which means you can post a blog, and once approved by our editors, other members can read your blog and comment.
Please do leave comments. The whole purpose of Chat with extra is to engage in a dialogue with our members.
But remember… by commenting on this blog, you are agreeing to abide by our Terms and Conditions.
The key points are:
- Please don’t post anything inappropriate that mayupset,harass or embarrass any other person, or break any law.
- Please don’t post any medical advice on this blog, or accept any medical advice from other users.
- Although we will do our utmost to avoid this, Family Fund extra reserves the right to edit,delete,move or otherwise alter comments posted by its members.
The use of Chat with extra is only for members. You will therefore be “blogging” with parents or carers who care for a disabled child or young person, or a young person in their own right.
Family Fund extra does not place any minimum age restrictions on a member to post or edit a blog. Family Fund extra would advise that any young person under the age of 18 years of age seeks agreement from a parent or carer to use Chat with extra.
You should not post your email address within your blog, as it is classed as confidential information about you. Family Fund extra, for your privacy and security is unable to exchange email and contact details from members to other members. You may however direct members you wish to contact to your own Face book, My Space or making contact.org.
Family Fund extra recommends you read the terms and conditions for Blog prior to using Chat with extra.
This blog is moderated by Family Fund extra. If you wish to make a complaint regarding a comment or post (i.e that it is objectionable or in breach of these terms and conditions) then please contact us on extracustomer@familyfund.org.uk in the first instance.
Family Fund extra will monitor this inbox constantly during working hours. Please do not attempt to resolve disagreements by posting comments on the blog.
If a formal complaint is made against you, we reserve the right to archive your comments until the complaint is resolved.
The questions below are some of the most popular questions our families and friends ask about how they can make a difference? Please click on the question of interest , or simply scroll down the list to view all answers.
There are many ways in which you can support Family Fund extra and make a difference. Many of our friends and families:
Even the smallest thing can make a a real difference.
There are so many ways in which you can fundraise and have fun at the same time. You can read more about how you can become a fundraising friend within our section Fundraise for us.
Family Fund extra and Family Fund offers a wide range of exciting and rewarding career opportunities for you to make a real difference to the lives of families who care for a severely disabled child or young person. You will find our current opportunities within the difference you can make
Family Fund extra welcomes developing new relationships with companies and organisations who share in its vision. Read more in our section “become a corporate partner” and find out more about the numerous ways that you can help. Alternatively get in touch by using our contact us form.
You can keep in touch by registering for ourfree monthly e-newsletter and keep up to date with our retail offers, news, fundraising stories and much more.
The questions below are some of the most popular questions our families and friends ask in using extra.
Please click on the question of interest, or simply scroll down the list to view all answers.
Some email providers direct unsolicited mail into the Spam box on your email. please check this folder if you have not received your emails from Family Fund extra.
When entering your password for the first time, you avoid copying and pasting the information from the email as this can add extra characters making the password invalid.
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You do not have to accept cookies, and you should read the information that came with your browser software to see how you can set up your browser to notify you when you receive a cookie, this will give you the opportunity to decide whether to accept it.
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