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Children's Handbook Scotland | 2023/24

7. Child disability payment

• Who can get child disability payment
• Disability test: care component and mobility component
• Amount of benefit

Child disability payment (CDP) replaces disability living allowance (DLA) for children in Scotland. It was introduced for new claims in pilot areas from 26 July 2021 and rolled out across the rest of Scotland for new claims from 22 November 2021. You cannot claim CDP for the child if s/he already gets DLA. Children who are already getting DLA are being transferred to CDP without having to make a claim for it. This transfer process started in late 2021.

It is a benefit for children with mobility problems and/or care needs as a result of a disability or health condition.

CDP is not means tested and you do not have to have paid any national insurance contributions to get it.

Social Security Scotland is responsible for the administration of CDP.

Who can get child disability payment

• Disability test: care component and mobility component

Your child qualifies for CDP if:1s31 and Sch 5 SS(S)A 2018; reg 3 DACYP(S) Regs

•s/he normally lives in Scotland and satisfies certain other residence and presence conditions and s/he is not a ‘person subject to immigration control’. See CPAG’s Welfare Benefits and Tax Credits Handbook for details; and
•s/he is under 16 when you first claim. If s/he is entitled when s/he is under 16, it can continue to be paid until s/he is 18; and
•s/he is terminally ill or s/he satisfies the disability test for the care component (see below) and/or the mobility component (see below), and has done so for the last 13 weeks and is likely to continue to do so for the next 26 weeks.2Reg 11(3), 12(6) and 13(10) DACYP(S) Regs

 

1     s31 and Sch 5 SS(S)A 2018; reg 3 DACYP(S) Regs »

2     Reg 11(3), 12(6) and 13(10) DACYP(S) Regs »

Disability test: care component and mobility component

The disability tests for the care component and the mobility component are very similar to the tests for DLA (see here and here).1Regs 11-14 DACYP(S) Regs However, the definition of terminally ill is different for CDP. For CDP, ‘terminally ill’ means that, in the judgement of a registered medical practitioner or a registered nurse, who is involved in the child’s care or diagnosis, the child has a progressive disease that can be reasonably expected to cause death.2Sch 5 para 1(2) SS(S)A 2018; reg 15 DACYP(S) Regs The medical practitioner or nurse must have regard to the guidance published by the Chief Medical Officer of Scotland.3Sch 5 para 1(3) SS(S)A 2018; reg 15(7) DACYP(S) Regs If the child is terminally ill, s/he should get the highest rate of the care component and, if s/he is aged three or over, the higher rate of the mobility component.

 

1     Regs 11-14 DACYP(S) Regs »

2     Sch 5 para 1(2) SS(S)A 2018; reg 15 DACYP(S) Regs »

3     Sch 5 para 1(3) SS(S)A 2018; reg 15(7) DACYP(S) Regs »

Amount of benefit

Weekly rate
Care component
Lowest rate	£26.90
Middle rate	£68.10
Highest rate	£101.75
Mobility component
Lower rate	£26.90
Higher rate	£71.00

A child winter heating assistance payment is payable if a child or young person is getting CDP care component at the highest rate. This is an annual payment of £235.70.

S/he is eligible for child winter heating assistance if s/he is:1WHACYP(S) Regs

•getting (or would be getting if s/he were not resident in a care home) the highest rate of the care component during the third week of September; and
•aged under 18 or aged 18 and still awaiting an assessment for personal independence payment; and
•resident in Scotland.

 

1     WHACYP(S) Regs »