FAQs
- How do I apply for mobility equipment?
- What type of equipment do you provide?
- Do you means test?
- What are your eligibility criteria?
- Can my child’s local therapist be involved in the assessment?
- Are your mobility therapists qualified?
- How do you prioritise an application?
- Does Whizz-Kidz maintain the equipment they provide?
- If we have already bought a piece of equipment can you refund us?
- Do you have a joint funding policy?
- How much longer will I/my child be on the waiting list?
- How long is your waiting list?
- What do I do if my child has outgrown their equipment?
- What do I do if my child no longer needs their equipment?
- What if my child’s needs have changed and the equipment no longer meets their needs?
- Where can I go for help if my child is over 18?
- Is it possible for a Whizz-Kidz therapist to do an assessment if we have the money/have fundraised to buy our child their equipment?
- Do you have a brochure or catalogue of the equipment you provide?
How do I apply for mobility equipment?
For more information about how to apply to Whizz-Kidz for equipment, please go to the following pages:
For a hard copy of our application pack please call our Children’s Service team on 0845 052 1231 (Local rate call).
What type of equipment do you provide?
Whizz-Kidz provides:
- Powered, manual and sports wheelchairs
- Trikes including companion cycles and quads (not the powered ones)
- Buggies (including doubles, triples etc.)
- Scooters (3 or 4 wheels).
We do not fund car seats, vehicles or vehicle adaptations, home adaptations, static equipment (e.g. chairs, standing frames or static exercise bikes etc.).
Do you means test?
No we don’t
What are your eligibility criteria?
We do not have eligibility criteria as such, but there are three important things you need to take into account before applying to Whizz-Kidz. They are:
- Is the child or young person aged 18 or under when you apply (we need to receive any application before their 18th Birthday)?
- Does the child have a permanent disability that affects their mobility?
- The mobility equipment required is not available through the NHS.
Can my child’s local therapist be involved in the assessment?
Of course, their involvement is very welcome. Our mobility therapist will contact the child’s main therapist (who completed section 2 of their application form) before the assessment. If however they did not want to be involved, we would carry on with the assessment independently. We do encourage joint assessments as they not only pool expertise, but also funds which means we reach the best possible outcome for each child.
Are your mobility therapists qualified?
All of our mobility therapists are either occupational or physiotherapists, specialising in child mobility. They all have many years experience at providing customised mobility equipment to children and young people.
How do you prioritise an application?
Our lead mobility therapist prioritises all the applications we receive. We take into account several factors, including the type of equipment requested, what equipment the child/young person already uses, when and where the equipment will be used, the child’s condition and what they would like to achieve with the equipment requested. We also take into account the needs of their family and/or carers. Our priority levels are fast track, high and medium.
Does Whizz-Kidz maintain the equipment they provide?
It is currently the family’s responsibility to service the equipment annually, and to pay for any ongoing maintenance or repairs. This is sometimes undertaken by their local wheelchair service, but not in all cases. Our resources are limited so we will be focused on supporting those families most in need.
For more information, please go to maintenance and insurance
If we have already bought a piece of equipment can you refund us?
No, we do not operate on this basis and only fund equipment that one of our therapists has assessed a child for.
Do you have a joint funding policy?
Yes, we do. We endeavour to joint fund as often as possible, so that we can make our funds go further and help as many young people as we can.
In all cases we approach the local wheelchair services to ascertain whether they will work with us. For example, a wheelchair service voucher issued can go towards providing equipment that meets a child’s clinical needs and Whizz-Kidz will ‘top up’ so that together we meet their social and development needs too.
We also work with other charities depending on the type of equipment required and where possible families also contribute to the cost of the equipment – some even fundraise locally to generate funds.
How much longer will I/my child be on the waiting list?
We can only estimate how long a child will be on the waiting list. We base this on when their application was received, their level of priority, and against how long it is currently taking to assess other children.
As a guideline however, fast track cases are usually able to receive their equipment within 3 months. High priority cases should expect to wait under a year and medium priority cases may take in the region of one year. Most applications for recreational equipment such as trikes and sports wheelchairs are assessed as medium priority.
How long is your waiting list?
We currently have 170 children and young people on the waiting list.
Whizz-Kidz is virtually 100% reliant on voluntary donations, so it is very difficult for us to accurately predict how long the wait for equipment will be as it really depends on the money we receive.
What do I do if my child has outgrown their equipment?
Most equipment is assessed with growing room in mind. If your child appears to have outgrown their wheelchair or tricycle contact us and we’ll arrange one of our therapists to visit and check the status of the equipment. If the equipment is adjusted to its full size we will reassess your child for a new piece of equipment. If you’d like to re-apply, please fill email us or call our Family Advise Worker on 020 7798 6112.
What do I do if my child no longer needs their equipment?
This depends on the condition and type of equipment. For example, the body of a powered wheelchair used by a five year old could be reconditioned if it is good condition. On the other hand, if the equipment is very old it may only that some of the parts could be reused by your local wheelchair dealer.
Whizz-Kidz has found that it can be expensive to reclaim and recycle, but we are currently exploring the possibility of working with a third party to put in place a more systematic procedure.
If your child’s equipment is in good condition, the best thing to do is complete an online enquiry form – giving us the model name and length of use. You could consider donating the equipment to a local ‘special needs’ school, but it would be entirely their decision to take it off you or not.
If you equipment is old and worn, we recommend you scrap it safely, particularly if there are electrical components, batteries etc.
What if my child’s needs have changed and the equipment no longer meets their needs?
One of our therapists (most likely the therapist who did the original assessment) will need to discuss this with you and potentially visit to reassess your child’s needs. It may be that the equipment can be modified or upgraded. Please fill in our online enquiry form.
Where can I go for help if my child is over 18?
Your local wheelchair service should be your first port of call. Other charities such as the Variety Club, Action for Kids (up to 26) and Aspire also provide equipment for young adults.
Is it possible for a Whizz-Kidz therapist to do an assessment if we have the money/have fundraised to buy our child their equipment?
Whizz- Kidz regrets that it is not able to provide this service. We do occasionally have product information days where you can see a range of equipment and we may also be able to give you information about private therapy sessions, which offer a fee paying service. For more information please call us on 0845 052 1231.
Do you have a brochure or catalogue of the equipment you provide?
No, we do not have a catalogue because we do not make the equipment. It is made by individual manufacturers based across the UK and abroad. We purchase the equipment through accredited dealers, also based across the UK.
If you let us know what type of equipment you are looking for we can recommend dealers for you to approach directly for brochures and detailed product information. Many of them have websites too. Please complete an online enquiry form
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