The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has been urged to scrap Child Disability Living Allowance (DLA) for three conditions after the number of claimants reached 915,000, with spending on the benefit soaring to £5 billion in a single year.
According to the think tank Policy Exchange, the £5 billion figure for 2025-26 is more than double the £2.3 billion recorded in 2019-20. The number of children receiving DLA has nearly tripled from 314,000 in 2010, and more than 400,000 have signed on for mental health benefits since the Covid pandemic.
Three conditions driving the surge
Policy Exchange said that three conditions — behavioural disorders, learning difficulties and hyperkinetic syndrome — have fuelled the staggering increase. The number of ADHD claimants has risen to 60,000, while claims for behavioural disorders such as oppositional defiant disorder have increased by 251,000. Autism and Asperger's claims have risen by 279,000 since 2010.
The think tank argues that restricting eligibility for these three conditions could save taxpayers £11.9 billion over the next four years.
Calls for reform
Jean-André Prager, a senior fellow at Policy Exchange, said: "Child DLA is now supporting a very different population from the one it was designed for. Of course, disabled children deserve support. But we need to make sure that support is reaching those with the greatest needs and ask whether some of this money could be used more effectively to provide earlier support for children and families."
Keir Haldane, who co-authored the report, said: "The growth in Child DLA has been striking, both in the number of claimants and in the level of awards. Reform should focus on whether the current system is still the most effective way to support children with additional needs."
DWP response
A spokesman for the Department for Work and Pensions said: "Child disability living allowance exists to help with the extra costs of caring for a seriously ill or disabled child. We know there is a rising demand for Child DLA, which is why we have trained additional case managers to deal with these claims to a high standard. We have also outlined reforms to special educational needs to ensure every child gets the right support early on, without a fight."
The report's findings come amid wider debates about the sustainability of disability benefits spending and the effectiveness of current support mechanisms for children with additional needs.
