Access to government benefits
You can find out more about disability benefits for children and young people by visiting the Child Disability Payment page at www.mygov.scot/child-disability-payment
If you need any help, you can contact Social Security Scotland by post, webchat, or on their freephone number. You can find the contact details on www.mygov.scot/contact-social-security-scotland
Access to support services and government benefits (FAQs)
Frequently Asked Questions
Are children registered as sight impaired?
The new Certificate of Vision Impairment (CVI form) for adults in Scotland was introduced in April 2018. This replaced the previous registration system (Blind and Partial Sight Register) for people with sight impairment. Since then, children under the age of 16 years in Scotland are no longer registered. This is because the needs of children with visual impairment are different from adults.
How do I access services for my child?
Your child should be provided with the services they require according to their individual needs. For children living in Scotland, VINCYP has developed a national care pathway for local VINCYP teams to use to help them identify appropriate VI services – this can be found here. This is to ensure early identification of children with visual impairment and early notification to the other visual impairment agencies that provide the services they require.
In some circumstances you may require to provide confirmation or evidence that your child has a visual impairment, for example, for access to some services or when applying for benefits.
How do I provide evidence of my child’s visual impairment?
The evidence you need is a letter from any of the healthcare professionals in your local visual impairment team who are involved with your child, for example, your child’s Ophthalmologist, Orthoptist, Optometrist or Visual Impairment Paediatrician.
What should this evidence letter state?
If your child has a visual impairment as defined by VINCYP, the letter should state that your child “has a visual impairment fulfilling the definition from the visual impairment network for children and young people (VINCYP)”.
If your child is severely sight impaired (equivalent to adult severe sight impairment registration criteria) then the letter should also state that your child “is unable to mobilise safely without help or supervision of another person due to severe sight impairment, taking their age into account.”
An application form I am completing is asking if my child is registered blind – how do I answer this?
Application forms for some benefits ask if the applicant is Registered Blind or Partially Sighted. This can be answered by stating that the registration system in Scotland does not apply to children under age 16 years and that you are providing alternative evidence (letter from a healthcare professional as above).
Will my child be registered as sight impaired with the Certificate of Visual Impairment Form when they are age 16 years?
A child’s vision can change as they grow and develop and although your child may meet the criteria for VINCYP the criteria for registration at age 16 years are different. More information can be found here.
If you need any further information, please contact your local Visual Impairment Team.