Fuel Bank Foundation, the national fuel poverty charity, has partnered with WellChild to help families caring for seriously ill children that can’t afford to heat and power their homes.
WellChild enables children and young people with complex medical needs to be cared for at home instead of hospital.
The charity, whose patron is Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, aims to provide vital resources, training and support to give seriously ill children and their families the best chance to thrive at home instead of having to stay in hospital. In addition to keeping families together and benefitting a child’s development, it is often more cost efficient to care for a child at home than in hospital. Last year, WellChild prevented over 12,000 hospital admissions.
Caring for children at home can be costly for families, especially those on low incomes, with high energy prices currently making it even more expensive to run critical medical equipment and keep homes safe and warm.
Through its partnership with Fuel Bank Foundation, WellChild will be able to refer families for emergency fuel crisis support.
Fuel Bank is the only charity in the UK to provide immediate support to households with a prepayment energy meter and off-grid homes that use alternative fuels such as heating oil.
Families who don’t have the money to pre-pay for energy and are therefore at risk of being left without heat, light or power can apply for an emergency top up voucher or fuel delivery.
