GrantRadar

Buttle UK

Buttle UK grants for children and young people

Buttle UK gives individually tailored grants of up to £2,400 to children and young people in financial hardship who are rebuilding after a recent crisis such as abuse, domestic abuse, bereavement or estrangement. The grant pays for a package of items and activities that improve wellbeing and help the child engage with education. Families cannot apply themselves: a frontline professional at a charity, housing association or public body who works directly with the child applies for them. Buttle aims to decide within 3 working days.

Apply on the funder’s site
You could get
Up to £2,400
no fixed round
Deadline
Rolling
apply any time
Effort
Moderate
full application with documents

Who can apply

  • Applications must come from a frontline professional working for a registered charity, housing association or public sector organisation, who works directly with the child or young person, has completed a full needs assessment and has made at least one home visit (optional for schools and colleges)
  • Families and young people cannot apply directly
  • The child or young person must be 18 or under and living with a parent or carer, or 20 or under and living independently with little or no family support
  • They must be in education or training for at least 12 hours a week (not required below school age), be in a low-income household facing financial hardship (in most cases eligible for Universal Credit), and have had a recent qualifying crisis with a significant, enduring impact on their wellbeing, development or learning: physical or sexual abuse; emotional abuse at Child in Need or Child Protection level; neglect where the parent has made sustained progress; domestic abuse that has stopped with agency support; long-term violence, severe bullying, harassment or exploitation; estrangement from both parents, or being a care leaver; a parent, carer or sibling receiving end-of-life care, or their death; or a sudden traumatic life-changing incident with trauma support
  • The family must have taken action to move on from the crisis and be engaging with support

What it funds

A package of items and activities that improve the child's wellbeing and help them engage in education and learning, for example:

  • Essentials for the home
  • Tools for school or college, such as laptops, course materials, desks and Wi-Fi
  • Wellbeing support, such as therapy or counselling and therapeutic activities
  • Activities that help a child feel like themselves again, such as clubs, hobbies, family days out or a short UK or Ireland break

Buttle publishes a guide to items and typical prices. It says this is not a shopping list, that other items can be requested, and that some things it cannot fund.

What it will not fund

  • Cases where poverty, poor housing, poor home condition or homelessness is the main issue
  • Cases where disability, chronic illness or additional needs are the main reason (Buttle points to Family Fund instead)
  • Cases where family separation or ongoing contact arrangements are the main issue
  • Looked After Children
  • Needs that statutory funding should meet: statutory funding is expected to be exhausted first

How to apply

  1. Check the criteria with Buttle's eligibility calculator
  2. Prepare using the published application questions, crisis criteria guide and item prices guide
  3. Apply online at applications.buttleuk.org with the consent and input of the parent or carer and the child or young person
  4. Discuss the application with Buttle if asked
  5. If awarded, manage the funds, upload receipts within eight weeks and complete a short evaluation survey

apply once things are beginning to stabilise and the child is engaging with support. Applications are judged only on the information provided, and the limited budget means some eligible applications are declined.

Have ready

  • Completed online application, including an assessment of the child's emotional and learning needs and how the requested items address them
  • Finance Information proforma (income, debts and savings)
  • Income evidence: in most cases a Universal Credit statement showing all elements
  • For estranged young people in education or training: their name and date of birth, course name, level and provider, start date and duration, weekly hours and attendance percentage

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