A mum from Nottinghamshire whose child was diagnosed with cancer said the three-month wait to be eligible to claim benefits must be scrapped.

Rachael's daughter Mabel, now six, was diagnosed with a rare type of kidney cancer in 2023.

Currently, there is a three-month wait period for Disability Living Allowance (DLA) and the charity Young Lives vs Cancer said children and young people with cancer wait an average of seven months for payment of disability benefits after diagnosis.

On 2 September, a debate was held on the issue in Parliament, led by Rachael's Labour MP for Sherwood Forest, Michelle Welsh, which Rachael said was "emotional" to see.

Young Lives vs Cancer said the financial impacts of cancer start from the point of diagnosis, and as a result young people and families immediately have to find an average of £700 each month for extra costs such as travel to hospital, food and household bills.

When families do become eligible after three months, the financial support is not backdated.

Rachael, 44, said she and her husband Scott were lucky to be able to receive their usual income during Mabel's treatment - but petrol alone was costing an extra £100 a week due to hospital trips.

In February 2024, Rachael applied for DLA but it wasn't until August that year that she was told they did not qualify as Mabel's treatment was too 'short', taking place within six months.

Rachael appealed and was awarded DLA a year after her application, she said.

She said other families she met were "having to consider whether or not they are paying for their rent this month or a mortgage payment this month, whether they can keep putting the heating on".

"It's an awful position that you're in when your child is diagnosed with cancer, but to actually have the worry that you have got to somehow find the money to continue paying for all of your bills is something that none of us should have to even consider," she added.

"If my husband and I hadn't received our usual income whilst caring for Mabel we wouldn't be in the same position as we are today – we could have lost our home.

"If we'd have been without our income, not only would we be worrying about the cancer coming back, we'd be worrying about keeping a roof over Mabel's head.

"Financial support needs to be in place as soon as your child is diagnosed with cancer."

Mabel is now doing "remarkably well" after two surgeries, including one to remove a kidney, as well as chemotherapy.

"She's done a great job in recovery and is now a happy little girl going to school like every other child."

Rachael also said the 40-page application for DLA is "repetitive, long-winded and drawn out".

She said: "I completed the application while Mabel was in her seven-hour surgery and that shows how long this application takes."

Leading the debate, Welsh said: "The qualifying period is outdated and does not reflect the complexities of lifelong conditions.

"The government does not know the cost of removing the qualifying period but I do not think there is any cost that is worth more than the ability for parents to be there for their child when they have cancer.

"Families should not have to prove their desperation for three months before receiving support, they should not have to navigate mountains of paperwork while sitting beside a hospital bed and they should never be forced to choose between earning a wage and being there for their child."

Work and Pensions Minister Lillian Greenwood, who is also Labour MP for Nottingham South, said: "Whilst there are no current plans to remove the three-month qualifying period from DLA for children, there is already a significant amount of work and support offered by my department.

"We will continue to search for the right levers across government to further strengthen support for parents in these terrible circumstances."

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