Easing the strain: assessing the impact of a Family Fund grant on mothers caring for a severely disabled child

Measures of perceptions of care-related stress and maternal adjustment were used to assess the extent to which receiving help from the Family Fund eases the stress of caring for a disabled child. A sample of 162 mothers completed a questionnaire before and after receiving help from the Family Fund. The findings suggest that the Family Fund has a significant impact on mothers' perceptions of the stresses of caring for their child, as well as improving mother's wellbeing and adjustment. However, receiving help from the Family Fund did not improve mothers' perceptions of the severity of the child's disability or the extent to which the disability had adversely affected their personal lives.