Children and young people with disabilities

If you have a child or young person with a significant and permanent reduced physical or mental ability to function (handicap) and/or an intervening chronic or long-term disorder, Sønderborg Municipality has a number of support options that you can apply for. A decision is then made as to whether you can receive the support. If you are covered, the extent of the support you can receive is assessed.

In order to be in the target group for support, your child or young person must have a significant and permanent reduced physical or mental ability to function, or an intervening chronic disorder or an intervening long-term disorder. The impairment or disorder must have serious consequences in your child or young person's everyday life.

Can we get family counseling?

If you have a child/youth under the age of 18 who has a significant and permanently reduced physical or mental ability to function, Sønderborg Municipality offers family guidance with an educational consultant if you are assessed to receive support. The consultant has a duty of confidentiality.

When you are covered, you can get early and non-binding guidance on what options and rights you have in Sønderborg Municipality in relation to your child's disability/impairment.

The educational consultant can also advise on how they can get in contact with other families with children/young people with reduced functional ability.

The role of the educational consultant is purely advisory. The offer of guidance must, as a rule, take place within the first three months after the municipality has received notification of the child's/young person's disability.

A visit to your home is generally offered to make it as easy as possible for you, but the conversation can also take place at the municipality.

Read more on the Danish National Board of Health and Welfare's website.

Can I get reimbursed for expenses eligible for compensation?

You can apply for compensation-eligible expenses to be covered if your child has a significant and permanent physical or mental impairment (handicap) or a severe and long-term illness/disease.

In order to cover the costs, you must:

• Your child has been assessed as belonging to the target group
• Your child should be living at home
• The other conditions for the scheme are met.
• The expenses must be a direct result of the child's disability or illness.

Two groups for payout (2025 rate, adjusted annually):

Group I - for families who can demonstrate that they have expenses eligible for compensation of more than DKK 6.600 per year.

• A fixed amount of DKK 1.105 is paid per month.
• You do not need to document all expenses individually, just up to the minimum amount of DKK 555/month.
• You can apply for expenses for both ongoing and one-off expenses.

Group II - for families with documented expenses eligible for compensation of more than DKK 24.000 per year

• The expenses must be shown in Positive lists
• The municipality covers the actual expenses + DKK 500 per month for other necessary expenses.
• Individual expenses exceeding DKK 15.000 per year that are not stated in positive list, can be included

Examples of expenses eligible for compensation:

Medicine, food and dietary supplements, transportation and the like. 

However, the expenses must exceed the expenses a family normally has for supporting a child and can only be covered if they are not covered by other provisions or schemes.

Apply via the self-service link at the top of the page.

Read more about assistive devices and necessary home furnishings here.

Can I apply for lost earnings?

If, as a result of your child's disability, it is deemed necessary and most appropriate for one of the parents to look after the child at home, you can apply to the municipality for compensation for lost earnings.

Lost earnings can be granted to families with children and young people up to the age of 18 in cases where the following conditions are met:

• your child is under 18 years of age and has a significant and permanent impairment of physical or mental functioning or a serious chronic or long-term illness
• it is a necessary consequence of the disability or disorder that the child is cared for at home
• it is most appropriate that it is the mother, father or other relative who cares for the child
• that you as a provider have had to cease all or part of your employment to look after the child or cannot take up employment because you look after your child with a disability

You can also apply for compensation for lost earnings when, according to a medical assessment, it is necessary for you to accompany your child to examinations, treatment, etc. as a result of the child's disability.

Both parents/carers can apply for lost earnings and thus share the childcare, if the conditions are met.

The compensation for lost earnings is determined on the basis of your most recent gross income. There is a ceiling for the monthly compensation of DKK 34.055. (2023 - the amount is adjusted annually).

Apply via the self-service box at the top of the page.

Can my child get a special offer in an institution or school?

Read more about our institutions for children with special needs or schools for children with special needs.

Where can I see case processing times?

See case processing times here.