A child must meet all of the criteria below in order to be eligible for a dream with Dreams Come True. If you have any questions about eligibility, or the referral process, please speak to our team on 01428 726 330 or [email protected].   

Criteria: 

• The child must be aged 5-18 years old (inclusive) 
• They must be living with a disability, serious illness, or life-limiting condition.  
• They must be living in the highest areas of deprivation in the UK - Deciles 1-3 on the relevant post code checker, links below. 
  • Please click here for England, click here for Scotland, click here for NI, and click here for Wales.
• They must not have received a dream/wish with Dreams Come True or another wish granting charity before.
  

Referral Notes 

• Please note we only accept referrals from professionals known to the child, including healthcare, educational, or social care professionals. If you are a parent/carer of a child you’d like to refer, please share this information with a professional involved in their care.    
• We extend our age range (2-18 year olds) and deprivation criteria for children who need a dream as soon as possible, please get in touch for more information. 

Eligible Medical Conditions  

We cover a wide range of medical conditions including: 

• Heart, lung, bowel, and kidney conditions
• Degenerative neurological disorders
• Cancer diagnosis 
• Muscular dystrophy
• Conditions affecting the immune system
• Genetic disorders
• Rheumatological and Orthopedic 
• Severe autism, learning difficulties or global developmental delay

Please keep in mind this list is not exhaustive. If you are unsure if a child’s medical condition meets our criteria – please get in touch before submitting an application.  

Referrals for the following conditions should include the level of Disability Living Allowance/Personal Independence Payment which the child is in receipt of. This helps determine eligibility where conditions occur along a spectrum, specifically with:  

• Autism: applicants should be in receipt of the moderate or higher rate of the care component 
• Cerebral palsy: applicants should be in receipt of the higher rate of the mobility component (this may also be useful for other conditions causing restrictions to physical mobility). 
• Global developmental delay: applicants should be in receipt of the moderate or higher rate of the care component 
• Learning difficulties: Global developmental delay: applicants should be in receipt of the moderate or higher rate of the care component
  

Unfortunately we are unable to accept applications for children living with the following conditions alone:  

• SEMH including behavioural disorders
• Hearing Impairment
• Visual Impairment 

How it works