The child you would like to refer must meet all of the following;  

• UK resident aged 5-18 years old 
• Living in the highest areas of deprivation - 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.
• Living with a disability, serious illness, or life-limiting condition.  
• The child must not have received a dream/wish with another wish granting charity, or Dreams Come True before.
  

Please Note:

• Please note we only accept referrals from professionals known to the child, including medical, healthcare, educational, or social care professionals.   
• 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 on this. 

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.  

Medical Criteria 

We cover a wide range of medical conditions with examples including: 

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

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:  

• Behavioural Disorders e.g. ADHD, ODD etc. 
• Mental Illnesses e.g. anorexia, depression, Tourette’s. 
• Visual Impairment 
• Hearing Impairment

How it works