Child DLA Care Diary: How to Keep One That Supports Your Claim
Why a care diary matters
The DLA form asks you to describe your child's daily care needs in narrative boxes — but exhausted parents often understate what they do because it's become routine. A structured care diary recorded over a week or two captures the real picture: every assist, every night waking, every moment of supervision you provide. Decision-makers treat a contemporaneous diary as strong evidence because it's specific, dated, and hard to dispute.
What to record
Break each 24-hour period into blocks: morning, daytime, evening, and night-time. For every care action, note:
- What you did — washing, dressing, feeding, giving medication, calming a meltdown, preventing danger, settling after a night waking
- How long it took — in minutes, as precisely as you can
- How many times — if it happens repeatedly (night waking three times, for example)
- What would happen without your help — the safety risk or the task your child couldn't complete independently
- Whether this was a typical day or a bad day — label each day clearly
Don't edit or tidy up entries after the fact. Real-time notes carry more weight than a polished summary written from memory.
Typical days versus bad days
Most children with disabilities or health conditions have fluctuating needs. Record at least a few typical days and a few bad days so the decision-maker can see the range. If your child masks difficulties at school and then melts down at home every evening, that evening-and-night pattern is exactly what the diary should capture.
The DWP assesses your child's care needs across a representative period, not just on their best days.
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Night-time entries are critical
Night-time care is one of the most under-reported parts of a child DLA claim. If you're waking multiple times to check on seizures, resettle your child after nightmares, change bedding, or monitor blood sugar, log every episode with the time, what you did, and how long it took.
Middle rate care can be awarded for prolonged or repeated night-time attention alone — but the decision-maker needs specifics, not a vague "I get up a lot."
How long to keep the diary
There's no set rule, but recording for 7 to 14 days gives a solid picture of day-to-day variation without becoming overwhelming. Start the diary a week or two before you plan to post the form, and attach it to the completed pack.
Structuring the diary
A simple table format works well:
| Time | What happened | Duration | Typical or bad day |
|---|---|---|---|
| 06:30 | Woke child, full physical assist with dressing (can't manage buttons or socks) | 20 min | Typical |
| 07:00 | Supervised breakfast — needed verbal prompting every few minutes, cut food | 25 min | Typical |
| 22:45 | Night waking — distressed, needed settling with deep pressure | 15 min | Typical |
| 01:30 | Night waking — wet bed, full change of bedding and clothes | 20 min | Typical |
Include your child's name and the date at the top of each page.
Get a ready-made diary template
The Child DLA Claim Guide includes a printable day-and-night care diary template with pre-formatted columns for time, care action, duration, and day type. If you'd prefer free guidance, Contact (0808 808 3555) and Cerebra both publish advice on keeping a care diary for DLA.
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