A free debt advice service for families with disabled children has been launched in Barnet.

The charities Contact a Family and Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) have joined forces to establish the service after research showed 85 per cent of families with disabled children were in debt.

Nearly 2,000 families were questioned in the study, carried out by Contact a Family and the grant-making charity Family Fund.

Results revealed that the average income of respondents was £15,270, 23.5 per cent below the average income for the UK as a whole.

The same study found that the average expenditure for these families was above the UK average, at £21,980 a year.

Sixteen per cent of the families had debts of between £5,000 and £10,000.

Jill Harrison, Contact a Family director of external affairs, said: "Often both parents can't work because of their caring responsibilities, but they still have to pay for extras like specialist equipment, so debts can mount up.

"That's why we're joining with CAB, to help these families with debt advice and by ensuring they claim the benefits and tax credits they're due."

The service, located in Barnet, in fact caters for the whole of Greater London. Anyone with disabled children can call and be guaranteed a home visit by one of the seven duty advisors.

Ms Harrison says this should help families who are unable to wait in long queues at CABs because of lack of time or their child's disability.

Sarah Rush, CAB project manager, said: "We're extremely pleased to be working with Contact a Family on this new service, and hope we can help the 2,500 families of disabled children in the borough rid themselves of a major source of stress and worry."

Pilot schemes have already been established in deprived areas across the Midlands, and plans are underway to have more in place next year if they prove a success.

Debt advisors can be contacted on 080 8808 3555.