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Who can MERU help?

At the present time, MERU can only accept referrals for children and young people who fall into all the following categories:

• Aged from birth up to and including 24 years of age.
• Affected by a permanent or long-term disability.
• Referred to us by, or with the support of, a suitable medical professional who knows and has worked with the young person. For example: a paediatrician, physiotherapist, occupational therapist or speech and language therapist.
• The item required is not available commercially - i.e. it cannot be bought on the marketplace.
• The young person lives and/or goes to school or college in London and the South East.
  Projects for clients from outside this area may be accepted but the client should be prepared to travel to MERU's Carshalton premises for all assessments and delivery of the final product.

All clients whose projects are accepted will be asked, wherever possible, to attend assessment/delivery appointments at MERU's premises. This ensures that our small team of engineers uses its time efficiently, enabling us to carry out more projects.

What MERU does NOT do

MERU reserves the right to refuse to carry out a project if it believes that any of the following reasons apply:

• The project is not in the child or young person's best interests, or places unacceptable risks on them, their carers or any other person
• MERU is not qualified or resourced to undertake the project
• The project is unacceptable under current British/EU legislation

MERU also will not manufacture or adapt:

• Restraints
• Cot sides
• Car seats/seatbelts

MERU cannot adapt or modify any item that is the property or responsibility of another organisation unless given written permission.

What will it cost to have a project made by MERU?

No charge will be made directly to the child or their family. However donations are always gratefully received as they contribute to our ability to help more children and young people.

As a charity, MERU must use its limited resources carefully. Whenever possible, we will seek to obtain a financial contribution towards the cost of the project from the young person's local authority or other relevant body. Please click here to see our charging policy.

MERU is always willing to discuss the possibility of setting up Service Level Agreements with Local Authorities, Social Services departments, Health Authorities or other organisations, to provide projects for numbers of children.

The Queen's Award for Voluntary Service 2004. Copyright © MERU 2006. All rights reserved
Reg. Charity No. 269804 Company Limited by Guarantee No. 1214125
Email: info@meru.org.uk Tel No: 020 8770 8286 Fax No: 020 8770 8398