A group of disability charities, led by the Children’s Society is using the government's new e-petition site to lobby government to debate the introduction of the universal credit welfare system.

The e-petition site was launched at the end of July as a device to encourage strongly felt issues to be debated in parliament. Any petition receiving over 100,000 signatures will be eligible for debate in the House of Commons. The disability charities' petition launched last Thursday so far has 1,360 signatures, will run for up to a year.

Charities supporting the petition, Don’t let disabled children pay the price of welfare reform, include Barnado’s, Disability Alliance and Mencap.

The charities claim that if the universal credit system is introduced then 100,000 families with disabled children will lose thousands of pounds a year when the maximum level of support is cut to from £54 per week to £27 and did not take account of families with more than one disabled child.

Bob Reitemeier, chief executive of the Children’s Society, said: “We need the government to understand the significance of this change for disabled children and their families.”

He added: “We launched this petition because we know that people power can make the government rethink this damaging change.”

Universal credit is a major part of the Welfare Reform Bill introduced earlier this year by Iain Duncan Smith, the work and pensions Secretary and is due to replace a series of benefits from October 2013.

It has already been criticised by housing charities who claim the universal credit could result in people losing their homes. The second reading of the Bill in the House of Lords was recently postponed and is now due to take place in September.

The Department for Work and Pensions said that it spends £40bn a year on disabled people and their services.

A DWP spokesperson said: "Universal credit will create a simpler and fairer system and will target support to those who need it most. It will also ensure that the support given to disabled people is more consistent throughout their life.”

They added: "Disabled adults in greatest need and some disabled children will receive more support than now and there will be no cash losers as a result of the move to Universal Credit.”

Full list of charities supporting the petition:

The Children’s Society

TUC

Action for Children

Ambitious about autism

Barnardo’s

Centre for Economic and Social Inclusion

Child Poverty Action Group

Children England

Contact a Family

Disability Alliance

Every Disabled Child Matters

Family Action

Family Rights Group

Gingerbread

Leonard Cheshire Disability

Mencap

National Autistic Society

RADAR

Save the Children

Teenage Cancer Trust

The Communication Trust

The Fostering Network

Zacchaeus 2K

Contact a Family