help with sons future please

sad_dog_lady

my 18 nearly 19 yr old has autism, i have kept him on course in further ed as he is interested in doing some art courses and has real talent for art.

ok here is the problem..... do i now pop him on esa and organise his own benefits he gets dla anyway

or do i keep child benefit till he is 20 (april next yr) and child tax credit .....

he cant get any more College ema as he is nearly 19 and thats when it stops but because he is not able to do a level 2 course he can not have an adult learning grant or any weekly funds

i have the medical dr's certificate for the esa and i have child benifit letter ready to tell them his new september course.... what should i do?

oh yes iq is 79 so above learning disability and in longterm conditions

the college is not offering any advice as they still dont have a clue about funding and we may have to pay for his course anyway, but he is left with very little for his day to day bits and bobs .....

banana86

I'm not really sure. ESA depends on how he is assessed to be able to work. This would obviously be more than child benefit. I think you need to check with citizens advice as they can tell you if you can claim ESA/child benefit together. Reading the wording on the DWP website...
If you are aged between 16 and 20 (or under 25 if you were in education or training at least three months immediately before turning 20), you must:

• have been too ill to work because of an illness or disability for at least 28 weeks (this limitation only applies to contribution-based Employment and Support Allowance, but you may still be eligible for income-based Employment and Support Allowance)
• have been too ill to work before you turned 20 (or 25 if you were in education or training at least three months immediately before turning 20)

They might argue that he is not eligible for the ESA as he is well enough to be in education. The CAB will help you prepare a case if you feel he meets the criteria.

student_advisor

His EMA will continue until the end of this academic year, and your child benefit and CTC will continue until 31 August if he is on a one-year course.

You would only be able to retain child benefit and CTC after 31 August if your son has been accepted onto a course before he turns 19.

There are likely to be fees to pay for any course after 31 August.

Regarding ESA & education, the rules are that you can be well enough to study but not well enough to work, so there should be no problem with that.