Can my mum claim careers allowance for my daughter?

Clairerosebrown12

Hi
I was wondering if anyone had any info on this. My daughter was born 16 weeks early at 24 weeks gestation. She is now 14 weeks old and after a long road will be being discharged in the next three weeks.

Nicu have advised me I can apply for disability living allowance for her as she is on oxygen and will likely need it for months to come, she also is going to need surgery on her heart as the valve hasn't closed and had a murmur. We are having the oxygen istalled in our house next week.

I am at uni and I want to go back in September to complete my final year. I know some people would think why not just stay at home and get careers allowance for yourself, but due to the relationship breakdown of me and her father, it's important I get this last year over with as I have a job waiting and it's paramount I'm able to get in to a career and have a secure future for her.

Originally the plan when I was pregnant was to put her in to childcare, but now due to her complex needs it would have to be a specialist childcare provider and I would have to have a lot of trust in them.

My mum works part time for a bit extra income in addition to my dads. She is now willing to give up working part time to care for my daughter whilst I'm at uni (4 days a week). Obviously I have told her not to be silly but she is insisting that this is what she wants and has already told her boss she will be leaving in September.

She is giving up work and a bit of extra income for me and I was wondering if it's possible she could claim careers allowance for my daughter? I was told it has to be a parent, is this correct or was I misinformed and I'm finding conflicting information everywhere? Thanks

Torry_Quine

It doesn't have to be a parent or even a relative that gets carers allowance. They just need to provide a minimum of 30 hours care per week for someone receiving middle or high rate care and be paid under £110 per week.

Darksparkle

Eligibility for carers allowance is here - https://www.gov.uk/carers-allowance/eligibility

grilli

Torry_Quine wrote: »

It doesn't have to be a parent or even a relative that gets carers allowance. They just need to provide a minimum of 30 hours care per week for someone receiving middle or high rate care and be paid under £110 per week.

minimum of 35 hours.

and OP as long as you are awarded DLA for your child then yes someone could claim CA for looking after her

Sncjw

Could you not defer a year at uni. It sounds like it's going to be really stressful with your daughter especially with the Unknown first year of her life

McKneff

I agree with sncjw about deferring your time at Uni.
Your baby needs extensive treatment because of her illness, you will never concentrate and
will make yourslf ill with the stress

Your baby needs you, far far more than your need to go to University.

Hope she will be okay in time.....

Almost-free

Please get help applying for DLA. I am a professional in the health sector and have successfully applied for DLA for the last 10 years for my son, but 4 months ago when his award was up for renewal I was shocked at how the form had changed and he went from high rate care and low mobility to mid rate care and low mobility . His needs are in many ways greater now, but the night time care and the way I described it seems to have been how the award for reduced.

You need to qualify for at least mid rate care for anyone to be eligible to apply for carers (not careers !) allowance for your child. Best of luck with your course !

grilli

Almost-free wrote: »

Please get help applying for DLA. I am a professional in the health sector and have successfully applied for DLA for the last 10 years for my son, but 4 months ago when his award was up for renewal I was shocked at how the form had changed and he went from high rate care and low mobility to mid rate care and low mobility . His needs are in many ways greater now, but the night time care and the way I described it seems to have been how the award for reduced.

You need to qualify for at least mid rate care for anyone to be eligible to apply for carers (not careers !) allowance for your child. Best of luck with your course !

it would be this, to get high rate you have to be able to say that he is needing help throughout the day and during the night frequently on regular basis

xylophone

I can't imagine how a sixteen week old infant with heart problems and on oxygen would not need day and night care?

If the OP has confidence in her mother and the infant is relatively stable on medication, it seems to me that returning to her course in September would not be as unwise an idea as other posters fear.

Bananas123

i dunno, not detecting much compassion, but it is text....

a child, that OP "was originally intending to put into childcare", that was diagnosed with health problems, so now OP decided to leave it with mother on benefits, having considered claiming carers allowance for herself, but preferes to goto uni... do her own thing (child can be...) kind of thing.

---

BUT going to uni securing a proffesion, seemingly better IF to obtain security for the child in the future ...but one can't tell.

i think that might have been what people were getting at ?

---

regards all

Tigsteroonie

The OP posted in June, so hopefully her daughter is now home and is stable; and the OP will be in a much better position to decide whether to return to Uni this September or defer by a year.

Incidentally, the OP hasn't logged in since the night she posted.