leaving job with no job to go to

iammumtoone

Looks like I am going to have to leave my job for my own health reasons.


How long do I need to wait until I can claim benefits (assuming I haven't found another job in that time) Is leaving due to the fact your role has changed and you can no longer cope with the job a valid reason for leaving to be able to claim?


My son has ADHD, anxiety and possible ASD (awaiting assesment) due to this I currently only work part time, what 'evidence' would I need to show I can only work part time or would I still need to find full-time work?


I am really scared about claming benefits (been there before) but can't carry on at my current workplace. Sometimes my son refuses to go to school I have to take him and stay with him, this can take hours. If this happens and I miss an appointment would this count as a vaild reason?

TELLIT01

You need to claim immediately you leave the job. If sanctions are going to be applied, waiting won't make any difference to the timescale. I don't know if you would still get NI Credits even if sanction is applied.
Explain everything at your first interview at the JC and see what happens.

Alice_Holt

Does your son receive DLA?

If so, you may be eligible for the carers element of UC
"Additional Elements of Universal Credit (UC)
Carers Element
You can get this addition of £156.45 per month if you are caring for a severely disabled person for at least 35 hours a week. You do not have to claim Carer's Allowance to get this element.. A person is ‘severely disabled' if they receive the middle or the higher rate of the care component of Disability Living Allowance "

If this is the case, you should be placed in the No work-related requirements group:
"You will be placed in this group, if you....receive the carers element or are providing care for a severely disabled person for at least 35 hours a week "

Therefore, you should not be sanctioned.
https://www.turn2us.org.uk/Benefit-guides/Universal-Credit/Claimant-Commitment-Conditionality

When you claim UC any legacy benefits you currently get (HB, CTC) will stop. You may wish to try to build up a financial buffer whilst still in employment, before the UC application.

iammumtoone

I dont claim DLA as I don't think he would get it.



I wonder if it is worth applying for it now before I leave?



I could ask Sons psychologist if they are prepared to support the claim.

calcotti

Are you able to discuss your difficulties with your employer to see if they can make adjustments to make your job easier for you?

Alice_Holt

iammumtoone wrote: »

I dont claim DLA as I don't think he would get it.
I wonder if it is worth applying for it now before I leave?
I could ask Sons psychologist if they are prepared to support the claim.

Nothing to lose by trying a claim.
Particularly as your son has been assigned a psychologist. That may suggest he has care needs in excess of others of his age.

kingfisherblue

iammumtoone, I've read a number of your posts over the last couple of years, and it seems as though he does have additional needs compared to another child of the same age, which is what DLA is awarded for. I seem to remember, for example, difficulty with dressing, and him taking much longer than his peers. IIRC, your son is now around 11-12 years old, and still needs help in some areas, as well as needing social support.

I know that you have resisted claiming DLA until now. It's hard to accept that your child needs more help than others, but maybe now is the time to accept it. You have struggled without support, but if DLA is awarded, your son is more likely to receive the help that he needs. I'm not saying that everything will be easy, but at least you won't have a battle at work as well as at home. You have been incredibly strong, but we all have our breaking point.

I would suggest that you make an appointment with your local carer's centre (you don't have to receive Carer's Allowance to do this). Take the details of your son's difficulties, and ask what they suggest. They may be able to help you with the DLA form, or suggest somewhere locally that can help. If you are happy to post about your son's difficulties with one area (for example, why he finds dressing himself hard, what he/you do to adapt anything, how you help him, how long he takes, and any other details), I'll write an example paragraph based on what you could write.

Whatever you decide, I wish you well. I have two children with additional needs - one has had severe disabilities since birth, and the other has had depression since he was eleven, along with a few other problems. He was finally diagnosed with Asperger's just before he reached 17. I know how hard it is, but you need to look after yourself so that you can look after your son.

Take care x

[Deleted User]

I am going through the EHCP process for my 12 year old son with ASD. I was continually told he didn't meet the criteria for an EHCP assessment but his attendance dropped so much due to school anxiety (and he was unable to cope with the way they do things at senior school) his marks dropped and he was assessed. We asked for an assessment in July, he's now just waiting for Kent to decide on the appropriate school. As the other schools have said they can't cater to his needs, there's only the one below to consider. So hopefully he will be able to go there (and there is a place coming up as we speak).

We've found an ASD specialist school with almost 'normal' curriculum but massively different to mainstream schooling in terms of having quiet areas he can work in if he needs to (no more being told to sit in school corridors), not stringent about school uniform, its much smaller with classes of up to 10 children so no crowd/noise problems. Its even got carpeted corridors lol. In the IT class they were working out how to use an Xbox on a pc. Practical and interesting to the young people. Teachers had totally different attitudes. He's even looking forward to art (which he dreads as he has undiagnosed dsypraxia) because they have animals in the room. Diversity in teaching methods really meant something in this school.

They also hold classes daily to improve social and coping skills as part of their curriculum.

My son came with us, having been resistent to a special school, and came out grinning from ear to ear, wanting to start the next day. Knowing a lot of his anxieties would be dealt with for the first time ever. The sheer relief on his face that his nightmare was ending brought tears to my eyes.

I anticipate my son will be much more able to attend school and will develop personally and intellectually to the level he should do and never has.

Something like this might also help. I had some help from National autistic society's Education Service as I have ASD too and writing the EHCP request letter was a bit of a stumbling block for me. They also helped me communicate more meaningfully with the mainstream school he was attending. I had become so debilitated by their lack of understanding I'd kindof had enough.

I claim DLA high level care, low mobility for my son. The money really helps with taxis and meeting other needs.

I couldn't possibly work, due to his sporadic school attendance so I claim IS as a carer as mentioned above. I probably could claim ESA but will leave that til I have to.

iammumtoone

The only reason I am reluctant to apply for DLA is he wouldn't get it as the school say no issues so won't be supportive of any claim, which I know is needed.


For him its a good thing he can control himself at school as to be able to not show any distress will help him later in life. It just doesn't help now lol. Example the other day he came home really angry as something had gone 'wrong' in the classroom but the teacher would have no idea as his way of dealing with it was to snap/break every pen/pencil/ruler in his pencil case (must have took some strength) than take it all out when he got home


Situaion is worse at the moment as I am not giving him the time he needs due to work (if I am not doing it I am thinking about it ) I can work, I coped fine with my role before but now its got more responsible I can't carry on with it.

iammumtoone

deannatrois that sounds like a great school really glad you have found somewhere your son can thrive.

SandraX

Dear OP
If at all possible, DO NOT Leave your job until you have checked out your entitlement. Theey are very funny with stamps/etc. Also, like another has said, see if your DS may qualify for DLA.

asides that, and sorry if you have done this - is there occupational health at your place, demand an assessment as the employer has to do this and they may be able to make it easier for you and you may not have to leave.

ATB