Disabled youngster - finances 15 June 2022 at 3:45PM in Disability money matters 7 replies 476 views

Frith

Hello, everyone.

My son (18.5) is pondering whether to stay on at college. He's been in SEND education since he was 8 and it'll take another tribunal to get him in the only suitable provision within driving distance. His EHCP lasts until 25.

What I would like to know is what happens financially if he doesn't go to college?

At the moment, there is zero possibility of his finding a job. He has almost no communication and cannot leave the house by himself. He has been taught 1 to 1 for years.

He is (I think) on PIP higher rate for both. I get UC and carers allowance.

Would he need to sign on to get his NI paid? 

I would be able to work part time if I no longer had to drive to college (2hours a day of driving).

Savvy_Sue

I'm afraid I can't help with your specific question, but does he still have a Social Worker, even if just nominally?

I ask because it's possible a) that they will know and b) there may be other areas in which they may be helpful.

BUT I have a feeling that at some point in the not too distant future your son will pass on to Adult Services, and their resources may be even more limited than whatever you've got used to so far. 

And one question to consider is whether your son might be able to live away from home, with appropriate and sufficient support.

But again, the provision for young adults may be better than for older people, so finding out what's available is best done before he's 'moved on'. 

elsien

If he’s not able to understand enough to claim fir himself, then you could apply to DWP to be his appointee and make a claim on his behalf. 

The people in the benefits section will have more idea about which ones he is eligible for, ESA or UC. 

poppy12345

The child element of UC will continue for him until the 1st September following his 19th birthday, if he remains in full time non advanced education. Child benefit will continue until the day before his 20th birthday, if he remains in full time education.

If he leaves full time education then he will be able to claim Universal Credit, he will need to report his health condition when he claims and send in a fit note within 7 days of this.

He will then be referred for a work capability assessment, where they will assess his ability to work. When claiming UC it pays class 3 NI credits towards your state pension.

If he's unable to manage his claim, you can make a claim on his behalf (as if you are him), it can be claimed online. Once the claim is up and running you can leave a message onto his journal to ask to become his appointee. A work coach will then contact you to arrange for this to be put in place. You will then have total control over his UC claim. I've had recent past experience with this because i did exactly this when i claimed UC for my daughter in Jan 2021.

Frith

Just thought I'd update to say Social Services phoned today - he's never had a social worker and Ive never received any support whatsoever from any organisation/person. 

They thanked me for getting in touch with them (back in March) but the post that covers us still hasn't been filled.

Returning to college is 1% likely now.

Behaviour is off the scale. Has not left the house since his last exam (early June) and has just confiscated my laptop from me. Goodness knows why as all I've done today is cook and hang the washing out! 

I've been vaguely looking at supported living but have no idea how to apply or pay for it. 

Tigsteroonie

"They thanked me for getting in touch with them (back in March) but the post that covers us still hasn't been filled."

So go back to them and ask who is covering that workload until the post is filled - and keep escalating it up through their management line until you get some support. You have to fight for these things!

elsien

Supported living needs a social worker and Care Act needs assessment. You are also entitled to an assessment of your own needs as a carer, if you want one.
This is quite long but will give you the gist. 
Shelter Legal England - Care and support needs assessment - Shelter England

The Care Act assessment will identify his support needs and the outcomes that he is looking for and will identify what sort of package of care he might be eligible for. (Cost and financial assessment comes later).

If he wants to leave home/become more independent or you are not able to have him at home any longer for any reason, then the assessment and support plan are used to identify what level of support he needs to stay safe and ensure his overall wellbeing. This is used to narrow down the times he may need help and how much help he needs from daily living skills to accessing education/the community, and how much 1/1 time and how much shared care. So if he's fine at night and only needs someone there for emergencies that would fall under the shared care bit but he might have identified 1/1 time for personal care, cooking, shopping, going out, when he gets distressed. 

Some local authorities try to do a residential vs supported living by arguing that if someone needs 24 hour care then they need to be in residential care. That isn't automatically the case and supported living providers can offer support to people who do need 1/1 for the  majority of the time.  

The funding, if everyone is happy,  comes from benefits and the local authority. He would be claiming UC/housing benefit/whatever it is now, as well as his PIP. The local authority would ask for a contribution from his benefits following the outcome of the financial assessment and they would pay the rest. 

Your local authority will have information on their website about how to request the assessment. You may need to be pushy as how things stand at the moment, the urgent/safeguarding cases are being prioritised and the rest are in a very long queue. So if there are problems, don't downplay them, either with the impact for him but also on you. Sometimes it really is those who shout loudest. 

Hope that helps. 

poppy12345

If he's not returning to college then once your benefits stop for him he'll be able to claim UC in his own right. Please take note of my previous advice here.

poppy12345 said:

If he leaves full time education then he will be able to claim Universal Credit, he will need to report his health condition when he claims and send in a fit note within 7 days of this.

He will then be referred for a work capability assessment, where they will assess his ability to work. When claiming UC it pays class 3 NI credits towards your state pension.

If he's unable to manage his claim, you can make a claim on his behalf (as if you are him), it can be claimed online. Once the claim is up and running you can leave a message onto his journal to ask to become his appointee. A work coach will then contact you to arrange for this to be put in place. You will then have total control over his UC claim. I've had recent past experience with this because i did exactly this when i claimed UC for my daughter in Jan 2021.

Please take note of the advice in bold above. I'd advise you to speak to his GP before you claim UC so that you have the fit note ready for when you claim. Under 25 with no rent costs yet he will be entitled to £265.31 standard allowance per month. This will increase by £354.28 if found to have LCWRA after the 4th month of his claim. It may take longer than this to make a decision but any money owed will be backdated.

If he eventually lives in supported housing the rent will be covered through housing benefit, not UC.