Teen and PIP

In Scotland it is Child Disability payment until 18 and I think that's a much better system.

For lots of families, DLA helps cover extra heating, laundry, OT or other therapies, or even help cover the reality that parents have had to give up work to care full time. It suddenly becoming PIP and being paid to the young person directly doesn't change those costs. How many 16 year old are going to understand their disability increases the energy bills or that their parents maintain a slush fund from their DLA to cover the tvs they break regularly?

Even if it remained as DLA it wouldn’t change who it was paid to. Teens in Scotland can choose to remain on DLA until 18 but if they have capacity the payments are made directly to them from 16.

If the teen has capacity to manage the claim, including any monies, then it is up to them how to spend the money regardless of how wise or not people think that is. If they want their DM’s support that could happen without the mother controlling the money. Although if they want DM to be more involved and have some control over the money that is also a choice they could make.

If the teen doesn’t have capacity to manage the claim, including managing the payments, the mother needs to request to become appointee. If the teen doesn’t have capacity they don’t have to agree to it.

The teen and mother should be careful about saving in the teen’s name if the teen may need to claim means tested benefits or will need social care support.

what are the extra costs associated with the teens disability? I am my DCs appointee (so a bit different). Our main costs is my inability to earn a full time wage as DC needs 24/7 care and there is no wrap around or school holiday childcare. Pip is therefore spend on general living costs as I could not afford the mortgage or food otherwise. I would look where the extra expenses arise and make a decision based on that with the child. £600 is a lot esp for a teen may not have living costs and struggles with money/impulsivity.

I had PIP when I was a teenager and my mum and dad put it into savings every month, never touched it unless there was something I really wanted/to treat myself to.
It was 100% the best thing for me for my parents to keep it and save it for me otherwise I'd have just spent it on silly things.
If she's happy for her mum to keep it and save it for her this is what I'd do

The PIP assessor.

Unless they have independent expenses, I would have mum save it for them bar a sensible allowance.

But if the parents think that she doesn’t have capacity they should have applied for appointeeship in order to ensure they can control things.

I wouldn't (and don't) expect my DD to pay for all her own things.

We'd be using the PIP to pay for things that help her get launched into the world of work.

Mum just taking it all off her for food when it could pay for adhd coaching, meds, visual timers, etc etc isn't really on (unless mum is literally on the bones of her arse)

I have a child with adhd and will shortly be helping her apply for PIP.

A lot depends on context here.

At 17, is the child in college, doing an apprenticeship, or nothing?

If there are obvious costs relating to the disability (taxis, standing desk, visual timer, adhd coach) then agreement could be made to spend on the which mum arranges.

If the child has plans to go to uni some could be saved for uni (although this depends on funding etc).

I am my 18 year old's appointee for PIP so I control it all. Any money he controls himself goes on strawberry ice cream and CD's

My DS gets PIP at 16 and I’m his appointee as there is no way he’d manage it. The whole lot would be spent in a day

What do they need support with? How can the pip money fund that support?

Is mum able to work full time due to their needs? If not there is an argument that some of the pip should contribute to the household to make up for the time mum has to spent supporting the child.

You need to apply to be his appointee to be able to manage it for him. Otherwise it will be assumed he has capacity to do it himself.

No it's not assessed it's assumed. It's a stupid system.

Capacity is assumed at 16, you have to submit evidence that YP doesn't have it and it's quite hard to get authority to act for them, even if the YP wants the parents to be in charge of it the DWP want the YP to be in charge from 16th birthday (recently done this for my DD). It's a bad system, what 16 year old with challenges which meet the criteria for PIP is capable and/or wants to manage their own PIP and use it for it's intended purposes?

This teen has obviously been assessed though as being capable to handle her own money.

I am planning to manage ds's. One of the questions is about managing money, it seems to go against the points I made about him not managing money if I just give him free reign of the PIP money.

My ds gets this at the same rate for the same conditions. I get it paid to me as his appointee . He’s in his 20s now been getting dla and then PIP since age 8. He is not capable of making any financial decisions so I have the money and use it for all his needs. If he had it he would spend it within 24 hours or give it away.