Universal Credit- turning 18?

[Lifeoflove]

My Daughter turns 18 soon and in her last year of college (leaves June 24). She has mental health issues, so currently received standard care PIP. Her struggles mean she is unable to get a job. I currently get UC and CB but realise that I will lose CB as soon as she finishes college. What will happen to UC as she is then an adult? But not earning and will not be able to. Worried as will also lose the 25% discount on CT also. Has anyone been through this? Where can I get further information?
thank you ☺️

OP it all sounds really difficult. It's stressful supporting a young person with MH needs and money worries just adds to the stress. I'm glad your dd finds that college is helpful. Could you ask the welfare officer/equivalent about benefits? Or if not then visit your local citizen's advice bureau. They can also give you advice about other sources of financial help like grants eg for clothes or tech equipment and so on.

As pps have said, dd may be able to claim benefits in her own right. In addition your local council should have a council tax support scheme you can claim from. A single parent with a vulnerable young person in the household should not be paying the same amount of tax as an adult couple!

Also, have you approached the college about what there is available when she finishes her current course? I know that in some areas young people with additional needs are able to apply for supported work placements where they continue with college while having a day or two in an appropriate workplace accompanied by mentors. This can be a really good way of managing the transition from full time education.

@Lougle that’s interesting and doesn’t surprise me. I have come across more than one CAB advisor who didn’t even know it existed and tried to tell me otherwise.

I doubt someone “with the mildest of depression and anxiety” actually meets the benefits eligibility requirement anyway regardless of whether they meet the definition of SMI.

It isn't writing someone off to acknowledge that they don't yet have to ability to cope with a work environment. There's a reason that EHCPs can last until 25.

Read my comments!

Please read my comment before replying!!!!

Can you give an example of a job that would offer as many rest breaks as an employee needed?
or access to a support worker / mental health professional?
A supportive environment?

All employers seem to want a lot form their staff Try the Tesco recruitment quiz to see expectations.

College is a very different environment. One in which with the right support students can thrive and often do. I work with these students and there is a world of difference between college and work. No one is writing them off but instead offering a step up approach.

They're very different things. Please don't question the OPs understanding of her disabled daughter.

So you think all disabled people must work?

The ableism on here is horrific.
The OP knows her daughter. Her daughter is disabled.

To those who have said she needs to/ should work, she's been at college etc.

Do you only value people via the job they do?!

Do you think all disabled people should work even if it is horrendous for them?

Do you not place any value on a disabled person?

OP. Your daughter will claim UC in her own right. They will decide if she is not required to look for work. She will then pay Board to you to pay for her cost of living etc. she can claim after 31/07/24 as that is the end of the academic year.

I wish you both well.

Op there are no earning restrictions on UC to claim carers element. If you haven't already add it as a change in your journal.

On the point of council tax, once DD turns 18 you will also be eligible for the carer disregard, so if that means there isn’t another adult eligible to pay council tax you will be eligible for a 50% discount or if it means there is only 1 other adult eligible to pay council tax you will be eligible for a 25% discount.

It is the 31/8 rather than 31/7 DD will cease to be a qualifying young person.

In terms of college vs work, some of the sixth formers I teach have about 60% attendance due to mental health issues. They are allowed to continue with their courses and we support them as much as we can when they are in. Most of them will likely achieve grades in their exams, although it won't be the grade they would achieve if they were well.

In most jobs, if you had that many sickness days, you'd be fired pretty quickly!

It may be that some of them could manage a job, especially a WFH job, but in reality, education is often a much more supportive environment than work. Young people have to be in some form of education until they are 18, so most settings will be able to support students with a wide range of needs, including those who can't currently hold down a job!

Staying on at college for an additional year sounds like a good plan, OP. It may be worth during that time thinking about next steps a bit more e.g. could she manage an open university/distance learning degree, for example? Or do you have a local uni she could commute to?

Although she leaves school in June, child benefit and the child element of UC will run on until the end of August, you'll get a message from UC asking you to confirm what she is doing.

If she does decide to carry on at college, you can get child benefit and UC for her as your dependent until the end of August following her 19th birthday.

You can claim the caring element of UC - UC allows you work full time providing you still provide 35 hours of care a month, this is worth £185 a month to you, if you haven't done this yet, do it ASAP.

From September, she'll need her own UC claim, if you're her appointee, you'll need to make the claim. Make sure she reports her health issues, for long term health conditions, ask the GP for a fit note for 3 months +, this saves having to keep going back. She'll have a work capability assessment, very similar to the PIP assessment, but based on capability for work rather than care and mobility needs.

The work capability process takes about 3 months, if she's placed in the limited capability for work and related activity group, she will receive an additional element, currently £390 a month.

No. But most people can do some work. Very few people are capable of nothing, and if she goes onto sick benefits now at 18 her chances of ever working are small and her life is going to be pretty miserable. Whereas if she could manage maybe 2-3 half-days now, it might increase her confidence, lead to more etc - potentially transform her life.

Maybe my view is skewed because DD1 goes to special college, but most of her peers will not work.

Many people could do some work, some of the time. The problem is that they often can't do some work all of the time, which is what work contracts require. It's the combination of reliability, punctuality, consistency, etc., that prevents them from being able to hold down a job.

DD1 currently has (and needs) 1:1 support in a secure building, with 2:1 when outside. What work environment will support that? I know there is Access to Work, but the costs would be huge.

My dB is disabled. Communication disability. He cannot get a job. He is on UC and they don’t know what to offer him. So no there isn’t opportunities out there.

Walk a week in my daughters shoes and see how what you have said here is extremely narrow minded! You have no idea what my daughter goes through daily! Read my comments before making such stupid assumptions!!!!