Benefits reduction

[Bonsaitreepic]

I got my UC payment today. Just checked and it’s almost £300 less than usual. This is because my oldest is now classed as an adult as he’s left ft education. He’s not currently in work.
I have 3 other children but now I seemingly only get support for 2 of them due to the child cap.
Im freaking out. I only get maintenance for one of the children as I have the other 2 50/50 with their dad. I cannot afford to lose this much money every month. I was already struggling as it was. I’m unable to work just yet as one of the children has complex needs. I already get some DLA for them.
im quite sure there’s nothing I can do about this but I’m so worried

@Bonsaitreepic please ensure you have the carers element of £185.86 a month on ypir UC statement, & disabled child element which will be either £146.31 or £456.89, depending what level of DLA your child gets.

Two adults in the household and seemingly neither of them work. Like mother, like son.

I have every bit of sympathy for anyone raising a child with disabilities but she parents 50/50 so there's time to work at least part time to model good behaviour for her children. Families living on benefits inevitably create further generations doing the same.

This only works if the extra population are net tax payers/contributors or actually do the jobs needed rather than being added dependents on the system themselves. No guarantee of either.

You've had years to cope with this situation. I can't understand why it would be such a shock now, and why you expect UC to continue paying you as well as him. As others have said, he needs to take any job he can. You also need to think about the future, or else you're going to be in a very sad state of financial affairs once the youngest is of age.

The most important thing you can do for your son is help him understand that without work there is no income.

That he can not work but then he will have no income.

If he finished school in June, what has he been doing for three months

In order to receive Uc he needs to do 35 hours of work search a week..plus there is vast amounts of special support, training, help.with cv etc for young unemployed people.

How had he not got anything, even a few hours a month yet.

He needs to understand that he must get job,

Border Force are opening a recruitment campaign today. Usually roles all over the UK.

I pushed my daughter out to work and it didn't take her long. Claiming benefits is only going to make him more lazy I would make his time at home very uncomfortable.

I do feel for the op and her situation the Tories will squeeze the life out of benefits. Realistically we can't afford it our economy has shrunk. All public services are being affected. What can we do we've alienated ourselves.

Get him back into education, he can leave when he finds a full time job.

I might be wrong here but (and not speaking specifically about the OP here) I don't think a lot of people on UC ever intend to get back into the workforce.
It is a way of life for lots of people, and the cycle is a repetitive one, in that children brought up seeing their parents on UC and not working with multiple children, often go on to live a similar lifestyle themselves.

OP your son has no choice. Get him out at 9am every day with his CV in hand. Hand them into every shop and bar and cafe in your local town.
No excuses. If he doesn't have a CV there are loads of free applications online for him to construct one. Get him to do it today.

How is he able to claim benefits if he is not actively seeking a job? I thought that was one of the requirements? Does he not have to attend so many interviews a month etc?

Ableist crap

What's with the quotation marks around complex needs?

Caring for a disabled child is a full time job 24/7. No one decides to have a disabled child and you can't plan for it. The fact that you would tell a parent of a child with complex needs to find a way to get a job shows how utterly clueless you are.

My DCs are in uni. We don't need them to contribute financially. But both worked over the summer for fun money. One had a bit of trouble getting a job because he wasn't sending out enough CVs or trying hard enough. So I nagged him. He tried harder and got a tutoring job. No way would I let them sit around ' finding' themselves.

You don’t know that. A) you don’t know the DC with the disabilities isn’t the one she has full time. B) Even for a DC with her 50/50 there may still be a very valid reason she can’t work such as multiple appointments/meetings/paperwork that require her input (this in itself can be a full-time job for some parents with disabled DC), DC may have repeated, prolonged hospital stays… Unless you are the OP you do not know she can work when she states she is unable to. It is ignorant to think you do.

Doesn't sound that he can afford to be a fussy eater.....

YABU. I have recently become a single mum through no choice of my own. I don’t get child maintenance but I get UC. I work 16 hours and have a baby and a school child but the childcare is subsided by 85% through UC. The amount given plus my wage covers all bills, mortgage and a loan I have. We are doing ok. I think you also need to look for a part time job alongside your Son.

I searched desperately for a job during my A-levels and degree and never got anywhere. As I was estranged from my family I really could have done with the extra money but I was 23 before I finally managed to find my first job.

After that it got easier, but those years of searching from 16 to 23 really depressed me.

My dear old Dad who is 64 years of age is currently working nights in a factory making bread whilst also having to wear a catheter because he's waiting for an operation on the NHS following a recent bout of kidney stones. Your eldest child needs to get off his backside and get a job- go work at Aldi, Morrisons, McDonald's, doesn't matter where it is as long as he's paying rent.

I'm from a working class family who grew up on a council estate, sorry but I have absolutely no sympathy for people who choose not to work. He can work and should be contributing to the household.

Also, is your 18 year old son not able to provide some childcare while you work part time? This is another solution. You currently have two adults at home but neither is working at all.

I was looking after my siblings regularly from the age of 14.

No that doesn't apply in this situation the op still has three younger children.

All the Amazon delivery people and Deliveroo people in my area appear to be over 50 at least, and still working long hours on their feet, poor things.

What ignorant nonsense. You clearly don’t have a child with complex needs. No need for the quotation marks unless you are deliberately trying to be ableist. Even the government recognise many carers are unable to work, of course there is a way round it. Carers safe this country a fortune.

No, for many with disabled DC it isn’t a solution? Did your siblings have complex needs?

I agree getting the oldest DC to look after the others for a couple of hours so OP can work sounds possible?

Well it's simple isn't it OP? Tell your lazy son to get off his arse and get a bloody job!

I can sympathize with you as I know it's not easy raising a child with complex needs but I have zero sympathy for your lazy son.

Yes. One had severe autism and there was 6 of them! My parents had to work to keep us comfortable, so I just had to step up.

Looking after his younger siblings is a great idea. I've also worked part time at least since I was 15 and supervised younger siblings getting up and going to school while both parents were on early shifts from a similar age.