help with mobility car and multiple disabled children

[Goslingsforlife]

how do others use it esp with multiple disabled children. I am thinking of getting one as my eldest has complex needs and is in receipt of enhanced Pip. I am aware I can use it to commute to work and shopping as this will benefit my eldest. My younger one is on DLA but not on high rate mobility (only middle rate care and low rate mob). I was told that I wouldn't be able to use the car for hospital appointments for them for example. Which makes sense on a certain level.

I cannot be the only parent with more than one disabled child. How do you work around such things. Do you still take the car? or do you take the bus on those occasions? What about if I have e.g. a hospital appointment for myself? Do I need to take the bus or the bike?

My old car is dying and I cannot afford to replace it at the moment but we really need one. A mobility car would have been the perfect solution but I now question if it's worth it I cannot use it for high numbers of journeys and if I am better saving up for a replacement vehicle. help

It's called Motability. Phone them and ask. They're friendly.

Personally I can't see that they'd bar you from using it as a general family car.

I spoke to them. They explained to me that the car is only to be used for the benefit of my disabled eldest. They said I can also use it for work and shopping as it benefits them but using it for myself or my other child wouldn't be within the rules. Hence my question here :)

If you can stop at a shop quickly on route to or from the hospital then surely no rules are broken?
It is not the same as misusing a blue badge. Sounds bonkers to me as who is going to have separate cars?

Those rules sound utterly insane. That makes no sense at all.
I’d be asking for a second opinion.

Honestly how will they know what you use it for?

I doubt anyone will check.

i know a few people with a mobility car that do deserve it and need it but it’s for their spouse and they use it for their own needs too. They have been using mobility scheme for decades now.

at the end of the day if having to arrange public transport for yourself, other children etc it will be more stress to you and the family. Therefore it also benefits your eldest as your less stressed.

I'm in the same situation op ,
But I tend to worry ,soi didn't get acar with the disability payments
Just bought a very very old one
There would be to many times I would need it for other family members,so I'd need a different car to do other errands in .
So I didn't bother

That sounds like a ridiculous set up

I would imagine you're travelling together with your children rather than sole journeys, so it obviously benefits your eldest child. Ie if taking younger child to appointment and you have both children then your eldest needs to go in car rather than bus

There was another thread about this issue very recently. The car is for the benefit of the disabled person, yes, but you as primary carer are meeting the needs of the whole family.

Hypothetically, if you left child A ( child car is assigned to) with someone else and took child B to hospital on the us, taking twice as long, you aren’t meeting the needs of Child A during that time. So using the cr benefits all the family.

Dont overthink this. It’s a family car. Just don’t use it as a taxi or lend it to your dad for a month.

I guess the question is if the eldest isn't with her. But requiring the OP to run two cars because of this is batshit

I don't know. I think as long as nothing happens nobody but if you are involved in an accident, surely they look into it?

I am a weird stickler to rules and it really makes me question if Motobilty is the way for us.

I go a lot to hospital with the youngest when the older one is in school. weekly at least, sometimes more often. 🙈

I guess if anyone ever questioned you on a journey, you could say you were planning to stop in a shop?

Motability are right, in theory, when they say that taking the other child to the hospital doesn’t benefit the claimant but practically it’s stupid. If you go on the bus you’d be gone for ages in comparison. If your older child was sick from school, you’d still use the car to take the other to school. I can’t see this as a black and white thing, especially as Motability say that cars can be used as family cars.

There’s Motability advice groups on Facebook @Goslingsforlife . Maybe search for those, and ask in there?

That's insane. They cant honestly expect you to leave the car in the drive to take the other (also disabled) child on the bus.

Use the car don't be silly you getting from AtoB to go about your day and appointments with your other child benefits your son it means you are back home for him.

Would using the car to take youngest to hospital indirectly meet eldest's needs around other things like getting to school pick up on time or you being available if they semi regularly need to be collected from school early, you to go into school? . Could you do a food shop near the hospital? Are you using leave to take youngest to hospital that you really need to save to give eldest care? You mentioned use for work. I'm not sure if that was generally or specific to you, if you're caring duties dont make that impossible
Is there a way the reduced journey time will benefit your eldest?

eldest is on school transport. it's a special school which is quite far.

think I will do the same. shame it's such a complicated set up and not more family friendly.

I work with disabled children and many have a motability car. They use it as their main car and not one has ever had their usage monitored. One had an issue with going over the agreed milage so they thought they were using it as a taxi, but when evidence was shown of the number and distance of their child's appointments there were no issues.
So unless you are going to be doing huge milage, you will have no issues

My understanding is you use it as the family car. It can’t be use as a taxi or if your job is delivering stuff but can be used as the car for commuting, shopping, normal family life. The blue badge can ONLY be used with the disabled individual. Have you got the two muddled?

I don't see how anyone would check?

But if it does concern you, I'm not sure what the rate is your son receives, but would you be able to use that money instead to pay monthly finance on a family car that was privately owned as opposed to motability?

we don't have a BB and don't qualify for one so no confusion here.

The rules, based on what you posted here as o don't have personal knowledge, do not sound like it would suit your family.

Instead of swapping the mobility element of the DLA could you use the monthly cash, perhaps with the younger child's mobility alliance to, to finance a cheapish car on finance?

That way you can use the car for whatever you want.