Looking for advice regarding education after 16 and other bits.

[ApacheSorceress93]

Hello, this is my first post so I am not certain as to whether there is a particular way this is meant to be done so if I get it wrong please tell me!

I am a mother who works but also homeschools a 15 years old kid with Autism.
Currently, I have homeschooled since the beginning of Year 8 and they are now Year 11 so were on our 4th year. They were diagnosed last year but with UK laws and them getting close to reaching 16, I am stumped on where we go next.

They suffer from social anxiety due to years of feeling like the weird friend, years of bullying, years of self doubt which now prevents them from being able to connect with anyone their age. Mainstream school was too much for them so I made the decision to Homeschool however they get lonely, so they now attend a course 1 day a week at a local college that helps prepare and provide with GCSES and gives them an opportunity to mingle with other kids but so far this has not gone well but that's a whole other problem.

Right now I am looking for advice regarding where we stand with financial support. My kid received Child DLA and will apply for PIP in January when they turn 16. I work 20hrs a week and get topped up by UC, UC also pay me carers for my child. I know I have up until August to declare what they are doing education wise but have no idea how it works or if ill need to look for more working hours etc.

They don't want to go to college or post 16 in our current area as they do not feel safe here but i do not have the financial means to move us so our options are limited. I will be continuing with the home educating and read that for children with Autism you can home educate up until they are 25 if they were homeschooled prior to 16 but I don't know how true that is. I do not plan to force my child to go to college or post 16 nor will I force them into getting a job as they struggle in all social settings. They do not have an EHCP as I was refused due to them not being in a school setting, I don't know if it is worth fighting that battle.

If I am homeschooling for further education, will my UC payments stop, my child benefit stop and will it affect their DLA/PIP payments. Do they need to sign up to UC themselves in they are on PIP?
Will UC accept Homeschooling as fulltime education or will they fight me on it?
I am looking at enrolling into online courses for things that interest them but right now its on the back burner.

If anyone knows the benefit system and can provide me with some sort of guidance I will be eternally grateful as its all just mind boggling to me. I have a thousand questions and not a single answer and I just don't know who to ask, we have had no after care or support since their diagnosis.

Home education has nothing to do with DLA/PIP. You can home educate post 16 and DC (or you if you become appointee) receive PIP.

Your carer element of UC has nothing to do with home education. That can continue regardless as long as DC continues to receive MRC or HRC DLA or either rate of the daily living component of PIP.

You can continue to home educate and receive UC’s child element and disabled/severely disabled child element can continue until 31st August following DC’s 19th birthday.

You can continue to home educate and receive child benefit until DC turns 20.

Or instead of your claiming child benefit and DC being on your UC claim, some disabled young people can claim UC themselves (or their appointee can claim UC for them). This works out better for some cases. The rules around young people in full-time education claiming UC are complex. See Contact’s page here and this leaflet from Contact. They need to be in receipt of PIP and LCW/LCWRA needs to be established prior to the start of the course (course doesn’t just mean formal courses such as GCSEs. It can be things like life skills courses.) To establish LCW/LCWRA before the start of the course, once DC is 16, they (or you as appointee) can make a credits only New Style ESA claim.

Did you appeal the EHCP refusal? It is not lawful for the LA to refuse just because you EHE.

I have a 19yo with a learning disability. I foresee she will continue in home education for at least another few years. You can home ed as long as you and your young person want to continue with that, though of course there are maximum ages for receiving various benefits to do so.

2x4greenbrick is on the money with all details. I only have a few points to add:

You mentioned a requirement to have been home educating while the young person was a child in order to claim benefits post 16. That information is now obsolete. The regulation was changed in September 2025. This is good news for you, because for example your child could try college next year and if it isn't a good fit, they can resume home ed without you losing out financially.

Some Child Benefit and UC staff don't know the regulations regarding home education. Don't rely on their advice, and try to avoid phone conversations with them if you can. It seems to be quite common for them to mistakenly conclude you don't qualify, and cut your benefit, leaving you to appeal. You'd win the appeal, but it's better to avoid the hassle! If they give you any grief, you can come here or to most big national home ed forums for advice. Also when you come to inform CB and UC that your child is staying in education next autumn, be sure to get advice from other home educators to ensure you answer the questions on the form correctly; it isn't always obvious how they relate to home education.

You do not have to be doing formal study of any kind for the home education to qualify. It should normally be at least 12 hours a week. It can be less if the young person can't manage 12 hours due to illness or disability, but to be honest if you include informal learning then you shouldn't have any trouble hitting 12 hours anyway. It also has to be "non-advanced", which basically means lower than university level. (The reason for that is because people in higher education should use Student Finance instead.)

As you may know, the Local Authority's role in keeping an eye on young people in their area who are being home educated will cease when your child finishes "Compulsory School Age" in June. So if you've been supplying them with annual reports or agreeing to meet with them, you won't have to do that anymore.

On a slightly different topic, your child does not have to mix with peers to move forward educationally - some apprenticeships do not have a college element.

Instead focus on her interests and look at related voluntary options to build confidence, there might even be a small paid job she can do a couple of hours a week. There’s also traineeships, which are a more accessible unpaid intro into apprenticeships, suitable for those who may have additional considerations

You mentioned your child's anxiety resulting from years of bullying, and your concerns for their social opportunities. Many young people do enjoy being with others of the same age. However, socialising can take many forms. It doesn't have to be in an environment which looks like school or college, and doesn't have to be with people of their own age.

You might consider looking for relationships with people of different ages. There are a lot of positives to this. Younger kids are very likely to look up to your DC just because they're older, which is bound to give them a boost. I remember when I was ten and I'd come home after a day of trying to figure out what I had to do in order not to be teased or judged by my classmates, and go play with the six year old over the road. He thought I was cool. I could outrun him and read to him and fry an egg. It wouldn't have occurred to him that my trousers were hopelessly unfashionable, that I didn't like the right music, and that I got too many right answers on the maths test.

Adults also are more likely than groups of teens to be steady and reliable and kind. They aren't busy navigating the social jungle themselves. They know who they are. They have the resources to help and advise or just be there as an example. As teens, both of my kids did things like voluntary work, part-time jobs, martial arts, bands and community choirs alongside adults, sometimes with me and sometimes solo. Some of these activities are dominated by elderly people. My kids enjoyed being fussed by the grannies, who are often thrilled to have a young person in their midst.

So if your young person does feel up to socialising outside the family but is intimidated by other teens, the two of you might go out together to seek out people of different ages. That could give them a big confidence boost, to see that people like and accept them for who they are.

Honestly thank you all for responding, you have helped so much.

@2x4greenbrick I did not appeal the ehcp at the time, the lady I spoke to basically said it would be extremely hard to get one without a professional statement however I did research it all and know that it can't be refused. If I did want to go back they have my details and would put it through, I just don't know if it's worth the hassle considering were not in a school setting really.
But thank you for the in depth explanation of the benefits system, I think I will keep them on my uc for now as even the thought of having to do the pip transfer is causing enough stress on them.
@Saracen I did not know about the new regulations so thank you for that! Yeah I tend to not ask uc or cb agents for advice as 9 times out of 10 it's wrong lol which is why I thought it was best to try here, I will definitely be coming back here for help with the forms etc. I have a great group of friends that fully accept my kid and treat them like one of the gang, they get along better with adults but they still yearn for friends their age which I can understand but hurts to see when they struggle 😟
@LondonGirrrrl we have thought about social events and clubs as a means of socialising out side of an educational setting however there doesn't seem to be much around our area or I'm just not aware of them. I have tried looking at different clubs but sometimes it's like trying to find Kim Kardashian's diamond earring in the blue sea 🤣 work placements is a whole new world, just talking about college is overwhelming them so I think work can wait a while, I think my main concern regarding work placements is it has to be a right fit. Regular jobs just won't work due to their anxiety so we're trying to browse courses and jobs that relate to their interests.

I would request another EHCNA. Then appeal if the LA refuse to assess or refuse to issue.

It also has to be "non-advanced", which basically means lower than university level. (The reason for that is because people in higher education should use Student Finance instead.)

To add to ^this part of @Saracen’s post. Sometimes higher education can be provided via a college, including sometimes further education colleges. This can sometimes be confusing. The difference is higher education provision is level 4 upwards even if it is provided in/via a further education institution. Whereas as non-advanced education is up to and including level 3.