Housing help child with mental health

[Mystical1981]

I am a single parent of 2 children (13 and 10) I live in a private rented property. My daughter over the past couple of years has had mental health and anxiety problems which have got worse recently and she has stopped going to school because of her anxieties and hasn't been now for 5 months. I am on universal credit but I do work. The problem is my daughters mental health has taken a turn for the worse she started thinking about suicide. As she doesn't go to school she sits in her room everyday this has caused a fear of going out and she has now become paranoid about the doomsday clock and the world ending she cries every night over this and cannot sleep due to it. She has no friends so doesnt socialise with anyone. She is with cahms mental health and the school and them are saying to me I need to be at home to encourage her to go back to school and to get her out of her bedroom so that's she's not thinking paranoid thoughts all day which could lead to suicidal thoughts. I need to quit work for a while so that I can be there for her and support her but without working I will have no mon ey to pay bills or eat etc.. I have worked out that if I didn't work once my rent has come out of my universal credit I will be left with just over £400 a month this is to feed the 3 of us and pay all my bills. I have already had to have time off work due to this and ha e fallen into council tax arrears gas and electric arrears and have had bailiffs at my door for the council tax. I contacted my local council and told them i need to quit work to care for my daughter but I need to know before i do this if they will house me. They said that as I am band b it's unlikely I will get housed. My daughter is obvs my main priority and I am spending every minute that I am not working card g for her and trying to encourage her out of the house and to go to school etc. I have looked at cheaper rented properties but there is nothing other than moving away from the area and this isn't fair on my son who loves his school and had lots of friends. Without being housed I won't be able to give up work because I won't be able to afford bills and will have more bailiffs at my door and I'm so worried about my daughter. She has deteriorated so much the past few weeks. I am crying writing this I am in a desperate position I just don't know what to do.

Also just want to add I have applied for pip for my daughter last October but it's taking so long they keep sending me text messages saying they are dealing with it buts it's been 4 months now. Once she has this I can then apply for carers allowance but this is all taking too much time and in the meantime my daughter is getting worse

Do you claim DLA for your daughter, if not do .. this will also lead to a extra allowance on your UC for your daughter Plus you'll be able to claim for carers allowance when you give up work ..

Cross messages

Omg that sounds so so tough. I hope you have family/ real life support.
Have you spoken to universal credit? They may be able to advise you. Or possibly getting a job you can work from home?

If you quit work it can affect your benefits. Look at the you resigned from your job section on this link, you may need evidence from the school and CAMHS to back you up so you don't get sanctioned. You need to do a universal credit calculation to check what you will be entitled to if you didn't work. DLA took about 4 months to come through when I applied for DS, carers allowance about 8 weeks from the application, but they have a back log in the DWP at the moment so everything is slower.

An option would be to try and change your working hours to be at home more or change to a job working from home if that would be possible so that you are physically there.

CAMHS and school also need to be putting more support in place it cannot all be on you at this point if she is this unwell, she needs specialist support and access to online schooling provision or a specialist unit. They cannot expect you to just give up work and be living below the breadline, solutions need to be appropriate for your family situation. Have they done an early help assessment referral at all? Social care may be able to provide support such as carers to ensure someone is at home with her whilst you work. The children with needs section of social care in your area can do a carers assessment so it might be worth contacting them for advice.

I presume you mean DLA, not PIP? If DD is awarded DLA you will get a premium on UC - the disabled child element or severely disabled child element, and if DD gets MRC or HRC the carer element.

Have you applied for an EHCNA? And are the school providing alternative education?

Have you had social care assessments?