How can we manage financially as Universal Credit support reduces?

[elliejjtiny]

We have 5 dc aged between 19 and 11 all with disabilities. Dh was a manager up until youngest was born, then he became unwell and had to take a massive pay cut. I'm a Sahm and get carers allowance. We get UC. Dc1 in his first year at uni, dc2 about to start in September.

We are just about managing at the moment but barely. In September we are going to lose the child element of universal credit for dc2 and I'm worried how we are going to manage. When the dc were younger I thought I would be working by now but I'm only getting 4 hours sleep a night and my 11 year old needs constant supervision when not at school so I don't know how I could fit work in. Dh has to work away about 15 weekends a year (from friday morning until late Sunday night) which leaves me completely exhausted each time. We spend 9 weekends a year picking up/dropping off/visiting dc1 and I imagine spending the same amount of time with dc2. There is no childcare for children my dc age with SN and they have to be picked up and dropped off at school. The dc have appointments about once a week on average and dc4 stays in hospital about 1 night a year when I don't get any sleep at all.

Realistically I can't think of any employer who would employ me with the amount of time off I would need and on so little sleep. At the moment I spend the time dc are at school doing the housework, cooking the dinner and trying to catch up on a bit of sleep.

I'm trying to think of anywhere we could save money but I can't think of anything. Dc1 doesn't cost any less money while he is at uni.

Totally agree- zero hours are shit in many situations but can work well for some who need a lot of flexibility

Savings? Surely he must have put a lot away on such a good salary which could support 2 adults and 5 children?

I think it depends what he was 'managing' really... The window of the mcd's drive through or the tunnel network of HS2. There would be a difference...

I recognise the poster from previous posts.
Her dd going to uni will receive at lot in bursaries and benefits approx 7 or 8k from memory per year. (Not loans payments). She asks how her dd is going to cope financially and is told by other posters that she will be far richer than other students.

Genetics I'd imagine.

Why won’t your outgoings drop when two children are at uni presuming they no longer live at home? If they do live at home they need to pay rent.

Yes exactly. My ds is a manager and on about 38K which wouldn't go far to support a family of seven. With five disabled kids though( assuming all getting disability benefits ) this families UC amount would have been huge with all the disability premiums and then five lots of DLA and/ or PIP on top. They would have been getting five child elements due to the ages of the kids unlike other large families with younger children who until now have been capped at 2. I'm surprised they couldn't have saved a bit to help through these Uni years although appreciate savings are capped on UC..

to pop 5 kids in 8 years, even perfectly health, is top stupidity unless you're Elon.

It doesn't take high intelligence to understand that everything might happen, kids (and parents) might become disabled

This is a situation that the benefits system has encouraged. Families happily having children they cant afford to support without benefit help but knowing the more children they have the more benefits they will get and then panicking when the bubble bursts because the children grow up.

Eh? What a bizarre comment. I'm sure you'd have classed Stephen Hawking as 'that disabled' and he managed fine at uni.

When your DC are at uni you shouldn't be driving around 9 weekends picking them off and collecting them. They could come home by train. If you have one teen less at home of course you don't need asuch money and your UC will reduce. Your DH should be caring for DC in the evenings so you can work and sharing the night time care. You have just had an above inflation rise in UC.

I also thought this. I appreciate it’s not helpful now but it’s obviously an incredibly difficult situation for you. Have you spoken to social services about any kind of respite care?? Any other family who can take over your role whilst you work? Could you work from home- admin role or similar? Good luck to you xx

I know a family with 6 disabled children. It’s not as rare as you would think.

Zero hours care work?

Something you can do from home?

If you list your income and outgoings people are very good at spotting where savings can be made.

There are plenty of disabled people at uni, the government really tries to encourage it these days especially as for people with physical disabilities if they can get skills such as computer programming or the like working from home is much more common and suits many people with physical disabilities.

in addition there are a number of students with autism/adhd who have as their special interest maths/reptiles/astrophysics etc and again if these students can get a degree they are much much more likely to be successful in the job market.

people with disabilities can be very very intelligent and if they can access university it can really give their whole life a boost.

my dc uses a wheelchair but has a degree in astrophysics and is applying for jobs at graduate level,

DC1 - are they getting full student loan? Are they getting DSA & PIP. If they are they should be able to manage without extra money from you and can contribute to household costs when they are home.

DC2 - as above

DC 3-5 - UC should increase as the 2 child cap is removed. Have you got 2 carers elements on your claim, if not then add them. Have you got the right disabled child elements on your claim? Do your kids qualify for school transport? Have you applied for free school meals?

You - are you registered with your local carers centre? Have you had a carers assessment? Do any of your kids get direct payments or respite hours? (This doesn’t give you money but could give you a much needed break so you have the headspace to keep caring)

General - Have you checked all your household bills to see if there’s anything you can cut or reduce? Mobile phones, broadband, utilities, subscriptions, insurance, etc. Do any of your kids have conditions which mean they use more water? If they do then look at WaterSure scheme.

@Treylime that is a lot of support!

For more ammunition for posters?

Perhaps they can't come home by train, we don't know the nature of their disability but if it's physical, trains aren't always accessible and certainly not when travelling alone.

I agree.

Yet again the tax payers responsibility (according to OP) to fund all her brood. Why you'd keep having kid after kid with all of them having disabilities is beyond me.

Madness.

They will always have been getting 5 child elements due to the ages of the kids.

Depends. They were all born within a relatively short period of time and babies don't tend to be born with an 'I'm Autistic' sticker on their foreheads.

The older one will have their own benefits now? They would claim PIP?
And hopefully you could find work that fits into school hours.
And your kids father should be supervising the younger one once he's finished work half the time.

No, but she has children who are nearly adults, and also young children. I highly doubt she's just discovered all of them are disabled.

who on earth is going to look after 5 disabled adults when the OP and the dad passes away?

the OP can't afford her kids. So she shouldn't have had them. By choosing to have more children, when already having disabled children as it is, she took that risk and it's not bit her on the arse. I just don't get some peoples mentalities. Maybe I'll get shot for this but if I had got to the point of having 2 disabled children there's no way I'd go on to have 3 more. Depending on the disabilities, life may be a big struggle for these kids when adults. Why risk it and put them through it.
if the disabilities are complex enough for the OP not to work, they must have high needs. Why do that to the kids that are already here. Growing up when your parents can't afford to have you is no fun. Growing up with parents who can't afford you, disabled, with 4 disabled siblings, is also no fun.

The situation probably isn't as precarious as you imagine it to be.
The word 'disabled' has been seriously watered down over the last decade or so.

The OPs children probably have something like ADHD or autism. Certainly the fact that two are away at university suggests they are able to function at some higher level even if they have extra support whilst there.
Either way, the 5 kids will not be vegetative or paraplegic or connected to breathing machines 24/7.

As far as the OP goes, welcone to the good old benefit trap. The system will generously support families, and even more so all the neurodivergent children , and enable you to spend years out of the workforce but as soon as they become young adults all ties are cut, and you are on your own.

You will need to find another source of income, reduce your outgoings, and get the adult children to contribute.