EDCM Campaign against cuts to benefits paid to parents of disabled children

[KateMumsnet]

Hello

Today Every Disabled Child Matters, with whom we worked on our Respite Care Campaign, is calling on the government to rethink its decision to cut support for up to 170,000 families who have disabled children.

The Welfare Reform Bill proposes to cut benefits paid to low income or out of work families with disabled children by 50%. This amounts to a drop of £1400 per year - although these families often face higher basic costs than others, and may also find it harder to get employment which allows them to continue caring for their children.

If you'd like to write to the PM and ask him to reconsider, EDCM have made it easy to do so via this link. And don't forget to let us know what you think here on the thread.

Thanks

MNHQ

why isn't this thread stickied, thay have stickied one about new years resolutions.
no wonder we have so few people posting

Evning bump, please make a difference and sign :)

Deepandcrisp, I think it is stickied, its showing at the top of the page well near the top with the M symbol on my active convos page.

Which is actually possibly worse as it means people are seeing it but just not looking

it isn't showing in site stuff though. others are

Hello,

This thread is stickied, and has been for about a week now.

It's not showing in 'Site Stuff' because it's the 'Mumsnet Campaigns' topic.

Thanks,
MNHQ

but the miscarriage one does

bumpity bump

Another hopeful bump

Signed. Despairingly.

I have been sharing this with everyone I can think of, I am in utter despair that people are frothing about a bloody "facebook button" but cannot be arsed with a vital issue such as this.

i have read the thread and the links
it is clearly nonsense to suggest that a family should/could only have 1 disabled child but i assume it links in to universal credit having a maximum amount per household?

i thought about posting before but Ellibel got a flaming for daring to suggest reasons why ppl might not be posting and asking some questions

They had said before that families with disabled children would be exempt from that limit though for obvious reasons.

but what will happen when your child is no longer a child and you are still the parent caring for them 24/7

bump

Eldon- no, the limit does not exist for families in receipt of DLA at middle or high rate; that rule is on top of that again.

I hope to go to work this year, and have childcare from June as long as DH can work from home. However if he were working in a standard low paid job our situation would be this if we had 2 on middle rate:

1. Does eitehr child get high rate? If yes- exampt from working; if no:

1. Do you work 20 hours a week? if yes, all fine; if no:

1. You are eligible for workfare. Do you have childcare? If so you will cope. If not

1. Lose eligibility for any universal credit. Do not pay rent, do not pay bills. There is no exemption for disbaled children with no childcare and no scheme that enable you to select work time term time- you do workfare nights, evenings as they wish. or don't, in which case you cease eligibility. Becuase of course you can force a childminder to take an aggressive child who is a risk to others, or one needing specialist care.

Cheers Georgey boy! You sure know how to stuff the very most vulnerable don't you?

Here is the link to EDCM's response. Perhaps this should be in the original post?

www.edcm.org.uk/media/5614/dla.pdf

Peachy, so its going to change to you are no longer exempt from working [ie can claim income support/carers allowance] if you child is on middle rate? [as its currently you are exempt if child is on middle or higher rate]

bump

Reading from this it seems that carers would still get benefit 'without conditionality', meaning you don't have to prove you are looking for work etc. But I'm not sure how that connects with the Universal Credit, as CA then gets lumped into that, where it used to be a completely separate benefit.

It's so confusing. www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/universal-credit-chapter3.pdf

shocked by this thread and the apathy, god help us if this is all mn hq can do,
look how they kicked off about a EE story line.

What's EE?

Amber I know- ATM we have one on MR and one on HR, just waiting to see if ds1 maintains his HR or not when reviewed this year.

Sorry Amber read your Q wrong- yes seems so. 20 hour or workfare for parents of children on MR, workfare can be any time and the chidlcare is YOUR responsibility to find not theirs and not a reason to be exempt.

Abend: ATM you get it without conditionality if your child is on MR or HR care; that is changing to only those on HR. given that receipt of MR care is enough to prevent access to childcare for a great many goodness knows what people are supposed to do. Also DLA is often (usually?) under-awarded so people get a rate lower than their child should be on, and also HR and MR difference just means night care of a certain amount: so your child could be severely disabled and unable to move needing all day nursing care but if their meds make them sleep at night it's MR. We get it for ds1 as he needs 24/7 supervision due to his aggression but withdrawal of services in turn means that will be harder to prove at teh nexta ssessment.

It's funny how youa ssume services will be there until you need them though. I always did- happy paying taxes for that scenario- but ATM I am considered high rpiority for help due to my recent breakdown; neitehr SSD nor HV can persaude SS children and disability team toe ven visit as I have had a Carer's Assessment fairly recently and was not given respite; Home Start are going to get a referral but I know from my past employment there waht their waiting list is like and ds4 is close to turning 4 anyway so can't be for long. GP and HV amazed how little help they can persaude anyone tog ive a family with 2 diagnosed autistic kids, one beinga ssessed for autim and one being assessed for ADD where both parents have had breakdowns in last 2 years. but as SW said 'we know you won't actually hurt the boys'- they are right. I came quite close to hurting myself though.

Fuck.

Thats really worrying and exactly what I was afraid of.

You're right about DLA being under awarded, my son does need care at night [he hardly sleeps...neither do I!] but he got middle rate care/mobility, of course I was grateful for that and that it was awarded until the day before his 16th birthday that I didnt dare appeal.

When are they scrapping middle rate DLA? what happens to those on middle rate now? will they be moved up or down? as I said by rights my son should get higher rate.

I really dont know what I will do, my son couldnt cope with a couple of hours after school club when I was at college and they wouldnt take him now he has a diagnosis, as for summer holiday schemes its hard enough trying to find a place for a NT child. I have no family within a 200 mile radius, I just dont have the support to work with a disabled child.

Our lives will be a pile of shit TBH and I know there are people in a worse position that us too.

Thanks Peachy for explaining.

Sorry, he got middle rate care lower rate mobility.