Highest Rate Child Disability & UC

[RedFence]

Hello,

We are in Scotland. I have received a letter this weekend confirming my 9 year old has been awarded highest rate care and mobility child disability payment after a review (I am extremely grateful).

Can I ask, does anyone how this might affect universal credit? I currently receive 'disabled child's element. I earn above the carers allowance threshold, but is there anything else I should request or can request?

I own our home so we are not entitled to housing element. It varies, but typically spend more than 35 hours caring for my son, but I also work of course, 27 hours, I can't work FT, my son has been excluded from wrap around care since 2022, so I work around school and in the evenings.

Any help hugely appreciated! Thank you

You can now get the higher disabled child rate which is over £400 a month ? Are you currently receiving the carers element? If not then you can add this even if you don't get carers allowance.

Not sure about Scotland but you would be entitled to a short breaks package in England (ie respite care) from social services. Worth checking out x

Thank you @Miley1967 .

I currently receive disabled child element, roughly £157 per month.

I don't get the carers element, I didn't ask for it? I didn't know there was a difference between carers element and allowance.

My son was awarded lowest rate from March 2021 (I first applied then after someone at his outdoor school told me about it, he was there when he was only able to go into school part time). The highest rate was awarded after I went along to a drop in after he received a dual diagnosis.

I really struggle to pull apart being a parent and being a carer, it's just always been this way. It was 6 years before the GP would refer. He has awful tics and hasn't been able to access wrap around care since 2022.

You should have been getting the carers element the whole time your child was in receipt of dla and you claimed UC. Claim it now and also report and change for HRC for the higher rate of disabled child element.
edit just noticed it was low rate so no carers element. Ask for backdating of carers element and high disability element from the date the dla award changed.