DWP Work Assessment Interview with Appointee or DD?

[MuddlingThroughWithoutAClue]

I am DD's appointee for PIP and last year a made a credits-only claim for ESA with a view to protecting her NI record and (hopefully) getting a decision of LCWRA on file for the future should she need to claim UC (currently in education with EHCP, hopefully starting a new course in September but who knows how things will go).

Have today received appointment letter from DWP for telephone assessment next week. The letter is addressed to me but then says "Dear DD" and uses phrases like "you must attend", "you can have someone with you for support".

I am unclear what is expected by DWP and would also like to know what our position is legally. DD would not manage the assessment by herself - this is why I am her appointee. I completed the work capability questionnaire and I really need to answer the questions for her although she could be in the same room listening if necessary. I don't want to ask DWP in case they give me incorrect information.

DD (19) has GAD, low mood, ASD, social
Communication difficulties and is awaiting ADHD assessment.

Thank you

As appointee you can speak on the phone on behalf of DD. Some assessors will tell you otherwise, but you can be insistent, especially if it would be detrimental to DD’s mental health.

Thank you, that's helpful. Do you know if DD would still need to be in the room and listening? I would find it easier if she wasn't.

She doesn’t have to be, again, especially if it would cause overwhelming psychological distress. Some people have DC in the room initially with them leaving after the initial introduction.

@SearchingForSolitude thank you for your advice. DD is unlikely to want to stay and listen and she is also unlikely to contribute much (she often says she doesn't know when asked questions or looks to me to answer) so I think I will need to be firm about me answering on her behalf for the most part.

Your DD sounds very like mine in communication style! Having her in the room at least for the first part is a good idea because then hopefully the assessor will see for themselves that you are needed.
My Dd is 17 so this situation is possibly in our not-too-distant future. Hope all goes well for you both.

@QuickFetchTheCoffee Thanks, I'm not looking forward to it - hoping for a nice assessor

Had the telephone assessment - lasted about 40 minutes. There was no issue with me speaking on DD's behalf, assessor who I think was a nurse just spoke to DD at the beginning to confirm her name and DOB and that she was happy for me to speak to provide all the information needed. Assessor was very pleasant and seemed kind. Will now await the outcome from DWP.

Sounds positive! Thanks for updating us.

Outcome is LCWRA - had to phone as still haven't had decision letter (it appears to have gone missing in the post and had had to be re requested).

Hi, I've just come to this board to look for similar help for my 19yr old DD. She's got Autism & ADHD, and I've had to get a GP to sign off on withdrawing her from college on medical grounds (she was so close to finishing but she's just fallen apart/overwhelmed with everything & she couldn't get past some parts of the necessary assessments to pass the course).

I think she would fall into the LCWRA category but I'm struggling to navigate this system (it's all new to me).

Could someone point me in the direction of where to get a clear understanding on this? I'm her appointee from her Adult Disability Payment application (we're in Scotland) and we started a UC application only a few weeks ago as I was anticipating her possibly not making it to the end of the course (she tried her absolute hardest but it was just too much pressure). They closed it off as she was still at college but I've just had her GP confirm she can withdraw on medical grounds this morning so technically she's no longer a student now.

(Sorry to hijack this OP but your thread was so similar to what I'm looking at, it saved me typing out the whole thing!).

All the information about UC is on the government website. You will need to submit a sick note if you want DD to have a work capability assessment.

Thanks. I didn't find the website that helpful. I was hoping for something else that breaks down the process a little & what's involved/required. I'm worried about messing it up as her appointee, when a lot of this is new to both of us (v late diagnosis despite having issues from the start of high school), and I'm far from being an expert in her conditions. I know what she finds hard but trying to explain that in the context of either/both conditions is what I'm worried about.

So you apply for UC and submit a sick note that you get from the GP. Once you have submitted a sick note, you will receive a work capability form to complete. Then you may or may not receive an appointment for a phone/virtual/F2F assessment or there may be a paper based assessment. They may or may not contact any professionals you include on the form. The result of the assessment will be DD is fit for work, has limited capability for work or has limited capability for work and work related activity.

Hi @GrumpyMenopausalScathingWombWielder sorry your DD is in this situation. @SearchingForSolitude has answered your query so not much to add but I did have found the Contact website (would link but rubbish at it) very helpful.

DD's work capability assessment was for a credits-only ESA claim rather than UC and the process was very lengthy (although when I phoned to chase the work capability questionnaire at one point it was suggested to me that it was a low priority claim because it was credits-only rather than having a financial benefit attached to it). I started submitting sick notes for DD in May 2023 and received the work capability questionnaire in November followed by work capability assessment on 1st March 2024, decision end-March so almost 11 months in total. Hopefully your DD's will be quicker.

There might be some charities locally to you who can assist/advocate for you too.