to wonder how the hell we will manage if this all happens

[2shoeprintsintheblood]

dd is 15 and severely disabled.
she will be in full time education until at least 19.
so the government are talking about lowering the cb to 16
I presume EMA is going
no CB = no CTC ??

so how am I expected to be her carer on £56 a week??
how do I get a job, when I have to be here if she is sick, and in school holidays.
also if the LEA win and move her to the crappy local sn college I will loose her respite and have to take her to and from college.....

do I just dump her in residential at a cos of 1000's a week.

No you can leave school at 16 if you want to, although it is strongly encouraged that you don't leave education or training until 18. I don't think you can claim JSA until your 18 either

It's rubbish and I'm very sorry.

The things that haven't surprised me is the 'hate speak' and the turning people against each other with all the negative rhetoric.

The thing that has surprised me, is how come things are so bad? I am shocked and depressed, it really feels like a return to the eighties :( I had not heard that EMA was being scrapped though.

It is a myth that there are all these jobs out there which would fit in with school and pay a living wage.

i don't know if ema is going, I know thay have scrapped the bonus' but not sure of EMA

Riven where I live (West Yorks)you can get a pass that allows 16-18 to pay half fare if they are still in education. Might be worth investigating

2 shoes.

you need to speak to citizen's advice about benefits. Under the Carers and disabled children's act 2000 once children reach 16 they are entitled to direct payments to help them pay for their care etc. We are now in the era of Self Directed Support, which means following an assessment of need from SS (you are entitled to a free assessment) a yearly pot of money will be allocated to your DD who would be able to spend it on what she wants to meet her needs, this could be transport, social inclusion, care etc. Gone are the days where money was spent on the traditional services and you should also still be entitled to some respite care.

Benefit enquiry line 0800 88 22 00
Child Support Agency National enquiry line. 0845 713 3133.

Hope this helps.

dd has respite supplied by SS, we get what I consider good ammount(I have seen how little some get) but it is at her school,
so if the LEA insist on moving her, we will loose that. the crap college she would move to (over my dead body) has i's own respite place, but it is full and not suitable anyway.
I don't want cares coming i, that won't be respite.
we are lucky though as we have a SW so he will help us if worst comes to worst.
but I intend to win and keep her at her school post 16

No advice 2 shoes, but I really hope you get some help.

Good luck 2spitb (lol at acronym, bet you feel like spitting, but are too genteel!) Are you taking your LA to tribunal to get them to pay for your DD to stay at her school, which also provides the respite? My friend did this & won (He's now 18 & they've got the joy of finding a residential college who'll take him). In her case, the LA agreed before the tribunal date because tribunals cost LAs sh#tloads of money & are not cost-effective (ie parents win anyway, or cost of going to tribunal is higher than difference in cost between LA's preferred placement & parents' preference).

Regarding respite (short breaks, as we're now supposed to call it), many residential places are being shut down as they're a very expensive form of respite for LAs. The move is towards supported living. This might suit you & your DD better, as I've been told parents can have unlimited access and they are often smaller units (ie, in residential she might be placed with 10 other adults she doesn't know, whereas supported living placement might be 2 flats)

Lol at job as doorstop, Riven. Sometimes you've got to laugh. My SW was telling me about a disabled person who got a job as a hand model.

If you get Carer's Allowance, you won't be expected to seek work. You can get Income Support rather than JSA (providing you meet the income/capital requirements). That's a passport benefit to Council Tax Benefit and Housing Benefit etc.

Your daughter should be able to claim ESA in her own right once she is 16 (see Advice Guide):

Who can get contributory ESA

To qualify for contributory ESA, you will usually have to have paid enough national insurance contributions. However, there are some exceptions. You can get contributory ESA without paying contributions if:

* you become unfit for work before you are 20 and you have left school. You need to be at least 16 years old to make a claim
* you become unfit for work before you are 20 and you are still at school, provided you are getting special education because you are disabled. You need to be at least 16 years old to make a claim
* you become unfit for work between the ages of 20 and 25, provided you were in advanced or secondary education or training before the age of 20.

cheapskatemum I am going to fight them all the way.
we have the first meeting on November 3rd.
so fingers crossed.

supported living is ok, but I should imagine it could be rather lonely, I like the respite she gets as she is with her peers.

thanks for the link to ESA I had never heard of that, and it does look like she would be eligible.

I do get cares, but was just worrying that it won't be enough if CB and CTC are stopped.

politics of envy come out again on MN.

Riven Loved that video.

riven she still get "special" education though

Riven that is the most infantile argument I've ever seen. They came from a wealthy family so lets bash them.

Agree with you xynia but it shows the desperation of people who have no arguments

thats the bit they don't get, residential care will cost a lot more than dd living at home.

oh come on Riv you know we are so lucky to get 17p and hour.
there is always some knob who wants to talk crap