My autistic son has been sacked from his apprenticeship

Wanda1961

He is 9 month into an 18 month warehouseman apprenticeship, it has not been without challenges, but there was an incident on Friday and he was suspended, went in for a meeting on Monday and was fired.  He is devastated.  We have tried to apply for PIP before and he was turned down, I do not know where to go from here.

rebel11

That's disappointing / upsetting. Has he appealed his dismissal, he should certainly seek advice. Did he have someone with him at the meeting?

Speak to ACAS for free advice. 

He needs to do stuff to take his mind off it, put him in a better place. It's easy for stuff to go around and around in his head. 

I think he would be better off applying for ESA, providing he meets the criteria. He can work a certain number of hours too. Until he settles in the job and wants to do more hours, then he would lose the ESA.

poppy123456

If he’s only worked for 9 months it’s unlikely he will qualify for New style ESA because you need to have paid the correct amount of NI contributions in tax years 2020/21 and 2021/22.

He can look at claiming Universal Credit, which is means tested. UC is for those looking for work as well as those who are unable to work because of a health condition, if assessed and found to have limited capability for work. 

If his health condition limits his capability to work then he can report his health condition when he claims and send in a fit note within 7 days of that. He must continue to send fit notes without any gaps until a decision is made on the work capability assessment.
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/universal-credit-if-you-have-a-disability-or-health-condition-quick-guide/universal-credit-if-you-have-a-disability-or-health-condition

He will be classed as a job seeker in the meantime. It’s a work coaches discretion whether they turn off or reduce work commitments. 

rebel11

https://www.gov.uk/benefits-calculators

bg844

rebel11 said:

https://www.gov.uk/benefits-calculators

Note that if he is under 18 then these would be incorrect. Poppy is correct above.

rebel11

bg844 said:

rebel11 said:

https://www.gov.uk/benefits-calculators

Note that if he is under 18 then these would be incorrect. Poppy is correct above.

We don't know how old he is. The benefits calculator will establish if he meets the criteria. 

poppy123456

UC is for those aged 18 and over. There are some exceptions for 16/17 year old where they maybe able to claim, for example you have a health condition which is supported by a fit note (unless you're in full time education and you have parental support). https://www.gov.uk/universal-credit/eligibility

If the son is single and under 25 without rent costs then their maximum UC entitlement will be £265.31/month. (note you can't claim help with any rent if living with parents) If they are single 25 and over then their UC entitlement will be £334.91/month.

Wanda1961

He is 24 and this was his first step into the workplace.  It was probably not the best place for him, too busy, too noisy etc but I had hoped we could make it work.

rebel11

Wanda1961 said:

He is 24 and this was his first step into the workplace.  It was probably not the best place for him, too busy, too noisy etc but I had hoped we could make it work.


I'm sure there will be other opportunities for him, case of finding the right one. 

https://exceptionalindividuals.com/jobs-for-people-with-autism/