Hi, my name is anon80! Advice on Son's benefits

anon80

Hi, im new!  son is 21, he is autistic.  he currently gets UC in his own right, he gets LCWRA.  He still lives at home. He gets PIP too, low mobility, high care.  Anyway - he is starting to apply for jobs, im worried this will affect his claim for UC. He certainly isn't capable of going to just any interview, he is set on IT / AUDIO jobs. So far 2 interviews but the lack of experience is knocking him back.  He is a whizz with IT so someone just needs to take a chance with him.    

He is currently taking driving lessons too, to help his job prospects.  Basically, he is trying BUT due to his autism its only specific jobs that he is going for, like tunnel vision.  He cant be pushed into anything, this is why he gets LCWRA section of UC.  

Whilst he is on UC what would happen if he found a wee flat of his own to rent? Do they help him with rent... what would happen if he found employment? Im worried if he gets a rental flat, UC could help, but when he gets a job that will stop and all rent would come from his wage... is there a way he can work and still claim UC to help him? Im worried the job may not last long and he will be left up the creek with rent, bills etc and no help!!   Im just a worried mum who has no idea how UC works but helping her son to become as independent as he deserves to be.    Any help would be amazing, thank you in advance. 

poppy123456

If you moved into a place of his own and he privately rents then he will be able to claim for help with the rent through UC known as housing element. He will be entitled to the 1 bedroom rate of local housing allowance,  (LHA) because his PIP includes the daily living part. You can check the rates here for different areas. https://lha-direct.voa.gov.uk/ if there’s a shortfall of rent then he will need to pay that himself. There could highly likely be a shortfall as most areas the LHA doesn’t cover the full rent. 

If he finds work he will need to report a change of circumstance on his journal and tell them he’s working. At the moment because he’s not claiming for help with any rent then £631/month of earnings received will be ignored before the 55% deductions apply. If he claims for help with any rent in the future then the work allowance will reduce to £379/month. (Assuming he moves this tax year) 

He needs to be aware that although there’s no amount of hours he can work if the work he does contradicts the reasons why he’s claiming LCWRA then it can go against him at his next review. Same for PIP. 

Hannah_Alumni

Hello @anon80

Welcome to the community! I hope you are well?

I see Poppy has given some great advice with how it would work from the benefits side. I can understand you wanting him to be as independent as possible and worrying as a mum!

How about taking smaller steps? Is it possible for him to volunteer in that area, to see how he feels about it all? If he would like to then look for a job, Scope have employment services that can help You could do something similar with him wanting to have his own place. If you haven't already, maybe you can get a weekend away somewhere. Have a spa weekend? See how he gets on?

anon80

hi, thanks for the replies.... the job he is trying for is 15 hours a week.  i find it all a bit confusing because he does get lcwra because he isnt able to active search for jobs and go to interviews often.  this job just came about suddenly and it interested him.    due to his autism he cant be forced into active job searching, if that makes sense, he will just keep an eye out and only go for a job IF it suits him, IF he wants it, IF he is in the right frame of mind to actually apply.  Its not like a NT person claiming UC who can go for any job!   hope that makes sense, his autism makes things tricky! Thanks for the info on housing help.....   its all just a bit of a minefield for him and i to get our heads around.   

We have holidays without him (his choice) and he has 2 weeks a year at home to help himself become more independent, which he enjoys.   He refuses to shop on his own, so someone has to take him nad make sure he is safe in the kitchen.  He still needs reminders of things going on, such as driving lessons etc....   when things go wrong he gets a bit stuck. EG he ordered a food product from an online store and it arrived smashed (we were on holiday) - he couldnt cope and my mum had to come and help him.  These are all life lessons for him and i am trying hard to help him become as independent as he can. He isnt ready to move out yet, but i like to know his financial options before hand.

I clicked on the link but it says england and wales - we are scotland.  

Hannah_Alumni

Sorry about that, Scope is a charity based in England and Wales. Disability Information Scotland have a lot of advice that can help when it comes to employment. They even have information on extra financial support with Access to Work. 

I'm glad to hear that he is getting that time to be independent and you get holidays. Yes, having all the information beforehand helps!

It may be worth exploring smart tech help. I've seen people with ADHD and Autism use tech like Google Home or Alexa to help keep them in a routine with prompts or even play saved playlists when they are anxious and find music helps. I've seen technology where family will get a notification when their loved one pops the kettle on, to know they are awake and going about their day. 

L_Volunteer

I personally find Todoist really helpful (as an autistic person). I can schedule my days and colour code according to the level of priority. This really helps me to remember things and complete things on time. In terms of prompts for knowing what to do in difficult situations, Brain in Hand can be really useful - though I have never used this myself. How are you feeling about things at the moment @anon80?