Hi, my name is Amandajp1979! Looking for remote work or benefits for my son

Amandajp1979
Amandajp1979 Community Member Posts: 3 Listener
edited July 6 in Benefits and income

Hello, my son suffers from severe social anxiety and agoraphobia, this is only recently diagnosed he is 23 he lives with me. Is there any remote work he can do or benefit he can claim but I need to be his appointee.

He struggles to talk to anyone, any help is appreciated

Comments

  • Amandajp1979
    Amandajp1979 Community Member Posts: 3 Listener
  • OverlyAnxious
    OverlyAnxious Community Member Posts: 6,214 Championing

    Hi,

    There may be some jobs he can do from home without talking to anyone, but not many.

    In this case it sounds like claiming Universal Credit is the better option. He will be treated as a Job Seeker and expected to look for work until completing a Work Capability Assessment. You will need to explain his limitations to the Work Coach who will hopefully switch off his work search commitments while waiting for the WCA.

  • Rosie_Scope
    Rosie_Scope Posts: 8,861 Online Community Team

    Welcome to the community @Amandajp1979. You can become your son's appointee if he needs someone to manage his claim. There's some information about that here in case it's useful to you: Become an appointee for someone claiming benefits - GOV.UK

    As luvpink mentioned, Universal Credit might be the best thing to claim at first.

    If his condition is likely to be long term, you might also want to look into PIP for him. Again, you can manage his claim as an appointee if he is not able to do it himself. There's some information about eligibility here: Personal Independence Payment (PIP): Eligibility - GOV.UK

    If you'd like some support with the claims, you could speak to a professional benefits adviser. If that's something you'd like to do, you can find local help using this tool: Turn2Us - AdviceFinder

    How is your son coping? Is able to access any support for his mental health at the moment?

  • Amandajp1979
    Amandajp1979 Community Member Posts: 3 Listener

    Hi there is no way he could go to a job centre or look for work, he couldn't talk to anyone on the phone as he has a severe panic attack.

    Would I be able to do these things for him

  • Rosie_Scope
    Rosie_Scope Posts: 8,861 Online Community Team

    Hi @Amandajp1979, he wouldn't usually need to go to the job centre to look for work if he's unable to cope with that. At the start of the claim, you would need to let them know about his conditions and may be asked to supply fit notes from the doctor until they can do a Work Capability Assessment to decide which support group he'll be put into.

    Universal Credit may wish to speak to him in some way during the claim, but once you are his appointee you would be the main point of contact going forward.

  • Stellar
    Stellar Community Member Posts: 535 Trailblazing
    edited July 6

    The best option (by far) for your son is to claim UC and look towards self-employment.

    The job market is just as bad as it was in 2008 before the crash. AI has destroyed the job application process, making referrals mandatory. Non-disabled people with decades of experience are struggling to find anything. Your son has no chance, as his disabilities mean he cannot do the networking required to land a job. This will remain the case until after the AI/Iran War economic crash, alongside the UK remaining out of the Single Market. Same applies to remote work, as legit jobs will want to meet him in person or virtually.

    If he builds something himself that doesn't require him to talk to people in person (i.e., YouTube, blogging, eBay store, etc.), he'll be able to upskill and gain more confidence, alongside an income stream. I'd encourage him to explore this option independently. The jobcentre can help provide referrals and contacts to employment support for disabled people.

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