Daughter with autism starting college - what help is available?

goose68

Hello mum of one , I have a daughter of 16 whom is  autistic , I work full time , my daughter starts  College this   September , trying to find out what help is out there 

Chris_Alumni

Hi @Goose68, welcome to the community. I've moved your query to the Scope Helpline's thread - they may be able to provide you with advice. You might also like to look at some of the discussions in the 'Learning disabilities and autism' category.

Debbie_Alumni

Hi goose68,

What sort of help are you looking for?

Is your daughter going to be attending college full time?

Are you currently receiving any help and if so what do you receive? i.e child benefit, tax credits etc.

I look forward to hearing from you and good luck to your daughter What will she be studying?

goose68

Hello yes she is going to   College Full time doing hair and beauty , I get tax credits , stopped paying last week so hoping that they will carry on , does help me out a lot , was just wondering what other help I could get , just   Applied  for   Disabled  bus pass not sure if she will get it ,

Debbie_Alumni

Hi goose68,

You should still be able to claim Child Benefit and Child Tax credits while she's in full time education. It's probably worth checking with HMRC whether they will still be paid and to make sure there's nothing going on that would stop the payments.

Is your daughter claiming PIP? If not this could be something to consider as it helps with some of the extra costs associated with disability. 

It's also worth checking with the college to see if they offer bursaries or financial support.

Hope this helps

goose68

My daughter is claiming pip , I am having problems working out my tax credits on line , not sure when the new payments start , they stopped last week , trying to understand what's going on , all getting a bit much right now

Debbie_Alumni

Working out tax credits online can be a bit of a nightmare. You would probably be better off calling HMRC and finding out directly from them what's going on. Have you had any letters from them about the new payments and did they write to you to tell you that your payments would stop?

I know it's difficult but hang on in there. Have you got any local advice services in your area where you can go and get some face to face advice? I know it's difficult when you're working full time to get to places like this so if you get stuck send me an email at the helpline and I'll see if I can work through things with you.

goose68

Thank you so much for your kindness, I did phone them this morning , so fingers crossed that it will be sorted out, also I  Applied for a bus pass for my daughter, will take up to three weeks before I hear if she  legible for one, I hope so that will be a great help   Just trying to find out what help is out there 

Debbie_Alumni

Well done for getting in touch with them today I hope they were able to help you. Out of interest did it take you long to get through on the phone? There's been various stories in the media about how difficult it is to get through and I just wondered if it had been easy for you?

My daughter had to contact the ESA department a few weeks ago and she used her mobile phone. The 20 minutes she spent on the phone cost her £15 which isn't good when you're already on a low income. It was a needless £15 spent too. She had moved from the WRAG to the support group but this information isn't automatically cascaded to the work programme providers who despite several emails and letters with proof of the move to the support group continued to send appointment letters for work related activities. She then received a letter informing her that as she had not complied with the mandatory requirements that they would be alerting the Jobcentre and she could be sanctioned. Of course this worried her hence the phone call and subsequent £15.00 cost of finding out that there was nothing to worry about.

Is your daughter receiving the enhanced rate of PIP mobility? If so she should qualify for a disabled person's buss pass but the criteria varies from one local authority to another. Which local authority do you come under?

goose68

I sent the form off to Portsmouth. Under the Hampshire County council. My daughter is on the higher rate of  mobility , I feel for your daughter. £15:00 pounds is hell of lot for a phone call. Took me about 10 minutes to get through on the phone.looks like the claim will take up to four weeks, which I am getting  panicky about , that helps pay the rent, I feel awful for moaning, there are far worse of then me,

Debbie_Alumni

I just had a read through the criteria on Hampshire County Council's website and it looks as though she will qualify for the bus pass. Hopefully it won't take too long to process.

I suppose 10 minutes isn't too bad in getting through, I've had worse trying to get through to non-government departments! The main thing is you got through and hopefully the tax credits will be sorted out soon. As for my daughter, she's fortunate that she has the bank of mum to turn to in times of crisis. Other's are quite so lucky and £15 is a big deal when you're on a limited income. She's been budgeting really well but will definitely not be using her mobile to call them again!

Are you getting any help with housing benefit? If you are you can ask them to assess your housing benefit award without the tax credits include, however when the tax credits are sorted out they will be backdated and then the housing benefit department will probably have to do another assessment and then take back some money. If you're having problems with your rent let me know.

Don't feel bad about letting off some steam, it helps to share the burden

goose68

Never thought about housing benefit, thought you had to meet  certain criteria for that , will have a look into that.  Thanks for your kind and helpful comments ,  very much appreciated 

Debbie_Alumni

You're welcome! Have a look at this https://www.gov.uk/housing-benefit/overview to see how you can qualify and check with your local council too, they may have an online housing benefit and council tax support calculator which can help you work out if you would be entitled to help.

goose68

Thank you so much 

Sam_Alumni

Hi @goose68 Just wondered how you and your daughter were getting on?  Is she enjoying college and did you manage to get any support?

goose68

Hello , things not going to well , my daughter  suffered another seizure  , things are pretty  crazy at the moment , managed to get an  appointment with CAMH , waiting to see what happens next , stress levels are going into over time , 

Sam_Alumni

Oh that sounds really tough! Best of luck with CAHMS, are seizures something she has often? 

Debbie_Alumni

Hi @goose68,

Sorry to hear things aren't going well right now. Is there anything I can help with? 

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goose68

Hello this is her second  seizure  this year  College  has been great with dealing on this , been  supportive , I am great full that's she doesn't get picked on , lord help those who even tried to , tried now just trying to work on her fears and  anxiety  , she not eating or sleeping etc , so will see what CAMH comes up with 

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