UC and two people acting as carers

[Paul Webb]

Hi all, for the last year while on UC my wife and i have both been acting as carers for our son who needs 2 people to look after him, one needs to be on standby during the night as he is aways getting up and 'doing things' and while hes awake he has challenging behaviours that take some controlling, now it has worked ok with us taking turns to be the one to look after him during the night time, before i gave up work i lost my last two jobs by falling a sleep in the day and my wife ended up epileptic due to sleep deprivation.
I have just been informed from UC that i need to look for work as only one person can claim CA ( which is the case here) and the other one can not be a carer in their eyes so must look for work. if i get a job it will mean that we can not look after our son the way he needs to be and so we would have to put him into care . we do not want to do this!!
what can we do??
anyone any advice please.
Thanks
Paul

[Chris From The Gulag]

Hi Paul.

Sad fact of life ... only one ration of Carers Allowance per caree.

( 7.8 million family / kinship carers ... around 1.5 million are classified as " 24 / 7 " and are increasing in line with
affordable support services diminishing ... at £ 15 per hour minimum ??? )

Your son's condition ... in touch with any supporting organisation specialising in that field ?

Additional support ... upto date Needs Assessment through your local LA ?

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/social-ca ... ssessment/

If applying for the first time , a real post code lottery.

The " Book " says a reasonable time ... in the real world , anytime from a month to just under a year.

A 50-1 shot .... CHC / NHS Continuing Healthcare / NHS Nursing Funded Care ?

Anyone mention any of these at all ?

If I mention that the first two are FREE , would that spark your interest ?

Main thread :

https://www.carersuk.org/forum/support- ... here-35998

As a freebie , an Online Benefits Calculator ... for that financial m.o.t. ... everything out there currently being claimed ?

https://www.entitledto.co.uk/

Have a ponder ... then return to us on the forum with your observations.

[Melly1]

Hi Paul,
I think UC is one of the most "unbending," benefit systems to date. The state are very short sighted because having you and your wife both on UC as carers is SO much cheaper than funding residential care for your son. From your previous posts, he sounds very difficult to care for, and any provider would charge top rates to support him.

How much care does your MIL need? Your wife was supporting her after a hip operation wasn't she? If your MIL is eligible for attendance allowance, then your wife could claim carers allowance for her and you could claim it for your son. This doesn't acknowledge how you BOTH work as a team to meet your son's needs, but, at least you will both be able to claim and support him.

Melly1

[Chris From The Gulag]

Logical Melly ... and definately worth exploring.

Attendance Allowance ( And a gateway to Carers Allowance ) :

https://www.gov.uk/attendance-allowance

Attendance allowance is for people over 65 who need help at home because of an illness or disability.

You could get : £57.30 a week if you need help either in the day or at night. £85.60 a week if you need help both day and at night.

Be wary ... said AA ... NOT to be paid over to the carer ... there are problems :

https://www.carersuk.org/forum/support- ... 0allowance

[bowlingbun]

Paul, how old is your son? What help are you getting from Health or Social Services?
Do you have any medical reports on your son that show he needs 24/7 care?

[Paul Webb]

Hi Again
Thanks to all for the replies,
I don't think that the MIL would qualify for AA, she is demanding and my wife finds herself down-there most days for a few hours but i don't think that on medical grounds she would qualify for support. she just needs her meds sorting out , a bit of housework and shopping etc, maybe a little more than some people her age but i cant see a doctor signing up to AA .
We get support for our son (24Yrs old) , thats not the issue , he gets about 4hrs daycare most weekdays but we use that time to repair damage ,clean up the mess and get ready for the next night and do shopping etc.
I do not want to claim 2nd carers allowance , i know thats not possible, but i do need a little extra income and the £375 UC we get just allows us to tick by (forget holidays etc , whats a holiday?? i remember we went on one to Cornwall about 20 years ago). i have a few health issues which i believe are all stress related, but none that as they are now would stop me from working. if i have to get a job just to replace the UC money we will not be able to also cope with Chris and i know my own health will suffer too, probably endup signed off work with stress anyway! all for less than £90 per week. Anyway going to the Doctors next week about blotches and hives that keep coming up over my face and arms (these i believe are stress caused). anyway feel better for just talking to you all about this, when i look at the cost of providing care that Chris needs if he wasn't with us it just doesnt make sense that they are so none understanding
anyway i dont really expect a answer to this but i know that its looking more likely that he will endup up in care which will kill me.
Thanks again to all of you.

Paul

[Chris From The Gulag]

Your welcome.

Don't dismiss the CHC link ... it could prove to be the real answer !!!

[bowlingbun]

Are you getting any support from your local NHS Learning Disability Team?

[Melly1]

Hi Paul,
Just checking that your son is in receipt of DLA/PIP and Universal credit, himself?

Melly1