My father is freaking me out.

Posted , 5 users are following.

 My grandson who has autism/asperges he is 22 years old and he gets PIP and ESA/support group he gets around £200 a week.

His father wants him to do a apprentice in IT which  will pay him 136 pounds a week. it is also a 37 hour week.

Will he lose these benefits if he decides to do the apprentiship and what happens if  he

finds it all to much and has a meltdown (which i think it will). He has never had a job before

Will he have to start all over again.

Thanks in advance.

krys

0 likes, 6 replies

6 Replies

  • Posted

    Hi,

    He will lose his ESA because it's 37 hours per week and if he decides that's what he wants to do then he does need to report the changes to ESA. If he decides he can't cope and his area is a full Universal credit area then he won't be able to go back onto ESA, he will have to claim UC and start as a new claim. If his area isn't a full Universal Credit area he will be able to do a rapid reclaim and go back onto ESA and into the support group providing it's within 12 weeks of ending the ESA claim. To check what's in his area then google UC postcode checker and pop his postcode into that and it will tell you.

    His PIP won't be affected providing the work he does doesn't contradict the reasons he claims PIP.

    However, i really don't understand the father here because shouldn't it be totally your grandson's choice what he wants to do? No one should be made to do something they can't cope with, especially someone with ASD (autism)

    I hope that whatever he decides, it's the right decision for him and not for his father.

    • Posted

      Hi Denise, thanks for your reply and I couldn't agree more,  I am 99% sure that he wouldn't be able to cope with 37 hours of training/work, but his dad thinks he is wasting his life.His parents are divorced and he lives with his mum

      He doesn't see much of his dad now, he got married and has a new family.

      Thanks denise

    • Posted

      No worries. I'm not being nasty or anything here so please don't think that. In all fairness to your grandson it's really none of his fathers business and he can't actually make him go out to work. Your grandson may have ASD (it's no longer called aspergers syndrome but that doesn't mean to say he isn't able to decide for himself whether or not he's able to work. PLease make sure you check what's in his area before he decides anything.

      There's also something called permitted work while claiming ESA. If he really did want to try working then as long as he works less than 16 hours per week and earns no more than £125.50 per week after deductions and STILL keep all of his ESA and any other means tested benefits he claims. He will need to get permission first from DWP before doing the permitted work because he'll need to fill out a form. Providing the work he does doesn't contradict his reasons for the ESA claim then it won't go against him when he's next re-assessed for ESA. Worth thinking about because this way he doesn't lose out on anything.

  • Posted

    hi , I agree with denise about benefits its the old saying nothing gained on swings and roundabout , it really up to your grandson ,if he wants to do it but too be honest having a son with asd I do know were your coming from, you want them to have everything that a normal person can do but and saying that you know its may not be more stressing for them and cause more harm , isn't there a college he can go to were he can do a course; that way he can learn without loosing his money and that  you will see how he can cope ,plus he gets to be in company of students his own age ,which is good thing you've not mentioned his mum whats she say .... his father has no right to say that , as he may be 22 but as  I always say about my son who is 21 he a child in a mans body but I wouldn't swop him , hope it works out for him all that matters is that  your grandson is happy that's all  you should do,  ignore his father you know your grandson better

    • Posted

      Thank you, he did a college course a year or so go and he had support worker to help him, but he hated it that much that he went into this drop in centre with severe depression and they rang his own doctor, who referred him to the local mental health unit. but he never told anyone, I asked him why he hadn't told me and he said that he didn't want to worry me, 

      He doesn't remember anything you tell him, i think they call it brain fog. 

      Thank you anyway.

       

    • Posted

      Hi,

      My daughter also has ASD so i also understand. Yes we want them to do the same things others can do but that's not always as easy as it sounds. Some may need more help and support that others too. My daughter needs a lot of support to do a lot of things in life. She goes to college with 100% support and has a support worker at home that takes her out to do the things she wants to do. We want to wrap them up in cotton wool, i agree but that's not always good either. Having said that you can't make someone do something they don't want to do and i certainly wouldn't make anyone do that either. Some people just really don't understand ASD  and it sounds like this is the case here. neutral

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