Hi
I’m wondering if anyone can help me. I am working 20 hours a week term time only as well as caring for my 2 children-1 is 14 has ME, Tourette’s, depression and anxiety the second has just been diagnosed asd is 11 yrs old and although currently mainstream cannot take himself to school, is in bed with me and not sleeping, I am finding it hard to juggle everything am on antidepressants and have been for over a year with little improvement. So I am thinking of giving up work to concentrate on them and their needs. I do have a husband who does shift work so everything falls on me. Would I be able to claim straight away if I gave up or would I be sanctioned?
Welcome to the forums! I recommend calling Citizen’s Advice to talk to a benefits expert. I found keeping a diary helped me when I had to complete the forms recently. I can’t imagine why you would not be able to claim. Have you had a needs assessment done or not?
I’ve put in an assessment to the council is that the same? I have a friend that is a family support worker who is going to go through things with me this week. I’ll try cab for advice thank you
Laura, please don’t give up work, but concentrate on getting things sorted out for your son.
My son has severe learning difficulties as the result of brain damage at birth, 40 years ago.
You NEED to do something away from your family just for you, to have work colleagues to share things with, to feel some self worth. My biggest mistake in life was not to do this. You don’t know what the future has in store for you. I was widowed at 54, then almost killed in a car accident 3 months later, leaving me disabled. No real job, no work friends, as I’d worked for my husband. Fortunately he had some life insurance but I needed to keep this for my retirement. My only source of income until I retired was selling off his stock of 30 tons of vintage lorry spares, not easy when I used a walking stick!
When my son was 8 he moved to a special school, from a special unit in a mainstream school. I had to fight hard to get the placement, at a Camphill School, but it was the making of him.
It sounds like mainstream isn’t working for him. What you have to ask yourself is whether it would be better for him to stay at mainstream, where he is a “little fish in a big pool” or at a special school, where he will be a “big fish in a smaller pool”.
Try to think about realistic goals for his future life, especially post 16. Is there a Tourette’s forum or similar where you can learn more from parents of older children? I always found this sort of group far more helpful than paid professionals, who these days seem more concerned about their budgets than doing their best for the children concerned.
My job is in a sen school. He seems ok at the school at the moment they are supportive of him. I think it’s just constant caring between home and work. I will discuss with work about maybe doing just lunch time so a dinner lady for a while and see how that goes. It’s just fitting in all the appointments with most being in central London is getting harder to do. I am studying to become a teacher so will have that in future
