Preparing for Adulthood Transition Guide
Benefits advice
When a young person turns 16, they can claim benefits in their own right. This will affect some benefits that are paid to you as their parent/carer so this is worth bearing in mind.
Below are some places you can get benefits advice and what is available to you.
Eligible, relevant and former relevant children can access bursaries. Lots of employers are not are of this but there is lot of information available online that can help you begin the conversations. This benefit is for those aged 16 to 24 and should be used to help in the first year of their apprenticeships as young people transition into the workplace for their practical studies.
Young people could get a bursary worth up to £1,200 depending on their circumstances. This is to support with clothing, books or other equipment for your course. This could also include transport and lunch on the days you study or train.
Access to Work can help you to get in, or stay in work if you have a physical or mental health condition or disability. The support you get will depend on your needs. Through Access to Work you can apply for:
- a great to help pay for practical support with your work
- advice about managing your mental health at work
- money to pay for communication support at job interviews
You could get £62.70 per week if you care for someone for at least 35 hours a week and the person you care for receive one of the following benefits:
- Personal Independence Payment - daily living component
- Disability Living Allowance - the middle or highest care rate
- Attendance Allowance
- Constant Attendance Allowance at or above the normal maximum rate with an Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit.
More information is available at Support for Carers.
Carer Premium is an allowance you get on top of some benefits. You can get it if you already receive a benefit such as Income Support or Housing Benefit. You can ask for more information at your local Jobcentre Plus or Jobs and Benefits office.
If your child is under 16, you can get help for care and mobility. Your child does not have to have a physical disability.
The old Employment Support Allowance benefit system has changed.
If your teenager has been claiming ESA for a while, you will be contacted by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) if you need to do anything differently. They will explain what you need to do to make sure your teenager is applying for all the right benefits.
If your teenager is new to claiming ESA, they will be claiming the 'new-style' ESA. Your teenager can get this on its own, or at the same time as Universal Credit. If you help your teenager to apply for both benefits, and if they are awarded both, Universal Credit will be reduced by the amount of ESA that is awarded.
You will need to support your teenager to fill out a Capability for Work questionnaire. This questionnaire is 25 pages long and take a long time to complete, so it is best to set some time aside to do this together.
Your teenager will also need a 'Fitness for Work' note from their doctor. This will need to be renewed regularly.
You can go into your local Job Centre or Citizens Advice Bureau for advice, guidance and further information. You can also get support on accessing and completing forms, amongst other services.
If your child is over 16, they can apply for a Personal Independent Payment. You can get a PIP if you find it hard to do everyday tasks if you have disabilities or mental health conditions. Your teenager can apply for a PIP if they already have support from someone like a carer.
The GOV UK website has a number of easy-read guides for you to use.
When your young person turns 18 they can claim Universal Credit. Sometimes they can claim it when they are 16 but this will depend on their level of need and individual circumstances.
Everyone who applies for Universal Credit will be assessed. This is because the amount of Universal Credit people can get is different depending on what other benefits are being claimed (if any).
If your young person lives with you and you are already claiming Universal Credit in your own right, this may impact the level of your own entitlement.
Citizens Advice have some fantastic Universal Credit resources and help.
It's a good idea to set a reminder so you always give yourself and your child/teenager plenty of time to make benefit applications. Some of these can be very long and difficult to understand. this will also give you time to ask questions before applications are due.