Autism, Child Poverty

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Autism, Child Poverty DLA

• David Williams
• Welfare Rights Unit, Neath Port Talbot CBC

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Autism Child Poverty The Links

• The Impact of Autism (APPG 2001)
• additional costs for a family caring for someone
  with autism, some of which are considerable
• caring has an opportunity costcarers are often
  unable to work
• cost of households dividing, when autism takes
  its toll on relationships.

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Autism Child Poverty The Links

• A Life Less Ordinary (New Philanthropy Capital
  2007)
• 30 of children with autism live in families
  where neither parent works, compared with 14 of
  other children
• Families of children with autism face a range of
  extra costsreplacing clothing, not being able to
  use public transport, having to adapt the house.

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Autism Child Poverty The Links

• The Economic Consequences of Autism in the UK
  (Foundation for People with Learning Disabilities
  2007)
• Annual costs for children with low-functioning
  ASD living with their families 585 (aged 0-3),
  23,869 (4-11) 36,474 (12-17)
• Average annual costs for children with
  high-functioning ASD ranged from 1,214 to
  21,090.

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Autism Child Poverty The Links

• Financial Problems Associated with Autism..
  (University of Missouri 2008)
• ..costs include specialised child care, speech
  language therapyand costly food supplements as
  well as replacement costs for items that were
  destroyed by their child.
• families quoted..skipping meals to be able to
  afford therapiesrobbing their future by
  depleting savings..and even filing for
  bankruptcy.

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The Importance of Benefits Take-Up

• The Impact of Autism (APPGA 2001)
• shows the shortfall from benefits and how
  families are subsidising the Community Care
  budget.
• recommends that benefits need to take the
  additional expenditure for people with autism
  into account.

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The Importance of Benefits Take-Up

• Autism Rights in Reality (NAS 2003)
• 36 of carers openly admitted that they do not
  understand the system
• 64 cited problems with the forms
• 17...were left feeling negative and stressed by
  the application process
• 16 were simply unsure of their entitlements and
  didnt know where to apply
• 10 had experienced a loss or reduction in
  benefits which they felt was unjustified
• 30 of those receiving DLA had gone to appeal,
  rising to 45 in families with an annual
  household income below 12,000
• Only 5-7 received the additional premiums on
  their other benefits which their DLA should have
  entitled them to

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Why is DLA so important?

• Always paid on top of other income
• does not overlap with other non-means tested
  benefits,
• does not count as income against means tested
  benefits
• paid on top of any other income, including f/t
  earnings

• Extra means tested benefit
• An award of DLA can lead to
• extra premiums/additions on Income Support,
  Income based JSA, Pension Credit and Housing /
  Council Tax Benefits
• extra elements in Working and Child Tax Credits.

• Passport to other benefits
• An award of DLA Care might
• give exemption from the Personal Capability
  Assessment
• enable a carer to get Carers Allowance and/or
  Carers Premium.

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So Why Dont People Claim it?

• Lack of accurate information/awareness
• Length complexity of claim form
• Negativity of claim process
• Stigma around benefits system
• Lack of expert advice/assistance
• Linguistic/ethnic barriers

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Myths Surrounding DLA
Myth

• Im working so I cant claim it.
• I might lose my other benefits.
• Im not physically disabled so I cant claim it.
• My claim was turned down before so I cant claim
  again.
• DLA is for paying for carers, and I dont have
  any.

Myth
Myth
Myth
Myth
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Disability Living Allowance

• One benefit, two components
• Mobility component lower rate
• higher rate
• Care component lower rate
• middle rate
• higher rate

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What Weve Done in NPT

• Take-up campaign for DLA posters distributed
  via schools hospital and play centres.
• Developed training courses seminars to increase
  knowledge base
• Written articles and liaised with autism
  charities to further raise awareness

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How We Work

• All referrals dealt with on casework basis
• Home visits in all cases
• Full benefit check done to include whole
  household, not just the child
• End to end process we complete claim form, keep
  copies, write reconsideration letter if
  necessary, represent client at appeal tribunal
  and help claim any additional benefits that are
  appropriate. All work subject to stringent
  quality checking as per LSC contract
• File not closed until all benefit issues resolved

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How Successful Have We Been?

• 64 children helped in first year
• 38 files fully resolved so far, 26 ongoing
• Total benefits raised 196,714.80
• Average benefit raised pa per child 5,176.71
• Some children have now had a second file raised
  to do renewal forms or claim mobility component
  at age 3 or 5!

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Results from Take-Up Campaign

• Mobility Component
• 14 children on higher rate (36.84)
• 22 children on lower rate (57.9)
• 2 children not awarded mobility (5.26)
• Care Component
• 28 children on higher rate (73.68)
• 10 children on middle rate (26.32)
• 0 children on lower rate.
• All children awarded care component

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How Does This Compare?

• The figures for the mobility component are almost
  identical to those shown in the NAS report
  Autism Rights in Reality
• However, the care component figures differ
  greatly with almost 74 of children achieving
  higher rate as opposed to 43 in the report

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Particular Issues Identified

• The difficulty in obtaining higher rate mobility
  component for autistic children
• The difficulty in obtaining DLA of any sort for
  children with Aspergers Syndrome
• The problem of greatly reduced or lost DLA on
  renewal at age 16 (transition)
• Chronic non awarding of extra premiums, knock-on
  benefits and entitlements

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What Progress Are We Making?

• Re-visiting autism cases with lower rate mobility
  component and claiming higher rate. Award rate
  for HRM is continually increasing.
• Have challenged DWP guidance on Aspergers and
  this has been slightly amended. Most claims now
  successful.
• Transition renewals remain big issue (not helped
  by new claim form) which we will be taking up
  with DWP.
• Holistic casework approach has seen big increases
  in awards of knock-on benefits.

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The Interactive Bit !

• Any questions?
• Your DLA experiences
• Making friends (?) with the claim form