ASD and Appointee

Hello

I'm not sure whether this is the right section or not, but I require some help/input.

I'm Autistic (ASD) and my mother is my carer and appointee - she receives ESA and DLA/PIP on my behalf.
My relationship with my mother has deteriorated over the last year after I discovered she hadn't been entirely upfront about my benefits since I had started claiming ESA back in 2011. 

During the application process for ESA (Autumn 2010), my mother said I'd be receiving a small monthly allowance out of my ESA. However, every time it was discussed after that initial statement, the number was cut in half. Eventually that was forgotten about until September 2011 when I finally questioned why I had yet to receive the money she was suppose to be allocating me. From that time I started receiving £20 a month out of my ESA.
Over the new few years, she kept telling me how expensive I am to keep, and how she's out of pocket because I don't leave the house often (due to psychological distress), I run up more utility and food bills than anyone else in my household. 

In 2014 my mom started to miss giving me my £20/month allowance. At first it was a few months here and there, but then it ultimately stopped. 
Going forwards, I had to become reliant on money from grandparents for pay for things like clothes and shoes.

In the Spring of this year I discovered my benefits (ESA specifically) was a lot higher than I was previously led to believe. My mother who prides herself on treating all her children equally had been receiving £720/m on my behalf, whilst asking my siblings for £200/m for they're board.

A few weeks after my discovery, I confronted my mom about why she had been receiving that sort of money on my behalf, and providing very little for the amount of money. This led to an argument where she effectively said I need to start looking for somewhere else to live, because I said I didn't believe that amount of money she is receiving for my care is justified by the small amount of additional care that I do receive from her. She offered to help start the process into looking for somewhere else to live, and would transfer my benefits over into my name. However, she gave me a draft letter that she intended to send to the DWP saying I was capable things I'm not, and that would be damaging to my PIP transition in the near future. She then proceeded to ignore me.
After a few weeks of being ignored,, things had cooled down, and she agreed to start giving me a monthly allowance again, but significantly higher.

During September I had my PIP home assessment. Whilst I'm aware I was successful in my claim, I have yet to actually be informed/updated on my DLA>PIP status.

In October the subject was brought up again. I asked for slightly more money so i could start becoming a bit more financially responsible for myself/my needs. This led to me being told I no longer have a home, and to remove myself from her house. This is something I perceived to be a bluff. Instead I was ignored for nearly 3 weeks.

Last week I asked for my NI number to confirm my identity on a website. She was reluctant to give it, and began to insinuate that I was up to devious things, despite me explaining that I needed it to confirm my identity. This made her paranoid that I was up to something, despite being transparent with the reason I needed it.
On Tuesday morning I was woken up to her asking me if I had been messing around with my PIP because it hadn't been paid into her account.

And now we come to today... I asked her if I was going to be receiving my Christmas bonus this year (this is the first year I've even known about it). This led to an argument and my telling her a few home truths (I insinuated that she has been financially exploiting me).

She has since thrown me out, and I'm currently at my grandparents house. She has made threats to get the police involved if I try to return home. She's apparently called them saying I've been emotionally and domestically abusive towards her, and that Social Services are getting involved to say I'm more capable than I've made myself out to be.

This is a copy and paste from my thread over on MSE: forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.php

Parents
  • I’m so sorry,  you must feel very alone in trying to deal with this by yourself. I hope your grandparents are supportive. Personally I think it would be a good idea for social services to be involved. They can help you find somewhere to live and help with your finances and support if you need help to take care of yourself. They can also arrange for you to have an advocate.. someone who helps you get what you are entitled to.   Social services would probably chat with you to hear your point of view and make sure benefits are paid directly to you. You definitely need someone on your side. If you don’t feel comfortable with social services then try Citizens Advice Bureau. Perhaps you could also call the Nas helpline to get advice and support the number is on the main website. 

Reply
  • I’m so sorry,  you must feel very alone in trying to deal with this by yourself. I hope your grandparents are supportive. Personally I think it would be a good idea for social services to be involved. They can help you find somewhere to live and help with your finances and support if you need help to take care of yourself. They can also arrange for you to have an advocate.. someone who helps you get what you are entitled to.   Social services would probably chat with you to hear your point of view and make sure benefits are paid directly to you. You definitely need someone on your side. If you don’t feel comfortable with social services then try Citizens Advice Bureau. Perhaps you could also call the Nas helpline to get advice and support the number is on the main website. 

Children
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