As you may have seen in the news, the UK government are making unfair changes to the benefits system. They want to change who can get PIP by raising the amount of points people need to get in their assessment for the daily living part of PIP. It is important to know that changes to benefits are not happening straight away, and will only start in 2026.
Mencap are looking to share stories of how this will impact people worried that they may lose their PIP. This will help us show Government what these changes will do. If you are interested to share your story please fill out the form here:
Hi Maurice,Firstly, I would really like to say how much i appreciate being able to be a part of this forum.
It terrifies me that my 26 year old daughter will lose her PIP/benefits as a result of the forthcoming changes; moreover when I am no longer here to fight or advocate on her behalf as I am all she has to do so.
She is Autistic, non-speaking, has OCD and suffers chronic pain from a myriad of physical problems affecting her mobility and general health and quality of life but she does not have a Learning Disability so I cannot "share my story" with Mencap.
I have always felt in a kind of no-man's land about this and have greatly appreciated the kind acceptance from other members here on the forum. If I were able to have my say in sharing my story with Mencap I would say that it is something that I worry about every single day and it makes me feel hopeless and often suicidal as I fear so much for my daughter's future, most especially if PIP/benefits are taken from her. She too is able to understand the reality of this and I know it also worries her tremendously; as if her life was not difficult enough every single day.
I too am Autistic, late-diagnosed, previously diagnosed Mixed Personality Disorder and life has been/is very difficult to navigate but I can mask and speak and engage most of the time and I can leave the house and do things like opening the front door to the delivery man, unlike my daughter.
If possible I would like our "story" here added on somewhere to Mencap's response to the government's very cruel changes.
Hi I really feel for you as I am more or less in a similar situation with my daughter. What are they supposed to do when we are no longer there? Has someone some advice to give us ? Thank you.
Hi Barbado , if you're talking about securing your daughter's financial future, Mencap has a wills and trusts service that can help with planning for the future. Find out more at mencap.org.uk/advice-and-su...
Hello Rhama1975 , thanks for taking the time to reply.
I'm sorry to hear about your situation, unfortunately we're hearing similar from many people across the country who are worried about the government's plans. I can say that my colleagues in Mencap's campaigns and parliamentary teams are raising all the concerns we're hearing with the relevant groups and individuals to help ensure the people continue to receive the benefits they are entitled to.
Any changes are a year away - this gives Mencap (as well as many other disability charities and organisations) to campaign hard against anything that will have a negative affect on people who simply don't deserve to have the additional stress these plans have put upon them.
I'll ask a colleague in the campaigns team to take a look at your post though and, if you're happy to do so even anonymously, add it to the comments that have been shared with us. Please let me know if you'd rather that didn't happen.
Glad you're feeling positive about being a member of the community here - I think sometimes just knowing you're not alone in facing things like this can be a real source of comfort. But please make sure you reach out if you're feeling overwhelmed at all. We have a list of places to turn to in a crisis on our website at mencap.org.uk/crisis
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How do you deal knowing your child/young person will always be vulnerable?
Son going into Supported Living
