Transport assistance

Hi there,

My 24 year old son lives with me has severe learning disabilities- oral and verbal dsysoraxi (cannot speak) and is high on the autism spectrum.
He has been awarded higher rate mobility allowance.

He currently attends a day facility twice a week funded by a care package by the local County Council and also another 2 days care at another.

My issue is that I am his taxi driver and am currently driving him circa 200 miles each week to attend these sessions leaving me little opportunity to try and get work.

Thanks due to have his (2 years late) annual review soon and just wondered if I am wasting my time asking for some dedicated transport to get him too and from his activities?

Does anyone know what the legal position is with this …any information would be greatly appreciated…

Thanks Nick

If your son had an assessment of need under the care act which determined that he needed a placement at a day service and your needs were also discussed; either as part of his assessment or separately in your own Carer’s Assessment, and you said you were unwilling or unable to transport him to the day service, then appropriate transport must be part of his care package. If this didn’t come up in the assessment then your social worker is either deliberately avoiding covering this need or is incompetent. Under the care act the local authority have a duty to you as a care to ensure that you can either work or, go back to education or training. However, if your local authority financially assesses your son for a contribution towards his care as all local authorities do, unless you live in Hammersmith and Fulham where they don’t charge, then they can add the cost of the transport to the financial contribution he will have to pay. Then his higher rate mobility rate may come into the financial assessment, you will have to ring the National Mencap advice line to get the law on that bit. But it may be further complicated if you have used his mobility allowance to gets motorbility car. If this is the case, the LA can fund you to have a carer to drive your son to his day service using the motorbility car.