dla help

[myrtosbeach]

Hello I'm really looking for some help and advice ..
We are a family with 2 twin daughters with complex needs who are 6, and a son who is being tested currently for autism who is 10.
My partner and I have recently secured a lives with order for all 3 , on a 50/50 basis. My ex wife and I are separated so share care , I have had contact since the girls we born, but due to My ex wife and I ending our relationship it was been so hard to get consistency, hence the court order I applied for , funded , and secured .
Unfortunately that's where the sharing ends , my ex partner ( we both hold parental responsibility) has and continues to withhold the DlA funding from me , the girls receive the higher rate , carers allowance , care component etc , EACH . Meaning they both qualify for a mobility car ( my ex has 2 , one for her and one for her parents to use ) I've tried the dwp , local authorities, citizens advice but no one can help me secure ONE of the claims for the girls, I'm at a loss as to where to turn , the difference the funds would make are staggering for the lives of my children, even as Simply as being about to go out as a family which we can't at the moment as my small car won't accommodate us all .
Any help or advice on where to trun would be very appreciated.

[Suzie, FRG Adviser]

Dear Myrtosbeach

Welcome to the parents forum and thank you for your post. My name is Suzie and I am Family Rights Group’s online adviser. I am sorry to hear of the difficulties that you are experiencing and that you are struggling to access the right advice.

We advise families where there is a social worker involved with their child/ren or where social work support is needed. Your daughters have complex needs and your son may have autism so the children could be classed as children in need. You can ask your local children’s services’ department to assess their needs and yours as their parent/carer if you wish. Please see more information here about chulren in need assessments and about services for children with disabilities.

Unfortunately, your specific question about DLA is outside our remit.

I think that you may need specialist welfare rights advice or legal advice about this.

You could ask your local Citizens Advice Bureau to signpost you to a specialist service. Have you asked Motability to provide some clarity on what usually happens in these circumstances?

Was this issue discussed during mediation before you obtained the Child Arrangements Order? If a solicitor represented you, you may wish to discuss this outstanding issue with them or check if Child Law Advice can advise on how this aspect of ‘shared care’ under a CAO should be managed. It may be that you and the children’s mother need further mediation to work out a solution to this, to meet the children’s needs.

You may find the following links to useful services helpful too:

The Disability Law Service
Contact
Turn2Us

I hope you find a way to resolve this difficulty soon.

Best wishes

Suzie