We have requested an appeal to an independent tribunal because we don't believe that the decision can be taken that on reaching the age of sixteen a child suddenly becomes fully responsible for managing their diabetes. The support and supervision from parents is probably required even more in most of the elements of the Daily Living component due to the changes they are going through as teenagers. It is also our belief that the Mobility component does not adequately consider the safety aspects involved with a teenage diabetic 'Going Out', requiring someone to be with them who understands what to do if they have a 'hypo'.
We hope to convince the Tribunal that the DWP have got it wrong and that sixteen year olds with type 1 diabetes cannot be totally independent/responsible. If they are expected to stay in some form of education until the age of eighteen and Child Benefit is received for them until eighteen and, moreover the NHS does not transfer them to Adult Diabetic Clinic until the age of nineteen, why does the DWP see them differently? To cut costs!
This won't be popular, but I couldn't disagree more with you.
The purpose of the PIP is to help ensure that additional costs incurred in living a normal life by someone with a disability don't cause them financial impairment.
I am struggling to see what additional genuine financial costs your child or you are incurring from them having diabetes. What additional costs are associated with them 'going out' accompanied by someone who knows what to do if they have a hypo? I'm assuming you don't pay for an additional carer to follow your child around and that you haven't had to quit your job to supervise them. I'm also a bit concerned that you don't seem to see this as your child's responsibility. At 16, your child should monitoring their own blood sugar entirely without further involvement from you, they should be adjusting their own doses, and they certainly should know how to deal with a hypo themselves.
I get that it's hard from a parent's perspective, but any older teenager with diabetes really should be up to speed on how this is their life and their responsibility in the same way it's their responsibility to know when to go to the toilet or when it's time to eat. That's not to say they will always be entirely independent (although my personal view is that any parent actively managing their child's diabetes care post-16 is likely to be inadvertently doing more harm than good), but the sooner they learn this lesson, the better. I think it's also a useful lesson to teach young adults with diabetes that they aren't an invalid, that they can stand on their own two feet just like anyone else their age, and that they are in control of their future.
It's worth also bearing in mind that every time someone claims PIP, there's less for someone else who may well have genuine impairment of independence.
I'm really sorry if this sounds harsh and isn't the support you're looking for. Unfortunately, I'm a great believer that the reason I successfully manage my diabetes very well today is precisely because I chose to take full responsibility at 14 (when I was diagnosed) and refused to see myself as a disabled person who needed help from anyone else - so I always take quite a strident view on the level of responsibility teenage T1s have for themselves.
