PIP QUESTION CONFUSION

Ali

I think, at least in part, your problem stems from the phrase

help you need but don’t get

It would be better phrased as

help you require whether you receive it or not

The issue is not whether the person is receiving help, but whether they require it, so you need to explain why the person cannot carry out a task reliably without assistance and then explain the sort of assistance that would allow them to overcome this.

There are a couple of aspects to this, can the person carry out the task at all or can they do it but only unreliably for the majority of days.

Some examples; perhaps a person cannot Communicate at all with another person because they are deaf and do not understand sign language, or they are able to wash and dress, but due to their OCD they are unable to do so reliably and for the majority of days because of the time it takes them to do so.

Secondly, any prompting or assistance must be required, This relates to the point above, you must clearly distinguish between assistance that is required because the person cannot complete the task reliably, etc. without it, from assistance that makes it easier for the person to complete the task, but is not required for them to do so reliably.

For example; a person may not be able to manage their Toilet Needs because they cannot clean themselves afterwards and require the assistance of someone to do this for them versus a person with restricted eye sight who can read if required but finds it easier to have a person read to them.

Requiring assistance will score points, it being easier to have assistance will not.

Gordon

canttrusthesystem wrote: Hi Gordon and Ali,
Apologies for butting in, but this is a part of some of the questions that worries me too, as I don't have access to help for some of the things I need help for. Are you saying then, if you need assistance, but don't actually HAVE the help, but nevertheless have to manage to struggle on somehow (because this is real life and all that), slowly, unreliably, in pain, in fits and starts, and it all takes hours etc., and you may have to put things off, or sometimes not manage to do them at all, that you may not any score points?

Thank you.

No I'm not saying that, but if you can "perform" a task on your own, you must explain the circumstances under which this happens.

The key point in my previous post is that tasks must be performed reliably and for the majority of days for the DWP not to score you points, so if you cannot reliably do a task for the majority of days because you can't do it;

• Safely – in a fashion that is unlikely to cause harm to themselves or to another person.
• To a necessary and appropriate standard – given the nature of the activity.
• Repeatedly – as often as is reasonably required.
• In a timely manner – in a reasonable time period.

then you should score points even though you have done this on your own.

It may be tempting to try and circumvent the requirements of a Descriptor, a good example of this would be for Preparing Food where a claimant might say that they only use pre-prepared meals, but this in itself will not score points, you still need to show that the pre-prepared meals are a solution to a problem (i.e. you are unable to reliably prepare and cook a simple meal for the majority of days). You must explain the underlying problem and make it clear that it is not a convenience that allows you avoid having to prepare and cook a simple meal.

Gordon