The parents of a severely disabled teenager say they are still facing “sanction” threats and sick line requests amid a “ridiculous” three-month Universal Credit wrangle. Connor Donnelly’s mum and dad, Steve, 46, and Helen, 44, from Mauchline, Ayrshire, have been dealing with the process since their son turned 18 earlier this year.
Connor, who is wheelchair-bound, blind and non-verbal, had his claim for £338 monthly benefit submitted as a fresh application in June. The family say they have endured a string of “upsetting” phone calls discussing his ability to get a job, and at one point received an email suggesting they should spend two hours a week “looking and preparing for work” while the claim progressed.
Ongoing interviews and sick line demands
This week, Connor’s mum was summoned to a “work focused interview” by phone, with a warning of a sanction if it was missed, and has been forced to chase another GP’s sick line to ensure his payment was not affected. The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) says the email is standard procedure, but Helen says the process needs to change for families like hers.
“Surely, after three months he should have had a medical to sort this out, yet we’re still having to hand in sick lines and being notified of interviews, saying ‘we need to know about what you’re doing to find work or you could be sanctioned,’” she said. “They need to better choose their wording in cases like this. I hate it - because I so wish that Connor could do these things, but he can’t. There’s no job Connor is able to do.”
Family’s struggle since leaving school
Connor, who has a big brother and three younger sisters, has complex needs after being starved of oxygen at birth. He attended Willowbank School in Kilmarnock until earlier this year and received Universal Credit because he was in full-time education. Since leaving school in May, his parents say they have faced an ongoing struggle with their local job centre.
Dad Steve said the requirements have hit them “like a freight train”, and they have been “having to fight for absolutely everything”. Unable to get Connor to the local centre, which is inaccessible for his wheelchair, the family said they endured phone calls that left them “embarrassed and hurt”.
MP intervention and DWP response
After the Daily Record reported their struggle, the family received a visit from Kilmarnock and Loudoun MP Lillian Jones, who gave them a letter confirming Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden had instructed officials to “take this case forward”. Jones described the experience as “deeply distressing” and “wholly unacceptable”.
“No family should have to endure unnecessary stress of bureaucracy while caring for a young person with such significant and lifelong disabilities,” she said. But Steve said the latest correspondence was “absolutely ridiculous”, adding: “Nothing has changed at all. At no point in the whole process have we been supported by the DWP or felt supported. They have made us feel humiliated, frustrated and incredibly let down.”
Helen added: “We’re waiting for a medical to say that Connor is unfit for work. I’ve had to do another sick line for Connor because he’s not had the medical yet. I was told that if I hadn’t heard about a medical I’d have to keep putting these lines in. I get there is a mandatory process for everyone. They say it’s universal but it’s ridiculous. There should be different processes for someone in Connor’s circumstances.”
After the Record contacted the DWP for an update, the family say they received a call from the job centre assuring them the email was standard procedure. Jones said she had also spoken to the DWP on the family’s behalf. “What is important now is that Connor’s circumstances have been considered and the family are getting the support Connor needs,” she said.
A DWP spokeswoman said: “We have contacted the family to confirm the claimant is not required to undertake work search activities, as previously discussed and agreed with them. The message sent to the family is a standard notification to ensure the family remain fully informed and supported throughout the ongoing health journey. It is not a requirement to look for work.”
