Martin’s story

“When you have nothing, that is a huge amount of money. It meant I could do things to support her learning difficulties.”

As an unemployed single father to a young daughter, I was struggling. I was on Universal Credit, grateful for what I received but we were just getting by. After food and bills we literally had a few pounds left. It was tough because my daughter has learning difficulties and she’s a visual learner, but she was stuck in the house all the time.

Things changed when, through my Universal Credit adviser, I contacted the charity One Parent Families Scotland. They asked me to go along to a meeting at which Social Security Scotland’s Chief Executive, David Wallace, was speaking. He spoke about Child Disability Payment and told me I should apply for it.

I applied for Child Disability Payment to help with the costs of caring for my daughter and got it without any issue – it completely changed things for us. On Universal Credit I was left with £2.77 a month with Child Disability Payment I had £97. When you have nothing, that is a huge amount of money. It meant I could do things to support her learning difficulties.

She couldn’t lie down in a bath because she was scared of water but I could afford to take her to the swimming pool and teach her to swim. We could get on a bus or a train and do some outdoor learning. Finding out this money was available to help with those extra costs meant we could do more than just survive.

It made such a difference to our lives that I now work for Social Security Scotland. The way I was treated during my application and the difference it’s made to our lives, I just knew this was somewhere I wanted to work and to help others the way I was helped.

This story has been shared in connection with the ALLIANCE’s ‘Stories of Caring, A Concert for Caring Special’ showcasing the different experiences of care and caring in Scotland.

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