Home Home, Law & Money
If you need urgent support, call 999 or go to your nearest A&E. To contact our Crisis Messenger (open 24/7) text THEMIX to 85258.
Read the community guidelines before posting ✨

college and benefits...

Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
i'm very confused...

i'm a care leaver who's planning on going to university, i've just turned 18, and my benefits from social services have just been cut. i'm at college doing a course that is 16 hours a week. I've been told that i'm not eligable for JSA as i'm at college and i may not be eligable for income support due to the hours i do. I'm meant to do some part time work which should only be 8 hours a week if that, and won't pay a huge amount.

I was told that there would be exceptions due to the fact that i'm a care leaver...but it seems not...

help!

Comments

  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Give kermit a call:

    "ring Community Legal Service Direct on 0845 345 4345"

    benefits experts, they know everything out there so should be able to help. Though it's a shit situation to be in, do you get housing allowance or whatever the term is?
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    To save you the phone call, I've dug out my trusty rulebook.

    You can claim JSA or IB whilst studying if you are a care leaver, but only if you are aged 16 or 17 AND are either a lone parent or entitled to disability premiums on your benefit.

    16 hours a week classes as full time education, and as such you cannot claim JSA because you cannot satisfy the requirement to be actively seeking work. You may be entitled to income support if you are a lone parent or incapable of work, but only in certain circumstances.

    You also won't be entitled to housing benefit or council tax benefit, unless you're entitled to IS.

    The only advice to give to full time students is to get a job, I'm afraid.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    but surely i'm meant to be supported by ss until i'm 21?

    and there is no way i can work full time and study full time. i would struggle to work more than 12 hours a week and still be able to keep up my studies...what the hell am i meant to do?
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Looks like you're supposed to get help until you're 24 if you stay in full time education, including:
    "providing housing or helping you find and keep your own place
    supporting you financially by paying for your food, bills, travel costs for education and training, clothing, pocket money and childcare if you need it
    any other support you need, such as help with continuing your education, finding work or dealing with personal problems"
    http://england.shelter.org.uk/advice/advice-176.cfm


    Do you have a 'support worker' assigned to you? If not, I think you need to get one.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    yeah i do...

    though other people have been trying to get involved so i think i'm going to have to get all the papers back and see what we can do...
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Get yourself armed with the facts about what you're entitled to, so that you can fight your corner. Askthesite might know exactly how much help you're supposed to get, and where to turn to when/if you don't get it. They can't just dump you in a bedsit and say bye now that you're eighteen, so make sure you stay on their cases!
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I have a sneaky feeling, but I'm not sure why, that you are most definitely entitled to support, but their not benefits as such, would would be why Kermits rulebook says no.

    Instead it should come from social services, along similar lines to the way they paid for things for you while you were in care and aged 16/17. Try talking to your social worker, or if that's not getting far it would be worth seeing if there are advocacy organisations nearby. One of the blokes I knew who was leaving care managed to get a lot of help from an advocate, they knew where to find the answers as to what they were entitled to and then made damn sure he got it.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    but surely i'm meant to be supported by ss until i'm 21?

    I don't know if you are or aren't, but you can't get state benefits whilst you are a student.

    Have a word with your social worker if you have one, or see if you can speak to a local legal advisor on community care law.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Kermit wrote: »
    I don't know if you are or aren't, but you can't get state benefits whilst you are a student.

    :confused: I know someone who was able to go to college and claim benefits, but she did live on her own and have to support herself.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    It depends on what benefit and what she was studying.

    As a general rule you cann't get Income Support or JSA if you are a full-time student. There are limited exceptions for people who are disabled or lone parents.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    FYI -
    those in care also count as an exception for IS and JSA. They are intitled to continue getting benefits until they enter full time employment or go on to uni...
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    My CPAG book says care leavers don't, so I'll have to check that when I go to work tomorrow.

    I really don't think you will be entitled to receive state benefits whilst you're studying, even if your course is further education rather than higher education.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    From my CPAG benefits handbook:
    If you live in England or Wales, even if you are no longer looked after by a local authority, you cannot get income support, income-based JSA or housing benefit if you are 16 or 17 and have been looked after by a local authority for at least 13 weeks (after 1 October 2001) since your 14th birthday.

    You can get income support or income-based JSA, but not housing benefit, if you are a lone parent, incapable of work, disabled, deaf or blind.

    Local DWP and social services staff should liaise to ensure that any disputes about who is responsible for you are quickly resolved.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    ah, but even though i have officialy left care, i'm still looked after by the LA cos i'm in education and will be till i'm 21. thus i suppose why i can claim benefits...
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    ah, but even though i have officialy left care, i'm still looked after by the LA cos i'm in education and will be till i'm 21.

    If you're cared for by social services then social services should be paying for you.

    You really can't get state benefits whilst you're a student, regardless of whether you left care or not.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    well, they won't....

    it does seem as though my application is going through though....
Sign In or Register to comment.