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college and benefits...
Former 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!
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!
0
Comments
"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?
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.
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?
"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.
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...
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.
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.
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.
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.
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...
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.
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.
it does seem as though my application is going through though....