Pregnant daughter can I get help?

daisyloo

Hi,

My 20 year old daughter lives at home and is 10 weeks pregnant. I am a single parent and have three other children - age 18 and working for apprentice wage, 13 and 11 at school.
I work full time and get tax credits but money is still always tight. My daughter works part time. She will continue in her job for now but I am not sure she will return after the baby is born as she earns minimum wage and childcare is expensive.
Does anyone know of any extra financial help she/we can get? There will not be any support from the father of the baby and I cannot see how I can stretch my money any further.

bobajob_1966

For the next twenty weeks she can seek full time work, perhaps temp work through an agency? Once baby is born she will be able to claim IS or WTC depending on how many hours she works. She will also be able to claim SMP, MA or ESA depending on how much she earns.

Metranil_Vavin

Doesn't the father legally have to help?

daisyloo

Thanks so much for replying. She works 24 hours a week so has not been looking for another job. Also please could you explain all those letters as I am not sure what they all mean!

daisyloo

Metranil_Vavin wrote: »

Doesn't the father legally have to help?

He is not in a position to offer any support of any kind.

Metranil_Vavin

She'll get child benefit which is about £20 a week

bobajob_1966

Metranil_Vavin wrote: »

Doesn't the father legally have to help?

It used to be the case that if someone was claiming IS they had to supply the details of the father to the CSA, but this no longer applies.

daisyloo wrote: »

Thanks so much for replying. She works 24 hours a week so has not been looking for another job. Also please could you explain all those letters as I am not sure what they all mean!

IS = Income Support
WTC = Working Tax Credit (this will be the one if she intends to continue working)

SMP = Statutory Maternity Pay (this will be the one if she has been working for a while)
MA = Maternity Allowance (not applicable)
ESA = Employment and Support Allowance (not applicable)

daisyloo

IS = Income Support
WTC = Working Tax Credit (this will be the one if she intends to continue working)

SMP = Statutory Maternity Pay (this will be the one if she has been working for a while)
MA = Maternity Allowance (not applicable)
ESA = Employment and Support Allowance (not applicable)[/QUOTE]


Thanks so much

zagfles

And CTC (child tax credit)

McKneff

Tell her to start a claim with the father now. He will be in a position at some time to support his child.

His liability starts when a claim is made so he will still owe support from when the baby is born, he may not be able to pay for a year or two but it will add up in that time.

AnxiousMum

I don't think you can start a claim for child support until the child is actually born.

Whether the father is in a position to support his child or not - not your problem. If he is given a nil assessment, or ordered to pay £5 per week - so be it. But, when he is in a position to provide for HIS child, the claim will already be in place and it will be alot smoother than starting a claim once the child is five years old.

You state that there will be no help from him, as he's not in a position financially to be able to help out. By the sounds of it, you're not in the position financially to help either, but that's not stopping you from trying is it? The thing is though, even though it's your grandchild, it's the legal responsibility of the two parents to financially support their child/ren.