Financial hardship for undergraduate nursing student

porgie1985

Hi,

I'm new to this so apologies if i've posted this in the wrong bit!!

I am an Adult Nursing Degree student who started my first year this September. I am independent and live alone in privately rented accommodation. I have a little girl who is nearly 4 years old, but her Father has a residency order and therefore receives ALL the benefits for her, although we have a mutually agreed 'shared-care' arrangement in which I have her for 3 nights a week. I receive a bursary from the NHS which works out at £450 per month and a maintenance loan from SFE which is about £2500 a year. I get no help from housing benefits and I am also expected to pay CSA to my ex partner. My rent is £400 a month which is accounting for well over half my yearly income. Due to the nature of the course I am unable to do any work, as I have to be available for placement 24/7 including weekends when required.

Is there anyone else at all who has been or is in my position? I am desperate. I really do not want to quit the course but I don't see any other way out right now. It seems incredibly unfair that I am simply not recognised as a parent solely based on the fact that I do not receive child benefit for my daughter.

Thanks in advance

Person_one

Go to the finance office of your university and ask about the Access to Learning Fund.

Are you on the books of any agencies as a healthcare assistant? Then you could work as and when you are free rather than having set shifts and you can do full time hours in the holidays to help.

porgie1985

Hi,

Thank you for your reply, I've applied to the ALF at uni and I am waiting to hear from them but I am scared that they are just going to treat me in exactly the NHS bursaries have, that they won't recognise me as a parent.

I will register with the agencies to work bank shifts, I wasn't sure they would accept people with no qualifications, although I do have some experience in the care sector.

Thank you again

Person_one

You don't need any qualifications to be a HCA, lots of student nurses do bank shifts throughout their training and after they qualify while they wait for their PIN.

The ALF don't care about your parental status, they look at what you've got coming in and what you've got going out and whether they match up. If they don't, and you aren't spending frivolously, they'll help you out.

I take it your CSA payments are reduced for the 3 days you have your child?

Do you do any of the 'Up your income' tricks from on here? Survey sites, reviews, ebay, comping etc?

porgie1985

I'm quite new to the site and not had a proper look around it yet but I will have a look at the 'up your income' now, thanks

Person_one

porgie1985 wrote: »

I'm quite new to the site and not had a proper look around it yet but I will have a look at the 'up your income' now, thanks

Its definitely worth a look. I answer surveys all year round and use the vouchers that you get as rewards for my Christmas shopping!

Dunroamin

Could you get the residency order changed so that you become the PWC?

pineapple123

Sign on to an agency or sign up to a hospital Bank or/and care home/ home care, loads of students nurses do this and in my training days everyone did extra work either nursing, bar work shop assistant etc as we had no bursery just low wage, there is plenty of work for HCA's available, maybe you should consider moving into shared accommodation with another nurse/student who wouldnt mind your child staying over it would cut costs considerably for you, maybe talk to your Ex partner and explain your money situation maybe he could help out abit as you have your child nearly as much as he does.
Good luck and try to stick with your training It will be worth it in the end.

System

Dunroamin wrote: »

Could you get the residency order changed so that you become the PWC?

Oh you mean fiddle the system? If the genders were reversed and this was suggested there would be all hell let loose on these boards.

Ex has the residence order and the benefits that go with it so OP is no different to a male NRP and has to make the best of what they have.

Dunroamin

!!!!!! wrote: »

Oh you mean fiddle the system? If the genders were reversed and this was suggested there would be all hell let loose on these boards.

Ex has the residence order and the benefits that go with it so OP is no different to a male NRP and has to make the best of what they have.

I certainly didn't suggest she fiddle the system, I suggested she actually becomes the PWC, not that she says she is.

My suggestion would be the same if the genders were reversed.

System

Why would the current PWC voluntarily want to give up CB, possibly CTC & CSA? but then have to pay CSA. Unless the PWC is feeling very magnanimous then filling out the C100 will have to be a master work of fiction that the PWC won't fight