Student Turning 20

SapperGB

Hi all,

I am in a real dilemma at the moment and have no idea on where to turn or who to ask for help so I am hoping someone here may advise.

My son who is now 19 (20 in July) struggled throughout his education and was a special needs student throughout his secondary school.

He enrolled on a level one I.T. course after finishing secondary school at 16. He passed this course but was advised that he may struggle on taking a level 2 course.
He (we) decided that he should take another level 1 course, (aged 17 now) this time he chose Art and Media level 1 which he completed but didn't really enjoy and this showed when he took his level 2, (now aged 18) he did not complete the course.

He is currently enrolled onto a level one cookery course which he seems to enjoy, he enrolled on this course just before his 19th birthday. and is due to finish the course in a few months time, he will be 20 in July.

Now I am a single parent on benefit due to being to unwell to work. I am in receipt of Long term sickness benefit, lower rate mobility DLA and a portion of income support as I am caring for my son.

My problem is that my son wants to take the level 2 cookery course but he will be enrolling at 20 years of age.
As far as I am aware, my child benefit will stop and therefore so will the income support portion of my benefit. My son will not be able to claim JSA (full time college).

Can anyone please advise on how we are to survive? The loss in benefits amount to almost 50% of the household income and I do not know where to turn.




Apologies if this is in the wrong forum.

dawyldthing

I'd ask on the benefits board as they should be able to point you in the right direction.

But I should imagine he will possibly be able to get dla or the new pip depending on his needs. You might get Incapacity Benefit or jobseekers. Are there any day centres near you as I know theres one local to here where they go and do different things on a work like basis. It does depend on their needs. I'd also contact their social worker if he has one for their advice

asdf1982

i think there was a thread like this before and in the end the daughter went to the college and got a free bus pass and some sort of bursary although this would probably vary between colleges/areas

you may be entitled to some housing benefit and council tax benefit if you are renting.

Racheldevon

Do you have a social worker involved in your son's care? Are there any local support groups you can link into in your area or virtually online? They may well be aware of local services that can support you/your son in accessing ongoing training and courses.

Also contact Adult Learning in your area - they run free courses in a range of things for adults without a level 2 qualification and a whole loads of other things - i'm sure there will be something he can access through this.

There might also be a number of local charities/organisations that run workshops and weekly groups that your son could join.

You could try contacting Care First yuor local adult social care line to enquire as to any services they may be aware of.

Your local CAB might be able to support you around finances

I wonder if your son might be able to access something through Princes' trust - worth exploring maybe

EndlessStruggle

The best thing would be for you to make an appointment with your son to see a student guidance advisor/student support to discuss the financial situation as financial support is generally at the discretion of the college especially with 19+ learners. They have a "fund" they can use to help learners with fees, travel, food (whilst in college) and stationary. They can also point you in other directions for help.

Dunroamin

Your son should be able to get this course funded as he doesn't already have a level 2 qualification but there are no funds to replace the child benefit/child tax credits you will lose.