Single parent student suspended studies benefits

Time_to_face_the_music

Can anyone help me with a complex situation please?

My daughter is a full time 3rd year university student who had to suspend her studies in January this year. She hopes to return to university in December this year and resit December exams then.

As a single parent, she has always been entitled to normal student finance and then to claim JSA during university summer breaks, she always tried to find a summer placement but all were unpaid and with her travel and childcare costs, she could never manage to take one.

Her last student finance was paid in January and has now run out and she assumed she would be able to claim JSA from the date of what would have been her next student finance. After several weeks back and forth, she has been told today that she has no entitlement to any benefit whatsoever and she is expected to find employment or make claims for food from the food bank.

She has been applying for literally every single job we have seen since January but is being told she is either overqualified or does not have a degree. Her only entitlement at present is for child benefit. She has received 3 emergency gas and electric payments and has now been told that this is the limit. She did go to the food bank today but ended up crying and saying that other people needed it more than her and walked away, I think there was a modicum of pride there as she saw someone she knew. We are currently buying their food, toiletries etc.

She is trying to make a CAB appointment and also one with the welfare officer at her university but I don’t know if they will be able to do anything. She is very willing to take ANY job but just does not seem to be able to get anything. Does anyone know if she is actually entitled to anything or if there is anything else she can claim?

Thanks very much for your help

TTFTM x

brendon

Unfortunately, from my short reading of the legislation, it seems you are only allowed to claim JSA if you suspend to be a carer or for illness. Being a parent is not included.

However, in this document, it says:

Students who have suspended their studies are not eligible for payments
from the Access to Learning Fund while in receipt of JSA.

This would suggest to me that an application to the Access to Learning Fund would be a wise move, and you should be entitled to it (but the university ultimately has discretion over it). Students with children are a priority group, and having your studies suspended doesn't exclude you from it.

It also mentions that Student Finance England has discretionary powers to provide financial support to those who have suspended studies. Have you asked whether they will use this discretion to release the final loan or grant?

greenorange

I did exactly the same as your daughter last year. Suspended in January in my 3rd year. I received my student finance in January also. Unfortunately like your daughter, I was not eligible for JSA or Student Finance. In fact, as I suspended in January and also received a student finance payment in January, I received a letter a while later saying I must pay back my January student finance payments.

I moved back in with my parents, and started looking for work, taking any job that I could get.

I'm not sure if the rules are different for single parents, however I'd submit an application for JSA and see what happens.

Edit: Here's an informative PDF regarding suspended students by Nottingham University. http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/studentservices/documents/suspended.pdf