Compliance ...new baby!

hips12

Hi I wonder if anyone can advise on this please?
My daughter has received a Compliance Interview letter from the local Jobcentre and we are wondering if this is because she has recently had a baby?
My daughter lives with me as my Carer so even with my new grandson she is able to fulfil her 35 hours caring for me.
Last year she gave up her council property to move in with me with her 9 year old son , she had no idea she was pregnant at that time..certainly had no plans to have any more children.
Her partner lives 20 miles away and they see each other at weekends.
He does not support her as he has a daughter from his marriage and can barely keep the roof over his head despite working full time ( his wife wanted the separation 5 years ago but neither of them can afford the divorce costs so are still officially married )
They have talked about being together as a family, in the future, and when he is divorced, but that is a long way off.
My daughter is not a !!!!less single mum scrounger..she tried looking for work but couldn't find anything within school hours and it was the DWP themselves who suggested she become my carer...and there is almost 10 years between her 2 children.
She has not done anything wrong as far as we can see.
Her partner has his own flat and they can check his rent payments, workplace, bank etc and find everything above board at his own address.
Are we being paranoid and it is just a review because of the new baby?

Thanks for your help
Hips

bloolagoon

It's not a regular check normally if it says compliance. What exactly does the letter say?

merlin68

Its not really so much about him supporting her, but whether they are seen as a couple by the dwp. They look at all sorts of things, not just bills.

pmlindyloo

hips12 wrote: »

Hi I wonder if anyone can advise on this please?
My daughter has received a Compliance Interview letter from the local Jobcentre and we are wondering if this is because she has recently had a baby?
My daughter lives with me as my Carer so even with my new grandson she is able to fulfil her 35 hours caring for me.
Last year she gave up her council property to move in with me with her 9 year old son , she had no idea she was pregnant at that time..certainly had no plans to have any more children.
Her partner lives 20 miles away and they see each other at weekends.
He does not support her as he has a daughter from his marriage and can barely keep the roof over his head despite working full time ( his wife wanted the separation 5 years ago but neither of them can afford the divorce costs so are still officially married )
They have talked about being together as a family, in the future, and when he is divorced, but that is a long way off.
My daughter is not a !!!!less single mum scrounger..she tried looking for work but couldn't find anything within school hours and it was the DWP themselves who suggested she become my carer...and there is almost 10 years between her 2 children.
She has not done anything wrong as far as we can see.
Her partner has his own flat and they can check his rent payments, workplace, bank etc and find everything above board at his own address.
Are we being paranoid and it is just a review because of the new baby?

Thanks for your help
Hips

If she has done nothing wrong then there is nothing to worry about.

If she is receiving the correct benefits - CA, IS, CB and CTC then it may be to do with their suspecting that she is living with a partner.

Certainly (and I do not mean to be judgemental) it would be usual to presume that a new baby would generally mean that she had a partner who was living with her. Sorry, I know people have different life styles.

If it is about this then she will have to prove that they are not 'living together as man and wife.'

There are some links which discuss how this is viewed so will try and find them.

hips12

bloolagoon wrote: »

It's not a regular check normally if it says compliance. What exactly does the letter say?

Hi
It says

Notification of Local Service Compliance Office Interview

An office interview has been arranged.
We would like you to attend an interview at ....on ....(date and time)
Then a section on what she needs to take to the interview..passport, bank statements etc.

When you claimed benefit you agreed to tell us immediately if the circumstances relating to your benefit changed.
(Which obviously she did do straightaway which is why her child benefit and tax credits increased )

That's it basically, just what happens if she doesn't attend or has been overpaid etc.

Hips

pmlindyloo

http://www.advicenow.org.uk/living-together/money/benefits-and-livingtogether-html,177,FP.html

pmlindyloo

And tax credits:

http://www.revenuebenefits.org.uk/tax-credits/guidance/how-do-tax-credits-work/understanding-living-together/#Living together as husband and wife or civil partners

hips12

merlin68 wrote: »

Its not really so much about him supporting her, but whether they are seen as a couple by the dwp. They look at all sorts of things, not just bills.

As she lives with me in my house, I pay all the bills, the only thing in her name is Virgin Media because they offered us a deal when she closed her account and she moved in here with me.

I have just added her onto the Electoral Role as she missed it last time round as she has only been here for 10 months.
She also is registered on my Motobility and insured with them as I cannot drive.
If she lived with her partner she would not be able to do this as he lives 20 miles away so she would not be within the 5 miles allowed by Motobility.
She is also named on my Housing Benefit claim.

Thanks
Hips

bloolagoon

hips12 wrote: »

As she lives with me in my house, I pay all the bills, the only thing in her name is Virgin Media because they offered us a deal when she closed her account and she moved in here with me.

I have just added her onto the Electoral Role as she missed it last time round as she has only been here for 10 months.
She also is registered on my Motobility and insured with them as I cannot drive.
If she lived with her partner she would not be able to do this as he lives 20 miles away so she would not be within the 5 miles allowed by Motobility.
She is also named on my Housing Benefit claim.

Thanks
Hips

Do they have any joint finances? It's normally a data matching exercise that creates this problem.

Has she got her CSA confirmation and proof of him paying maintenenance. Could the father be trying to claim for the child?

You can be a couple and live apart - similarly you can live in the same house and be considered single.

I know a patient of mine triggered compliance by opening up a joint savings account in the name of the child with both parents being named as trustees. Easily sorted out but showed the reason for the compliance trigger. Can you think of a reason?

rogerblack

Making assumptions.
Assuming your daughter has changed her name, and things haven't been tracked as well as they should have.

It's possible they believe you may be in a relationship with an unrelated to you female.
This would trigger various things as in many cases they must be informed.

However, if this is the case, her relationship to you is a simple and concrete defense against that that they can't ignore.

pmlindyloo

bloolagoon wrote: »

Do they have any joint finances? It's normally a data matching exercise that creates this problem.

Has she got her CSA confirmation and proof of him paying maintenenance. Could the father be trying to claim for the child?

You can be a couple and live apart - similarly you can live in the same house and be considered single.

I know a patient of mine triggered compliance by opening up a joint savings account in the name of the child with both parents being named as trustees. Easily sorted out but showed the reason for the compliance trigger. Can you think of a reason?

I agree that is often a data matching exercise which is why they would have been alerted when she claimed for a second child with tax credits and CB.