Universal Credit - Money reduced because child in education.

poppy12345

sparkyuiop said:

My son has APT (auditory processing disorder) but we did not know until his school work started to slip. After several paediatrician opinions we finally found out he had APD and he was provided with special audio equipment that helps him hear his tutors. This did put him behind in secondary school but fortunately though he caught up with his school work when he got the device. He still continues to use it even in college. I'm not sure it is a qualifying disability and to be honest it isn't an issue now as long as he remembers to take the thing with him!

There's no such thing now as a "qualifying disability" the disabled register no longer exists.

As it no longer causes him any issues then that can only be a good thing.

I have to agree with others here that looking for part time work maybe his only option. Students do work as well as study. When my daughter was a student she was working 35 hours per week at the same time because she had no other option, if she didn't, then she simply couldn't live and pay her bills.

I know when our benefits stop for our "children" it's a shock to the system but they can't continue for ever.

Spoonie_Turtle

yksi said:

As a responsible adult he should be helping to support himself. Choosing to study but not apply for the funding you mentioned earlier is his choice. 

What funding? Genuine question; I reread the thread to see what I'd missed but I still can't find what you're referring to.

Atlas234

Spoonie_Turtle said:

yksi said:

As a responsible adult he should be helping to support himself. Choosing to study but not apply for the funding you mentioned earlier is his choice. 

What funding? Genuine question; I reread the thread to see what I'd missed but I still can't find what you're referring to.

I think people are referring to this part of the original post relating to student finance:

'' The other option we have been told is to have him apply for student finance. However it it his plan to go straight to Uni and he doesn't want to do that until then which I personally think is fair and should be his choice.'' 

Spoonie_Turtle

Atlas234 said:

Spoonie_Turtle said:

yksi said:

As a responsible adult he should be helping to support himself. Choosing to study but not apply for the funding you mentioned earlier is his choice. 

What funding? Genuine question; I reread the thread to see what I'd missed but I still can't find what you're referring to.

I think people are referring to this part of the original post relating to student finance:

'' The other option we have been told is to have him apply for student finance. However it it his plan to go straight to Uni and he doesn't want to do that until then which I personally think is fair and should be his choice.'' 

Oh! Thanks for that, I'd completely missed it in the wall of text. In that case it's a different situation from what I thought - if he's eligible for student finance then that *is* the provision.

(Of course there's still an argument that 12 hrs of teaching time is not full-time education, but if he really is eligible for student finance then it's irrelevant anyway.)

yksi

Indeed, I had to read it several times to see it myself. Here's the crux of it, if a parent lovingly pats their child on the head and says, "Don't worry about applying for the things you might be entitled to, darling, you can save them for later," then they are accepting financial responsibility for supporting this adult child and really shouldn't then be upset that there isn't an alternative benefit handed to them.

The benefits system, which I'm the first to admit is shambolic and inadequate, really shouldn't be expected to be seen as a gift for people who would like to save an entitlement for later.

Consider also what working teaches a child. I've seen it myself; my own kid of a not dissimilar age spent all his time in his bedroom playing video games and creating code. He was dragged kicking and screaming to come and live with Mummy, I ordered him to find a job to help support himself, and even though he needed a lot of help to actually land that job, he grew up a heck of a lot in a few short months. Not to mention he loved actually working, having his own means of support, being part of a team, having people depend on him, even the simple acts of having his uniform ready for work, getting up on time, packing his own lunch. He learned to talk to adults as an adult. It was honestly invaluable and you cannot teach these things by just talking to your kid. He still keeps in contact with his old workmates, actually seeks out new friendships and acquaintances who might be useful at university and for a future career, and he now has a completely different outlook on life and managing his own personal finances. Isn't this what we should want for our kids - to create self-sufficient adults?

calcotti

Not my area of knowledge but I'm not sure student finance is available for those studying level 3 BTec.

KatrinaWaves

calcotti said:

Not my area of knowledge but I'm not sure student finance is available for those studying level 3 BTec.

Yeah it appears to be the equivalent of one A Level, so something which would be done alongside other things 'typically' between 16-18, so not full time I wouldnt have thought for 19, nor advanced enough for SF? Its not a typical path. The LD may have changed things but the OP in the first post doesnt seem to describe a child who is struggling so, Im not sure. 

_TinRibs_

Now, what was I doing when I was 19.

I was on my way for an 18 month single mans draft to HMS Rooke in Gibraltar. Well before the border was open - great draft.

Previous to this, I had served on 2 ships. HMS Cygnet, HMS Sheffield (sunk in the Falklands). I had done two tours of Northen Ireland (HMS Cygnet was one of the NI patrol ships). Because of the tours, I had bagged myself my first General Service Medal (GSM).

The bloke needs to get a job!

sparkyuiop

yksi said:

Some people are viewing it as a gap in the system - other people have hinted the part you don't want to see. Yes, it's a tough time for finding work right now and is certainly not as simple as "the jobs are out there if you want to work". But your son is an adult and you are treating him like a helpless child. As a responsible adult he should be helping to support himself. Choosing to study but not apply for the funding you mentioned earlier is his choice. And it is utterly ridiculous to suggest that someone with a 12 hour study load can't get a part-time job. I work with people your son's age who put in two full days each week and still manage to attend university. A simple rule is one hour study for each hour of study load, so that's 25 hours a week. It's normal for adults to work 40 hours a week and this is what working parents are (unintentionally) modelling for their kids - which is unfortunately, through no fault of your own, not something that your son is learning from his parents. But that doesn't mean you can't guide him in what is expected of us all in a society, and you certainly should.

Be the parent here and remind him that he's an adult now and that he is required to contribute to his own upkeep. You are doing your son a disservice by allowing him to remain oblivious like a small child. If you think he can't manage to work, say, 15 hours per week, do you also still cut the crusts off his sandwiches? Explain that your family is in severe financial difficulty and that you need his help here - he is a member of the household and is certainly capable of trying to pull his weight. I am perplexed that you'd rather fall behind on bills than insist that he apply for whatever grants or loans he can manage to get. That's what they are there for! If he doesn't want to do that then simply ask how he will pay his way and offer your help in preparing a CV and driving him to job interviews.

My son is looking and available for work and has no problem with that. What I have an issue with is that they will not help feed him when his family lives on Universal Credit. They also won't assist him to get a job or give him a work coach.
As for him not knowing his parents to work, I ran my own computer business until I was 44 so you're wrong about that. In fact your comments make me angry because you really have no idea about our lives at all. Also you have totally missed the point of this anyway. Thanks for your comments but that'll do please.

sparkyuiop

Spoonie_Turtle said:

yksi said:

As a responsible adult he should be helping to support himself. Choosing to study but not apply for the funding you mentioned earlier is his choice. 

What funding? Genuine question; I reread the thread to see what I'd missed but I still can't find what you're referring to.

Actually Spoonie Turtle we just found out he isn't entitled to student finance yet anyway so you're right, it seems there is no funding whatsoever.