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Julia, rather than going to the Jobcentre I would advise your daughter to go to your local CAB, they should be able to sort this out for her. My feeling is she has been wrongly advised by the Jobcentre staff - they only deal with those in work or seeking work (ask them about anything else and they'll more than likely just give out the relevant phone number or tell you 'they don't know') and as she is so far along in her pregancy she will be classed as unable to work as far as the jobcentre staff are concerned so they won't be interested. Tbh she'll probably be wasting her time going there.

I agree with her health visitor's way of thinking - because she lives with you and has no utility bills etc to pay then no, she wouldn't get the full rate of Income Support, but given her financial circumstances and her pregnancy she should be entitled to something for herself. She can also apply for a maternity grant, she can do this from the 11th week before the birth up to three months after, the form she needs is an SF100.

Please tell your daughter to go asap to the CAB, taking with her the letter from the midwife and any evidence of loans, debts, etc. Our local CAB has had great success in getting benefits for people who had thought, or had been told, that they weren't entitled to them, so hopefully your local one should be able to do the same for your daughter - sometimes a push from an organisation like that is all it needs.

Thanks for all your help and support everyone, we will certainly follow all your suggestions up next week and book an appointment with the CAB. Our daughter is also looking into the legalities of what they are saying, and especially the rights of an unborn child, as in by with holding benefits, they are depriving the mother (herself) of the means to buy and eat a healthy diet, which may in turn have an effect on her unborn child. (ok, in reality, bank of Mum and Dad sees that shes fed and watered daily) she may include this in any legal proceedings she may take against them for witholding the money that is due to her, and she has a law degree up her sleeve, and free advise from her old lecturers, themselves qualified solicitors and barristers, to advise her, who have become friends over the three years they taught her at uni.

We have been lucky in that her sister also had a baby girl last March, so a few sets of babyclothes have been passed down already, but we have also bought some new stuff from Asda, and raided morrisons when their baby event was on and managed to get most of the feeding tackle, sterilizer, breast pump ect for half price, as well as some nappies. She wanted a new travel system, and got a special deal from Mothercare, pram type body for a winter baby, pushchair, cosy toes, parasol, raincover, mattress, and car seat for just over £300, reduced from £550, but her Dads bought her that as a present, the rest of her baby stuff has either come from the baby's Dad, or has been donated by friends.

Sadly, the other set of grandparents havent offered any financial support towards babystuff whatsoever, despite them having good well paid jobs, and no young family of their own, which I feel is very sad, they simply couldnt care less about this new arrival, they are more into their four large dogs, who they allow to roam the house whilst there out at work in the day and foul everywhere, rather than house train them, hardly the environment for a new baby anyway.

Julia

Quote: Originally posted by romany on 23/11/2012

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Yes Chris she is,she was to young to soon and I'm really trying to bite back I told you so

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Soooo hard!

Quote: Originally posted by romany girl on 24/11/2012

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Her health visitor thinks its because she is living with relatives, and is not paying any utility bills of her own,she may not be entitled to the full rate of income support she is asking for, but if thats the case, how is she supposed to feed herself?

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Afaik, she should be entitled to IS from 11 weeks before the expected arrival date of the baby. Living with family makes no difference to the amount she will get, only living with a partner.

She should be entitled to £71 pw if she's over 25, £55-something if she's younger. If she was turned down because she had more than 11 weeks to go, she should reapply asap so that she can apply for a Sure Start maternity grant (£500), which she can't get until she is getting income support.

As soon as the baby is born, she will be entitled to child benefit and child tax credit. Once she has child benefit in place, she can apply for "healthy start" vouchers for milk, fruit, veg etc.

If you are getting housing benefit, and she is over 25, they will deduct £11.45 a week from your housing benefit in respect of her contribution, and a smaller amount (about £3.50) from your council tax benefit.

Thanks for that Fran, I suppose that we are lucky in that we own our home outright after paying many years of morgauge, so we dont get any help with housing benefit or council tax, as our pension takes us just above the threshold for claiming.

She has now made an appointment to see a welfare worker who deals with benefit claims at our local Right Start family centre, as it would be a 2 week min wait to get an appointment at our branch of CAB, which she has also signed up for. The same worker may be able to help her with the security deposits for renting a house of her own next year, and push for any other grants towards setting up a home of her own that may be available. This referal has come via her health visitor, ho rang her early this morning, who said this would probably be the best people to help deal with her claim appeal as they are more geared to dealing with single parents and young families benefit claims, where as CAB are more generalised in their knowledge. 

As to coming off Jobseekers allowance, she was over her 29week deadline and into her 30th week when the claim for income support went in, so claiming too early was not a factor in this case. The only slight delay in claiming was due to her midwife being on annual leave at the time, so her first Mat.B1 form was late being sent off by about 10 days.

Julia  

Well to be honest she had known the father as a friend for about 6 years since they were school leavers at the same college, but they then went their separate ways to different universities, and only met up again last spring when a mutual friend was throwing a graduation party to celebrate the end of their uni course which ended in January, the same time as the baby's Dad, whilst our daughter was graduating in July. Anyway, a few too many drinks, and the deed was done. TBH, I think they were both shocked when they found out she was pregnant, especially since the consultant at the hospital had told her that it was highly unlikely she would be able to have children due to being diagnosed with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome.

They were not 'an item' as such at this time, but hes continued to come down at weekends to visit, and they are still very good old friends, but I wouldnt say they are lovers, and although he has bought things for the baby, such as a moses basket and stand, I cant help but feel hes not going to be the type that will be a 'hands on Dad' once the baby is born, He still very much values his freedom and Lads nights out, and the fact that they both live over 40 miles apart doesnt exactly help matters either. Hes working part time, so no doubt once the baby arrives he will have to contribute something towards her keep, either voluntary, or via the CSA.

On a more positive note though, the benefits people have now decided (after the welfare worker got involved) that indeed she is entitled to income support and will be paid just over £50 a week until the baby is born, and then it will be increased to include the child component as well. The same worker has also started to help her find a home of her own and is applying to the housing associations with letters of support due to the disruption a young baby will bring, due to my disabilies and the fact that my OH is now in his 70s and needs a good nights undisturbed sleep, plus the fact that its more hard work for him having to clean and tidy up after madam all the time as shes still living in 'uni halls mode' and now expects all her laundry and ironing doing as well as full hotel services, due to having backache from being pregnant! .

Julia  

Well OH and myself both agree that when the baby arrives shes going to have a very rude awakening indeed. No more lazing in bed until lunchtime, and leaving streams of dirty washing laying around on the floor waiting to be picked up and processed for her. This morning I took my pick-stick up into the bathroom, and sat on the side of the bath and chucked into a basket all her dirty clothes and towels that were cluttering it up to a point that I was trampling on it in the night when I needed the loo. I dont know why shes just so untidy, we aim to keep the rest of the house to a high degree of cleanliness and tidiness, but out of our five daughters, her and her youngest sister have been the worst. Ironically though, since her youngest sister has married and got a family and home of her own, she had turned tails and become very houseproud herself.

Once she has left home this time though, she knows its for good, with no returns possible. The room that she is occupying now is going to be totally refubished as a bolt hole for my elderly Dad, should the need arise, as we have promised him that if the time should come where he was unable to live alone, (his wife is in the early stages of dementia) we would not put him into residential care, but hire in help to look after him whilst he stayed living with us.

Julia