Gingerbread - Advice Sessions

GingerbreadLucy:	Q : Helen: I spoke to Gingerbread about proposed benefit changes, as I'm a self employed single parent (an artist and illustrator) and have still spent the entire Easter holidays absolutely terrified about the low income floor threshold, as I only earn small amounts of income, only enough to cover my overheads, not enough (yet) to be able to manage without the support of WTC etc. The lady I spoke to reassured me that I won't be affected, but I'm still worried that the current government will force me onto workfare and ruin my emerging career. Reassure me further that I will be able to keep developing my business without any loss of income support that I rely on? A : Hi Helen, I am not sure whether you are currently on working tax credit (if you are working 16 or more hours a week) or income support (if you are working less than16 hours a week) as you have mentioned both in your query. Either way, your actual income from self-employment is taken into account when working out your entitlement to working tax credit or income support. So you will not lose any income support (if you are in receipt of this) or working tax credit (if you are getting this instead). However, over the course of the next few years, everyone who is currently in receipt of income support or certain other means-tested benefits, child tax credit and/or working tax credit will need to make a claim for universal credit instead. You will be contacted by letter to let you know when the change will affect you, which is likely to be at some point between April 2014 and October 2017. Under universal credit, self-employed people will be treated as earning a certain level of income called the ‘minimum income floor’. If they earn less than this, the amount of income taken into account when calculating universal credit will be more than a self-employed person is actually earning. This will not apply for the first 12 month ‘start-up’ period of self-employment, providing someone is trying to increase their earnings. If someone has been self-employed for less than 12 months at the point they first claim universal credit, they will have 12 months from the date they claim universal credit before the ‘minimum income floor’ will apply. The amount of the ‘minimum income floor’ will not be the same for everyone. It will be the national minimum wage multiplied by the number of hours you are expected to be available for work according to your individual circumstances. There is likely to be further guidance on this in relation to single parents later on.
GingerbreadLucy:	Q : Emma: I'm an unemployed single mum of an almost three year old. I receive income support, child tax credits and child benefit. Will I be affected by the changes? A : Hi Emma, your income support and child tax credits will eventually be replaced by universal credit. This is a new benefit which will replace many existing benefits such as income support, child tax credit and housing benefit. It will be paid to you as one monthly payment into your bank account. The Department for Work and Pensions will let you know when this change will happen. From current information, it is expected that the change to universal credit won’t affect single parents until April 2014 and the switchover is expected to last until 2017. They should contact you at least three months before you are due to switch to universal credit so that you have time to prepare for the change. You may find our universal credit pages on our website useful to look at and when more information becomes available it will updated here: http://www.gingerbread.org.uk/content/912/Universal-credit If you are currently in social housing, and you are deemed to have a ‘spare’ bedroom, you may be subject to the ‘bedroom tax’. You can find out if you’re affected here: http://www.gingerbread.org.uk/content/980/The-bedroom-tax To find out if and when you will be affected by the benefit cap you may find our pages on this useful http://www.gingerbread.org.uk/content/960/The-benefit-cap or you can call our Single Parent Helpline on 0808 802 0925 to a specialist adviser about these issues.
GingerbreadLucy:	Q : Alison: Can the job centre false me to work long hours and a long distance from home i am a single parent and have 1 child 10 yrs old, who will be there for my son? A : Hi Alison, there are special rules for single parents on jobseekers allowance that can offer some flexibility due to your childcare responsibilities. Firstly, as you have a child under 16, you can request to restrict your availability to a minimum of 16 hours a week, depending on your situation. In addition, as you have a child under 13, you can limit your availability for work to school hours only, but this is only during term-time. When deciding how far it is reasonable for single parents to travel to work, your jobcentre adviser should take into account your health and your caring responsibilities. Your jobcentre plus adviser should take into account the time it takes to drop children off and pick them up from school or childcare. They can ask you to travel up to 1.5 hours each way to work. If they agree that there is no suitable childcare available before or after school, you should ask them to write this into your jobseeker’s agreement. The lack of childcare will then be taken into account when deciding your travel time and availability for work. You may find it useful to have a look through the Gingerbread factsheet ‘Single Parents and Jobseekers Allowance –special rules’ which you can find here: http://www.gingerbread.org.uk/factsheet/32/Single-parents-and-Jobseeker’s-Allowance-–-special-rules
GingerbreadLucy:	Q : Noosrat: what happens when my child reaches 16 years, do i have to inform the housing benefit office? child tax credit will be stoped? if i am to work overtime , this will effect my housing benefit? A : Hi Noosrat, If your child is staying in full-time non-advanced education or approved training after reaching 16, your child benefit and child tax credit will continue and there will be no change to your housing benefit. If your child will not be continuing in full-time non-advanced education or certain types of training after reaching 16, your child benefit and child tax credit would usually stop on the 31st August after his or her 16th birthday. Your housing benefit entitlement may also be affected, depending on your circumstances. You may be able to continue to receive child benefit and child tax credit for 20 weeks after he or she leaves education. This would apply if your child registers as available for work, education or training with the Careers Service and is not working for 24 or more hours a week. You would need to apply for this extension to the Child Benefit Office and Tax Credit Office within three months of your child leaving school. You need to contact the Child Benefit Office, Tax Credit Office and your local council to let them know when your child is 16, and to tell them if he or she will be continuing in education or approved training. The Child Benefit Office should write to you during the year when your child will reach 16, to ask you what your child's plans are. They should contact you between January and June. You don't need to reply to the letter until you know whether your child is staying on in education or training. Please see our online tool ‘When your child turns 16’ for further information, including about what counts as non-advanced education and approved training: http://www.gingerbread.org.uk/content/779/When-your-child-turns-16 If you were to work overtime, this will reduce your housing benefit due to the extra amount you would earn. You would need to let the housing benefit department at your local council know about the extra earnings from your overtime. Your housing benefit won’t be reduced pound for pound of your extra income. The amount of the reduction will depend on your individual circumstances. You can call the Gingerbread Single Parent Helpline on 0808 802 0925 for a calculation based on your particular circumstances.
GingerbreadLucy:	Q : Katherine: I am single mom I currently work 32 hours a week, my daughter is in full time child care. I receive working tax credit. I do not receive any other benefit i.e housing benefit.. How will the changes affect me? A : Hi Katherine, there are many changes happening to the benefits system over the next few years. Firstly, as you are receiving working tax credit and not getting any housing benefit, you will not be affected by either the ‘bedroom tax’ or the benefit cap. However, the introduction of universal credit will affect all those currently in receipt of benefits and tax credits and will replace your working tax credits and child tax credits. Once you are switched over to universal credit you will still be able to claim help with your childcare costs. A major change under universal credit is that you don’t need to work 16 hours a week to get help with your childcare costs, you can get help if you work any number of hours. You will still be able to claim up to 70% of your childcare costs up to a maximum of £175 per week for one child providing you are using registered childcare. Over the course of the new few years, everyone who is currently in receipt of income support or certain other means-tested benefits, child tax credit and/or working tax credit will need to make a claim for universal credit instead. According to the current information available, this shouldn’t start to affect single parents until April 2014. You will be contacted by letter to let you know when the change will affect you between April 2014 and October 2017. You may find it useful to look at the universal credit pages on our website, as this will be updated when we get any further information http://www.gingerbread.org.uk/content/912/Universal-credit
GingerbreadLucy:	Q : Marijka: I am a single mum, currently working 11 hours in employed work and 5 hours self employed. My self employed currently makes no profit as I have just started and also because people around here do not have a lot of money to spend so making it difficult. I am worried how the new universal credit will effect me, esp if my business still continues to be sporadic, will I be forced to look for employed work to bridge the gap for 16 hours ? I also find it difficult to get childcare round where i live, so I sometimes have to lose a days pay here and there during the holidays because of that. A : Hi Majrika, Universal credit is a new benefit system that will replace many of the benefits and tax credits that are available today. You will be contacted by letter to let you know when the change will affect you, which is likely to be at some point between April 2014 and October 2017. Under Universal credit self-employed people will be assumed to be earning a certain level of income called the ‘minimum income floor’. This means that for some self-employed people, the amount of income taken into account when calculating universal credit may be more than they are actually earning. This will not apply for the first 12 month start-up period of self-employment, as long as you are trying to increase your earnings. The ‘minimum income floor’ will be based on the number of hours you are expected to be working according to your individual circumstances (a maximum of 35 hours, but could be less depending on your caring responsibilities) multiplied by the national minimum wage. If your child is under five years old you will not have to look for extra work, but will have to attend regular interviews at the jobcentre. If your child is over five and you are working fewer hours than your circumstances allow you may be encouraged to increase your hours as single parents claiming jobseeker’s allowance are encouraged to now. There is likely to be further guidance in relation to single parents later on.
GingerbreadLucy:	Q : Cassie: I am a single parent who works under 16hrs. I have to pay my daughters childcare fees every month which is more than my wages. When the beneifits system changes will I be entitled to working tax credits ? I also live in a private accomadation which is just above the cap. My lanlord currently recieves his rent via his bank account. When the system changes will that arrangement stay the same or will I have to pay him. I am really worried about being able to pay my rent once the cap comes into my area as my landlord is not very understanding. A : Hi Cassie, a major change under universal credit is that you don’t need to work 16 hours a week to get help with your childcare costs, you can get help if you work any number of hours. You can claim up to 70% of your childcare costs up to a maximum of £175 per week for one child or £300 per week for two or more children providing you are using registered childcare. Universal credit will replace many of the benefits you currently receive such as housing benefit, child tax credit, jobseekers allowance or income support. Instead of these benefits being paid separately to you or your landlord you will be paid one monthly payment of universal credit. You will then have to pay the rent to your landlord. The benefit cap is different to universal credit. It is the maximum amount of benefits that people of working age can receive if they are either not working, or are working less than 16 hours a week. For single parent families the cap is set at £500 a week. If you are receiving more than £500 a week benefits in total, your housing benefit will be reduced by the amount you receive over £500. You can use the Gingerbread interactive guide to find out if you will be affected by the cap: http://www.gingerbread.org.uk/content.aspx?CategoryID=952.
GingerbreadLucy:	Q : Johanns: Will i get less child tax credit and working tax credit if i work full time at 55 a day with 2 children who ate 12 & 16 A : Hi Johanns, unfortunately you have not provided enough information for us to say if you will get less child tax credit and working tax credit. This is because tax credits are based on the number of hours you work, the amount you earn and any childcare costs you have. Childcare costs can also affect your housing benefit, if you receive this. It can be complex to understand so if you would like to discuss whether you would be financially better or worse off by increasing your hours you can call the Gingerbread Single Parent Helpline free on 0808 802 0925 for a tax credit calculation.
GingerbreadLucy:	Q : Sara: I am 47 work 17.5 hrs a week, have a daughter who is 18 lives at home and works 7 contractual hours. i also have a 17 year old daughter who is at college. I have had my child tax credits and working tax credits reduced, my family allowance reduced and also so my housing and council tax benefit benefit. the council tax is obviously because my daughter is now 18. I am struggling to live on money i earn as it goes straight on my council tax and my rent. Are there any other benefits i can claim or any that my 18 year old can claim? A : Hi Sara, if your eldest daughter is 18 and no longer in full time education, then they are now classed as a an independent adult and you are right that you can no longer receive child benefit for them and your tax credits are also reduced because of this. However, if she is only working 7 hours a week, she may be able to claim jobseekers allowance in her own right at your local jobcentre. She should do this as soon as possible. In terms of your housing benefit, the fact your daughter is now 18 means that housing benefit now class her as a non-dependant. If she is on jobseekers allowance, there should be no reduction in the amount of housing benefit you get. Without exact details we are unable to advice on why they have reduced your housing benefit, so you may find calling the Gingerbread Single Parent Helpline useful as you can talk to an expert adviser to see what has happened with your claim. The rules around getting help with your council tax changed on 1 April. Now each council decides their own rules on how much help you can get. This means we are unable to advise if your council tax claim is correct. Your local council should be able to give you details of how they calculated your bill, or you can contact your local Citizens Advice Bureau to check your entitlement. You can find more information on the changes to council tax on our website here: http://www.gingerbread.org.uk/content/1831/Help-with-your-council-tax
GingerbreadLucy:	Q : Peter: Hi and thanks in advance, for any help you can give. I am a single dad of 2 girls 12 and 14. I was on Incapacity Benefit - high rate long term but thanks to ATOS, I am no longer on even DLA and dont claim their JSA because all I would get is £9.01p/w and that was taxable. I would still be expected to jump thru all their hoops and for the £'s it was not worth all the worry. I have a medical retirement pension (taxed) and get approx £800p/m. I get Industrial Disablement benefit of approx £200p/m I get the Child Benefit of £33p/w I get the single person council tax rebate too, along with the kids getting free school meals and also the school uniform allowance. and finally, I get Child Tax Credit of £400p/m. Please can you tell me if any of my benefits will be affected by the cts. Thanks again. Peter A : Hi Peter, If I understand correctly, you no longer get incapacity benefit or disability living allowance following decisions by the Department for Work and Pensions to stop these benefits. You have not said whether you have appealed against either or both of these decisions, but you do have the right to do so, within a month of the decision, if you think the decision is wrong. In some cases this one month time limit can be extended. If you would like further advice on your disability benefits, you may wish to contact Scope on 0808 800 33 33. With regards to your other benefits, the amount of child benefit remains frozen and there is only a very small increase in child tax credit this year. In terms of future changes, child tax credit is due to be replaced by a new benefit called universal credit in the future. You will be contacted by letter to let you know when the change will affect you, which is likely to be at some point between April 2014 and October 2017. You may not receive the same help from universal credit as you do now. This is because of the income from your medical retirement pension will be calculated differently under universal credit. However, if your current benefit entitlement is more than it is under universal credit there will be a period of time when you will get a payment to compensate for this. This is known as transitional protection and will last until the amount of universal credit you are entitled to is more than the amount of your previous benefits, or until your circumstances change, whichever is sooner. You can find more information about universal credit on our website www.gingerbread.org.uk/content/912/Universal-credit
GingerbreadLucy:	Q : Claire: Have the government made firm plans to implement a 'minimum income floor' for self employed single parents, and what level is it to be set at? What are the hours single parents are expected to work when self employed? How is it that single parents will be given one year to set up a new business and then be subject to a 'minimum income floor' when in reality businesses can take many years to establish? Then, we are told they will not be able to start one up again for a certain period of time. This is not fair on entrepreneurial single parents who may take years to get their businesses established, but are going to be stopped from even starting properly by this government. A : Hi Claire. The government has decided that when working out the amount of universal credit self-employed people will be entitled to, they will be treated as earning a certain level of income called the ‘minimum income floor’. This may mean that for some self-employed people the amount of income taken into account when calculating universal credit may be more than they are actually earning. The ‘minimum income floor’ will be based on the number of hours the jobcentre decides you should be available for work (which will be a maximum of 35 hours a week but could be less depending on your caring responsibilities) multiplied by the national minimum wage. This will not apply for the first 12 month ‘start-up’ period of self-employment, providing someone is taking active steps to increase their earnings. If someone has been self-employed for less than 12 months at the point they first claim universal credit, then they will have 12 months from the date that they claim universal credit before the ‘minimum income floor’ will apply. The ‘minimum income floor’ won’t affect you whilst claiming working tax credit but over the course of the new few years, everyone who is currently in receipt of certain means-tested benefits, child tax credit and/or working tax credit will need to make a claim for universal credit instead. You will be contacted by letter to let you know when the change will affect you, which is likely to be at some point between April 2014 and October 2017. We understand that this may make it more difficult for single parents who are trying to start up a business, but cannot answer why the government has decided to take this approach with the new universal credit.
GingerbreadLucy:	Q : Jenifer: I am a self-employed childminder. I work 24 hours a week and term time only. Last tax year I received £2600.00. Am told that the "MINIMUM INCOME FLOOR" is going to hugely affect my benefits. I do not receive housing benefit as I have a mortgage but am very afraid as to what will happen to me and my three children's finances now. A : Hi Jennifer. The ‘minimum income floor’ is something which will affect self-employed people who are claiming universal credit and not people who are claiming current benefits and tax credits. However, everyone who is currently getting certain means-tested benefits, child tax credit and/or working tax credit will need to make a claim for universal credit instead at some point in the future. You will be contacted by letter to let you know when the change will affect you, which is likely to be at some point between April 2014 and October 2017. When you are claiming universal credit, rather than the government working out your entitlement based on your actual income, they will treat you as earning a certain level of income, which is the ‘minimum income floor’. This is based on the amount of hours the jobcentre decides you should be available for work (which will be a maximum of 35 hours a week but could be less depending on your caring responsibilities) multiplied by the national minimum wage. Unfortunately if this is more than what you are currently earning, they will treat this as your income rather than your actual earnings, which may mean you get less financial help.
GingerbreadLucy:	Q : Luisa: I am a single mum to a little boy of 4,my little boy is allways ill,now that is at school i was thinking that maybe i could find a school hours job but i cant compromise with that,i need to be contactable at all times in case i need the school calls for me to pick him up cos he dindt feel well,my son is ill every week been in and out of doctors for nearly 3 years,i called the job center and they said i have to apply for a desability allowance,i know my son is allways ill and i cant compromise with work but is there any helps for me and my son where i dont have to put him as disabled so i became his carer? if this is what i have to do well i will do it but i want some advice first about other options if any? A : Hi Luisa, I’m sorry to hear that your son is always ill. Whilst your son is under five, you can claim income support and don’t have to be available for work. Once he turns five, you will not be able to continue to claim income support on the grounds of being a single parent. You will only be able to claim income support on the grounds of being a carer for an ill or disabled child if you do decide to apply for disability living allowance for him. You can claim income support as a carer whilst waiting for a decision on a claim for disability living allowance. Once a decision is made, if you get the middle or higher rate of the care component of disability living allowance for your son, you will be able to continue to claim income support as a carer and will also be able to claim carer’s allowance. You would not have to be available for work. If you would rather not claim disability living allowance for your son, then you will only have the option of claiming jobseeker’s allowance whilst you are not working. They should take into account your caring responsibilities and your son’s particular needs due to illness when agreeing with you how many hours you should be available for work. However, you do still need to be available for and actively seeking work of at least 16 hours a week to qualify for jobseeker’s allowance. For further information about benefits for children with a health condition or disability and their parents, visit the Contact a Family website: http://www.cafamily.org.uk/know-your-rights/benefits-and-tax-credits/ You can also find information on their website about what support is available and what your rights are if you are thinking about working: http://www.cafamily.org.uk/know-your-rights/working/ Contact a Family is a registered charity that provides a wide range of information, advice and support to families with disabled children or children with any health condition.
GingerbreadLucy:	Q : Heather: I am a single mum with four children aged under 18. I live in a HA , How will the benefit cap affect me? A : Hi Heather, the benefit cap is due to start in April 2013 if you live in the London boroughs of Bromley, Croydon, Enfield, or Haringey. All other areas will start applying the cap during the summer of 2013. It is a maximum amount of benefits that people of working age who are not working, or working less than 16 hours a week can receive. For single parent families the cap is £500 a week. The benefit cap won’t apply to all families, it will depend on their circumstances. You are exempt from the benefit cap if you are entitled to working tax credits, or you work 16 hours a week or more, but do not get working tax credits because of you have a higher income. You will be exempt from the benefit cap if you are claiming the support component of employment and support allowance, industrial injuries benefit, attendance allowance or a war pension. You will also be exempt if either you or your child receives disability living allowance or the personal independence payment. You may find the information on the benefit cap on the Gingerbread website useful to look through http://www.gingerbread.org.uk/content/966/If-youre-affected as it has examples of how the benefit cap will work and also what you can do if you are affected by it. You can also call the Gingerbread Single Parent Helpline on 0808 802 0925 to speak to an adviser in more depth about your circumstance to see if you will be affected.

GingerbreadEmily:	Hi everyone! Welcome to today's session - we're now ready to begin so please post up your questions on Universal Credit for our expert advisers
GingerbreadEmily:	We've had quite a few questions in advance from single parents and so I'll start posting these up now for our advisers to answer
GingerbreadEmily:	Sarah has asked us: I work and I receive Child Tax Credits. It says the universal credit is replacing this. But when I read who is entitled to this new credit, it's for low income and not wroking families.
GingerbreadPolly:	Q : Sarah: I work and I receive Child Tax Credits. It says the universal credit is replacing this. But when I read who is entitled to this new credit, it's for low income and not wroking families. A : Hi Sarah, universal credit is the new benefit system which will replace many of the benefits and tax credits that are available today. It will be available to individuals and families who are either out of work or in work, depending on your income. At the moment there are separate benefits for different purposes, such as child tax credits which help meet the costs of raising a child, working tax credit for those in work and housing benefit to help with the costs of rent. Universal credit will be one single payment intended to meet the different types of costs for your specific circumstances. How much universal credit you will get depends on your income and circumstances. At the moment, the details of the new system are still being finalised. This means that we cannot yet calculate the impact this will have for each individual. When details are confirmed, Gingerbread will update the universal credit pages on our website here: http://www.gingerbread.org.uk/content/912/Universal-credit so keep checking this page for updates and details.
GingerbreadEmily:	And we have a question from Stasia asking: If there is any dispute with a part of UC eg JSA (equivalent) being suspended or someone moving from IS (equivalent) to JSA/ESA (equivalent), will all of UC stop or will aspects such CB & CTC equivalent continue?
GingerbreadPolly:	Q : Stasia: If there is any dispute with a part of UC eg JSA (equivalent) being suspended or someone moving from IS (equivalent) to JSA/ESA (equivalent), will all of UC stop or will aspects such CB & CTC equivalent continue? A : Hi Stasia, sanctions will not be applied to the whole universal credit award. It will only apply to the equivalent amount sanctioned under the current benefit system, so equivalent to jobseeker’s allowance or employment and support allowance’s basic personal allowance (£71 a week). You would continue to get the other aspects of universal credit. Hardship payments will be available for someone who is financially struggling. The amount of hardship payment is 60% of the amount that is reduced. Child benefit is not included in universal credit, so it will continue to be paid as it is now.
GingerbreadEmily:	Nadin has asked us: What is the universal credit?
GingerbreadPam:	Q : Nadin: What is the universal credit. A : Hi Nadin, universal credit is a new benefit system which will replace many of the benefits and tax credits that are available today. It will be available to people who are either out of work or in work depending on your income. At the moment you may get different benefits depending on your circumstances such as working tax credit or housing benefit. Universal credit will be one single benefit replace tax credits and a number of other benefits.The amount you get will depend on your specific circumstances. Universal credit will be paid as one monthly payment into your bank account. If you are currently receiving benefits you will be contacted about transferring over to universal credit at some point between October 2013 and 2017. The universal credit details have not yet been completely finalised so at the moment we cannot calculate the amount of universal credit each person might receive. The Gingerbread website will be updated as soon as we receive more details so please check our universal credit page regularly for further information: http://www.gingerbread.org.uk/content/912/Universal-credit
GingerbreadEmily:	We've also had a question from Rachel asking us: If someone is a lone parent with children under 12 how will it be determined if they are under-employed and will have to attend meetings at the job centre? Child Poverty Action Group are suggesting it is 35 hours per week at mimimum wage or equivalent but this doesn't fit with the requirement to work during school hours which is 30 hours, or current guidance which is 16 hours
GingerbreadPam:	Q : Rachel: If someone is a lone parent with children under 12 how will it be determined if they are under-employed and will have to attend meetings at the job centre? Child Poverty Action Group are suggesting it is 35 hours per week at mimimum wage or equivalent but this doesn't fit with the requirement to work during school hours which is 30 hours, or current guidance which is 16 hours A : Hi Rachel, Claimants without children are usually expected to work 35hours a week but if the claimant is responsible for a child under 13 they will be able to restrict the expected number of hours they have to look for work to their child’s normal school hours. This includes the time it takes the child to travel to and from school. This is the same as the current rules for single parents on jobseekers allowance. Single parents with a child under the age of five will not be expected to look for work. Hours can also be restricted to less than 35 per week if the claimant is single parent or a foster carer and that there are reasonable prospects of finding work within those hours. There is, however, no stipulation on the actual number of hours a single parent can restrict down to under universal credit. This will be dependent on the circumstances of the single parent and their childcare responsibilities and will be agreed with the jobcentre plus adviser.
GingerbreadEmily:	Gemma has asked us: I am a carer for my son who has profound learning disability, i am also trying to get back into work now that he is at school fulltime. How does the universal credit affect single parent carers and their need to return back to work?
GingerbreadEmily:	Hi JohnH, welcome to today's session
JohnH:	Thanks for advice on hours per week that single parents must work, I think there is some confusion out there which can lead to conflict with JCP adviser. Thanks again.
GingerbreadPolly:	Q : Gemma: I am a carer for my son who has profound learning disability, i am also trying to get back into work now that he is at school fulltime. How does the universal credit affect single parent carers and their need to return back to work? A : Hi Gemma, universal credit will replace a number of benefits that a single parent carer may currently be eligible for, depending on their circumstances, such as income support, housing benefit, child tax credit and working tax credit. Under the current rules, a single parent is able to claim working tax credit if they work for at least 16 hours a week. Under the new system, a single parent who wants to return to work will not have to work a certain number of hours to claim universal credit and won’t have to change from one benefit to another, which may make the transition into work easier. Also, it will be possible for single parents to claim help with registered childcare costs even if they work for less than 16 hours a week. This is likely to be particularly beneficial to single parents who want to start working just a few hours a week and who have a child who is not yet at school. Universal credit won’t replace carer’s allowance and so it will still be the case that if a single parent carer starts to earn more than £100 a week (after certain disregards) they will not be able to claim carer’s allowance. Universal credit will not replace child benefit or disability living allowance either. As all the details have not been completely finalised, at this stage we are not able to make calculations for individuals. We are therefore not able to say how it will affect individual single parents in terms of how much they will receive in different circumstances. When the details are confirmed, Gingerbread will update the universal credit pages on our website here: http://www.gingerbread.org.uk/content/912/Universal-credit so keep checking this page for updates and details.
GingerbreadEmily:	We have a question from Michelle asking: Do I still claim tax credits or is it getting replaced with universal credit? What action do I need to take? I am a single parent?
GingerbreadPolly:	Q : Candice: I am working 30 hours a week at the moment and receiveing tax credits. I receive no child maintenance and am struggling financially. I have looked into increasing my hours but after taking into account childcare and loss of tax credits it seems that I would eb financially worse off.....very depressing ! under Universal Credit how will I be affected? I feel stuck in a rut and unable to get myself out A : Hi Candice. If you would like to discuss whether you would be financially better or worse off by increasing your hours you can call the Gingerbread Single Parent Helpline free on 0808 802 0925 for a calculation under the current tax credit system. Universal credit will be replacing tax credits and will still include an amount for your childcare, however it is too early for us to calculate what you will be entitled to as the details are still being finalised. This means that we can’t say at the moment the impact that this will have for each individual. When details are confirmed, Gingerbread will update the universal credit pages on our website here: http://www.gingerbread.org.uk/content/912/Universal-credit so keep checking this page for updates and details.
GingerbreadPam:	Q : Michelle: Do I still claim tax credits or is it getting replaced with universal credit? What action do I need to take? I am a single parent? A : Hi Michelle, tax credits are being replaced with universal credit. You will still receive tax credits until you are asked to claim universal credit instead. It is expected that the single parents will be moved over to universal credit from April 2014 if they have certain changes of circumstances, such as starting or stopping work or having a first child. It is not clear who will be affected from April 2014 but it is expected that everyone else will be moved over at some point between October 2014 and October 2017. You should be contacted by letter to let you when the change will affect you. The plan is to give you three months to get ready for the switch to universal credit. So you don’t need to do anything until you are contacted about the change.
GingerbreadEmily:	Emma has asked: what will universal credit do to us mums who work 12 hrs and who are still entitled to all there benefits??
GingerbreadPolly:	Q : Emma: what will universal credit do to us mums who work 12 hrs and who are still entitled to all there benefits?? A : Hi Emma, at some point between April 2014 and October 2017 single parents will be moved on to universal credit which will replace most of the benefits you may receive. If the amount of benefits you currently receive is more than the amount of universal credit you would be entitled to you will receive a payment known as transitional protection. This will top up your universal credit until such time as the amount of universal credit you are entitled to reaches the level of your previous benefit entitlement. This payment will not apply following a break in the claim or a specified change of circumstance. If you are working 12 hours and your child is under five years old you will not have to look for extra work but will have to attend regular interviews at the jobcentre, as single parents receiving income support now have to. If you child is over five and you are working less hours than your circumstances allow then you may be encouraged to increase your hours in much the same way as single parents claiming jobseekers allowance are encouraged to do so now.
GingerbreadEmily:	Hayley has asked: i am a single parent of a 6yo child and have recently gone back to work. i earn 9k at what works out over the year to 16hrs per week, pay no childcare at this point and am not entitled to any HB or Council tax benefit (that came as a shock as i was told i would be) but receive ctc and wtc. how much will i get under universal credit? i get aprox. £190pw tax credits - will it be more or less? i can find no information. thank you.
GingerbreadPam:	Q : Hayley: i am a single parent of a 6yo child and have recently gone back to work. i earn 9k at what works out over the year to 16hrs per week, pay no childcare at this point and am not entitled to any HB or Council tax benefit (that came as a shock as i was told i would be) but receive ctc and wtc. how much will i get under universal credit? i get aprox. £190pw tax credits - will it be more or less? i can find no information. thank you. A : Hi Hayley: Universal credit will be one payment to cover the costs of your specific circumstances. At this stage it is too early for us to calculate what you will be entitled to as the details are still being finalised. This means that we can’t say the impact that this will have for each individual. When the details are confirmed Gingerbread will update the Universal credit pages on our website:http://www.gingerbread.org.uk/content/912/Universal-credit. So keep checking the website for updates and details. In the meantime, you may wish to contact the Gingerbread Single Parent Helpline on 0808 802 0925 where you can speak to an adviser to check your tax credit and benefit entitlements.
GingerbreadEmily:	And lastly Stephen has asked us two questions - the first one is: My small business will return zero profit in April 2013 due to dwindling customer base and the huge rise in materials. Should I continue to claim Tax Credits for 2013-2014 and keep trying knowing a floor will be applied from October's national UC roll out, or, give up and try to enter the normal job market which at 57 years of age, no references, no experience and no work in the Rhondda (due to economic depression) is likely to plunge myself and my children (aged 4 and 7) into extreme poverty. We have some savings that I was intending for a pension (17000) but we are already having to use it for the children's shoes, schooling etc. What should I do for the best?
GingerbreadEmily:	And the second one is: While the claimant will agree to search for work how far does UC take into account the rather more unique pressures of the lone parent, for example a child contracts diarrhoea...no-one but the parent will be able to look after that child for 48 hours ! Or, the school 'phones and says the child must be taken home due to illness/injury. In other words, will such as the above be taken as excuses not to work/turn up for interview etc, or is there a little understanding in the conditionality before the Jobcentre Officer imposes sanctions ?
GingerbreadPam:	Q : Stephen: My small business will return zero profit in April 2013 due to dwindling customer base and the huge rise in materials. Should I continue to claim Tax Credits for 2013-2014 and keep trying knowing a floor will be applied from October's national UC roll out, or, give up and try to enter the normal job market which at 57 years of age, no references, no experience and no work in the Rhondda (due to economic depression) is likely to plunge myself and my children (aged 4 and 7) into extreme poverty. We have some savings that I was intending for a pension (17000) but we are already having to use it for the children's shoes, schooling etc. What should I do for the best? A : Hi Stephen. We are unable to tell you what to do for the best, however we may be able to give you some advice to help you made a decision. You are correct in saying that there will be a minimum level of assumed income when you are on universal credit and self-employed. This will be called a “minimum income floor” which will be based on the hours the jobcentre decides you are available for work (a maximum of 35 hours a week) multiplied by the national minimum wage. This will affect how much universal credit you are entitled to. You will not normally be able to claim universal credit if your savings are above £16000. However, there is transitional protection for those who are moved over to universal credit from tax credits.. At the moment it is too early to say when exactly you will be affected by the change to universal credit.Unless you have a change of circumstances it is unlikely that you will be moved to the new system until sometime between April 2014 and October 2017. When more details are confirmed Gingerbread will update the Universal credit pages on our website:http://www.gingerbread.org.uk/content/912/Universal-credit. Until you are changed to universal credit you can continue to claim tax credits as you are doing now. To decided what to do before this, you may want to get some advice about what benefits and tax credits you would be entitled to if you stopped running your business now or if you went into some other form of employment. There is lots of information about these things on our website: http://www.gingerbread.org.uk/Factsheets_Results.aspx?Keyword=&FactsheetCategoryID=2 or you may wish to call the Gingerbread Single Parent Helpline free on 0808 802 0925 to discuss this with an adviser.
GingerbreadPolly:	Q : Stephen: While the claimant will agree to search for work how far does UC take into account the rather more unique pressures of the lone parent, for example a child contracts diarrhoea...no-one but the parent will be able to look after that child for 48 hours ! Or, the school 'phones and says the child must be taken home due to illness/injury. In other words, will such as the above be taken as excuses not to work/turn up for interview etc, or is there a little understanding in the conditionality before the Jobcentre Officer imposes sanctions ? A : Hi Stephen, we believe the intention is to take into account all circumstances of the single parent before making a sanction decision. The rules state that temporary childcare responsibilities, a domestic emergency or other temporary circumstances should be taken into consideration. The jobcentre plus adviser should take into account all of the above before making any sanction decision. If a sanction is applied, a single parent can challenge it if they have ‘good reason’ for not complying. It is likely that, in practice, it will depend on individual adviser’s interpretation of the guidance they will have about the unique pressures you mention.
GingerbreadEmily:	That's it for today. Thanks to everyone for their advance questions and we hope you found this session useful

GingerbreadEmily:	Good morning everyone! Welcome to today's session where our expert advisers will be answering your questions on Maternity.
GingerbreadEmily:	To get the session started, I'll be posting some questions we have had in advance
GingerbreadEmily:	Our first question is from Tania who asks: baby due next week back living at home with mum but my brother suffers from paranoid scizhophrenia so cant stay long but cant afford private renting. I do work but my maternity pay is 520 pm. I applied for housing but put in lowest band D and only for one
Gingerbread Alex:	Q : Tania: baby due next week back living at home with mum but my brother suffers from paranoid scizhophrenia so cant stay long but cant afford private renting. I do work but my maternity pay is 520 pm. I applied for housing but put in lowest band D and only for one A : Hi Tania, While you are on maternity leave, you may well qualify for working tax credit as well as child benefit and child tax credit for the baby and if you decide to rent privately you should be entitled to some help from housing benefit. Once your baby is born, the housing benefit calculation will be based on the local housing allowance (LHA) for a two bedroomed property but will take into account all the income you have coming in, such as statutory maternity pay and tax credits. Have a look at our factsheets Money during maternity & adoption: http://www.gingerbread.org.uk/factsheet/17/Money-during-maternity-and-adoption which tells you about all you can claim during the maternity period and Housing options for single parents: http://www.gingerbread.org.uk/factsheet/27/Housing-options-for-single-parents . You can call the Gingerbread Single Parent helpline on 0808 802 0925 and one of our advisers can do a benefit calculation for you to see how much help you are likely to get with rent once your baby is born.
GingerbreadEmily:	Thanks Alex. We've also had a question from Jane asking: can i claim income support if i decide to take the last 3 months of maternity unpaid
GingerbreadRosy:	Q : Jane: can i claim income support if i decide to take the last 3 months of maternity unpaid A : Hi Jane, statutory maternity pay or maternity allowance are only paid for 39 weeks, so if you wish to remain off work for the full 12 months of your maternity leave, you will be eligible for income support as a single parent, provided you have savings or other capital of under £16,000. You may find Gingerbread’s factsheet: Money during maternity & adoption useful to look through http://www.gingerbread.org.uk/factsheet/17/Money-during-maternity-and-adoption as it tells you about all you can claim during the maternity period. If your unpaid maternity leave will be after October 2013, you may need to claim a new benefit called universal credit instead of income support. Also, if you have a mortgage you may wish to speak to our helpline for advice on getting help with the mortgage interest payments while on income support 0808 802 0925.
GingerbreadEmily:	Thanks Rosy. We've also had Alison ask us: I was just wonder if you could give me advice on what I may be entitled to as I have only been in my new job role a few months and I am on probation so by the time I have this baby I wont be entitled to any maternity pay and may not have a job and I am worried about how I will manage financially as I will be renting also when I have the baby.
Gingerbread Alex:	Q : Alison: I was just wonder if you could give me advice on what I may be entitled to as I have only been in my new job role a few months and I am on probation so by the time I have this baby I wont be entitled to any maternity pay and may not have a job and I am worried about how I will manage financially as I will be renting also when I have the baby. A : Hi Alison, you have said you have been in your new job role for a few months. If you have been working for your employer for at least 26 weeks by the end of the 15th week before your expected week of childbirth (around week 25 of your pregnancy), you may qualify for statutory maternity pay from your employer. When counting up the weeks you have worked for your employer, you should include any probationary period. For more information to check whether you will qualify for statutory maternity pay, please see our factsheet Money during maternity and adoption: http://www.gingerbread.org.uk/factsheet/17/Money-during-maternity-and-adoption If you don’t qualify for statutory maternity pay from your employer, you may instead qualify for maternity allowance from the government. If you don’t qualify for this you may instead be able to claim Income Support. You may also qualify for housing benefit to help pay your rent. When your baby is born you will also be able to claim child benefit and child tax credit. If you are working for at least 16 hours a week up until when your maternity leave starts, you may also qualify for working tax credit when your baby is born, even if you will not be returning to work after your maternity leave. Depending on your situation you may also be able to claim a sure start maternity grant and other help. Our Money during maternity and adoption factsheet (see above) tells you all about what you can claim. If you need further advice or any calculations of your particular entitlements, you may wish to call our helpline on 0808 802 0925.
JoJo:	Hello. Is there any help available to help me buy a cot and clothes and a pram? I don;t know how I'm going to afford it all...
GingerbreadEmily:	Thanks for your question JoJo, one of our advisers will answer you shortly
GingerbreadRosy:	Q : JoJo Hello. Is there any help available to help me buy a cot and clothes and a pram? I don;t know how I'm going to afford it all... A : Hi Jojo. You may qualify for a sure start maternity grant which is a one-off payment of £500. You may qualify if you don’t already have another child under the age of 16. To qualify, you must receive one of certain benefits or tax credits paid at a certain rate. For details of which benefits or tax credits you must be in receipt of, please see page 5 of our factsheet Money during maternity and adoption: http://www.gingerbread.org.uk/factsheet/17/Money-during-maternity-and-adoption If you qualify, you can claim from 11 weeks before your expected week of childbirth (when you are 29 weeks pregnant). The latest you can make your claim is three months after the birth. If you do not receive one of the relevant benefits or tax credits during your pregnancy, you may not become entitled to a grant until after your baby is born. If this applies to you, you should claim child tax credit and the sure start maternity grant as soon as possible after the birth. Your claim for the grant may be refused at first until your tax credits are awarded. Once your tax credits have been awarded, contact Jobcentre Plus straight away and they can revise the decision to award you the grant if you are now eligible. To claim, get a form from Jobcentre Plus or from the GOV.UK website: https://www.gov.uk/sure-start-maternity-grant Your midwife, doctor or health visitor may also be able to give you a form and they must sign it to confirm that you have received advice about your own and your baby’s health.
Kathy78:	Hi Gingerbread. I have a problem I'm hoping you can help me with - I'm halfway through maternity leave and not keen on going bck to my job but will I have to pay back maternity pay?
JoJo:	Thank you.
Gingerbread Alex:	Q : Kathy78 Hi Gingerbread. I have a problem I'm hoping you can help me with - I'm halfway through maternity leave and not keen on going bck to my job but will I have to pay back maternity pay? A : Hi Kathy, you won’t have to pay back your statutory maternity pay if you don’t return to your job. If your employer has given you extra (contractual) maternity pay, then you will only need to pay this extra amount back if this is stated in your contract or your employer’s maternity policy, or if it was agreed in advance.
Kathy78:	ah that clears that up - thanks!
Abi123:	Hi guys! My contact ends before my baby is due in May don’t know yet if they will give new contract - worried I’m going to miss out on maternity pay - any help?
Denise:	Hi, I am single and will be having my first baby in August. I have been in my new job for the last 9 months. My employer has informed me that I have not worked long enough to get contractual maternity pay. I earn £50,000 per year. I will be going on Maternity leave in August. Can someone tell me what benefits I would be entitled to? Thanks
GingerbreadRosy:	Q : Abi123 Hi guys! My contact ends before my baby is due in May don’t know yet if they will give new contract - worried I’m going to miss out on maternity pay - any help? A : Hi Abi, if your job finishes after the 15th week before your baby is due (around week 25 of your pregnancy), and you are still employed in all or part of that week, you can still get statutory maternity pay from your employer. You will get it if you meet the other qualifying conditions. If you do, your employer will have to pay you the full 39 weeks of statutory maternity pay, even though you no longer work for them. For details of the other qualifying conditions for statutory maternity pay, please see our factsheet Money during maternity and adoption: http://www.gingerbread.org.uk/factsheet/17/Money-during-maternity-and-adoption
Gingerbread Alex:	Q : Denise Hi, I am single and will be having my first baby in August. I have been in my new job for the last 9 months. My employer has informed me that I have not worked long enough to get contractual maternity pay. I earn £50,000 per year. I will be going on Maternity leave in August. Can someone tell me what benefits I would be entitled to? A : Hi Denise, even if you don’t qualify for contractual maternity pay, you have worked for your employer for long enough to qualify for statutory maternity pay which is paid for 39 weeks. This is 90% of your income for six weeks followed by £136.78 per week (the rate from April 2013) for 33 weeks. For details of the other qualifying conditions for statutory maternity pay, please see our factsheet Money during maternity and adoption: http://www.gingerbread.org.uk/factsheet/17/Money-during-maternity-and-adoption Your employment income will be lower than £50,000 in 2013-14 but exactly how much it will be depends on when you intend to return to work. It is likely that because of your lower income you will qualify for full child benefit once your baby is born, and you may also qualify for child tax credit and working tax credit during the 39 weeks of maternity leave. For a calculation about tax credits and any help there might be with housing costs, do see the other factsheets on our website http://www.gingerbread.org.uk/factsheet/ and ring our helpline on 0808 802 0925.
Denise:	Thanks
LeilaS:	Hello - I am planning to return to work in August when my son is six months old. I’ve been told that I can continue to claim tax credits and housing benefit when I work but I really feel that his dad should be paying maintenance because he earns much more than I do. He says that as I get help from the government, he shouldn’t have to pay. what should I do?
Caz:	Hi - hoping u can help? Shortly after I became pregnant I moved to a new area and so had to leave my job. I managed to get another job which I really like but am worried I won’t have been in my job long enough to be allowed to take any maternity leave. Will I have to jack in my job?
GingerbreadRosy:	Q : LeilaS Hello - I am planning to return to work in August when my son is six months old. I’ve been told that I can continue to claim tax credits and housing benefit when I work but I really feel that his dad should be paying maintenance because he earns much more than I do. He says that as I get help from the government, he shouldn’t have to pay. what should I do? A : Hi Leila S, you are right that your son’s dad should be paying maintenance to you and it will not affect the benefits or tax credits that you receive. If you can’t get him to agree to pay, then you should consider applying for maintenance, see our factsheet:
LeilaS:	ok thanks
GingerbreadRosy:	Sorry, Leila, I meant to send you the link for our factsheet about using the Child Support Agency http://www.gingerbread.org.uk/factsheet/9/Using-the-Child-Support-Agency . If you apply after July, you will need to apply to the new Child Maintenance Service which is replacing the Child Support Agency. For details about the changes, see our website: http://www.gingerbread.org.uk/content/969/Changes-to-child-maintenance
Gingerbread Alex:	Q : Caz Hi - hoping u can help? Shortly after I became pregnant I moved to a new area and so had to leave my job. I managed to get another job which I really like but am worried I won’t have been in my job long enough to be allowed to take any maternity leave. Will I have to jack in my job? A : Hi Caz, you will be entitled to take 26 weeks ordinary maternity leave and a further 26 weeks additional maternity leave. All women employees are entitled to take this maternity leave regardless of how long you have worked for your employer. However, you won’t have worked for your new employer for long enough to qualify for statutory maternity pay. Instead, you may well qualify for maternity allowance which is paid for the first 39 weeks of your maternity leave. For further information about maternity allowance and other financial help, please see our factsheet Money during maternity and adoption: http://www.gingerbread.org.uk/factsheet/17/Money-during-maternity-and-adoption Also, you can find more information about your maternity rights at work, including when you can take your maternity leave and how to give notice to your employer, on the Maternity Action website: http://www.maternityaction.org.uk/knowyourrights.html
Caz:	Cheers!
GingerbreadEmily:	Our session is now coming to an end. Thank you all for your questions.

GingerbreadEmily:	Hi everyone! The session is now open and we're ready for your questions
GingerbreadEmily:	We've had a few questions in advance for this session, so I'll put these to our advisers now. The first one is from Kieran: How can I communicate with my ex and avoid legal implications? What would it take for me to receive full custody? Her angry threats and bitterness towards me are totally unfounded and I am worried it will affect my daughters opinion of me, what can I do?
gingerbreadkelly:	Q : Kieran: How can I communicate with my ex and avoid legal implications? What would it take for me to receive full custody? Her angry threats and bitterness towards me are totally unfounded and I am worried it will affect my daughters opinion of me, what can I do? A : I am sorry to hear that you are having a difficult time. If you are finding it hard to communicate with your ex then one option is to try mediation. Mediation depends on two people voluntarily wanting to reach an agreement even though they may hold quite different viewpoints at the start of the process. An impartial mediator can help you reach decisions without taking sides. Mediation is not an alternative to legal advice. In some cases, it will be clear that mediation will not be appropriate and you may need a solicitor to negotiate with your ex. For more information you may find our factsheets useful http://www.gingerbread.org.uk/factsheet/10/Help-reaching-agreements-when-a-relationship-ends http://www.gingerbread.org.uk/factsheet/19/Rights-and-responsibilities-of-parents
GingerbreadEmily:	We also have another one from Ray, who asks: My partner left me and my 8mth old twins on Christmas Eve. I'm devastated. I've begged for him to stay but he wants to see if there is someone else out there but at the same time find himself. He still loves me but won't give me the chance to show him
wonder woman:	Hi not used this before so don't know how it works. I have been unhappily married for a few years now marraige is at breaking point and but if we separate I would go back home to be her family in bristol, we moved to Cornwall two years ago, I'm worried about the affect the distance will have on the children's relationship with their dad, has anyone got any advice or done this themselves?
GingerbreadEmily:	Thanks for your question, one of our advisers will answer you shortly
GingerbreadMishka:	Q : Ray: My partner left me and my 8mth old twins on Christmas Eve. I'm devastated. I've begged for him to stay but he wants to see if there is someone else out there but at the same time find himself. He still loves me but won't give me the chance to show him A : Hi Ray, it sounds like this is a very difficult time for you and having to think about the practical things can seem overwhelming. For support in how to come to terms and cope with what has happened as well as being able to feel positive about your new situation, you may find it useful to talk to Relate http://www.relate.org.uk/home/index.html We can give practical advice on what steps to take next and you may find our factsheet on this useful http://www.gingerbread.org.uk/factsheet/22/Action-to-take-when-a-relationship-ends or if you would like to speak to an adviser please contact our Gingerbread single parent helpline on 0808 802 0925 for further assistance.
GingerbreadEmily:	We've also had a question from Nadia who asks: we split with my husband. now i have big financial problems. help me please
GingerbreadMishka:	Q : Nadia: we split with my husband. now i have big financial problems. help me please A : Hi Nadia, there are a number of benefits you can claim as a single parent. It depends on your circumstances and your children’s age. If you are not working and have a child under 5, then you may be able to claim income support or if you are not entitled to claim income support and you are looking for work you may be able to claim jobseeker’s allowance from Jobcentre Plus on 0800 055 6688. If you do not already have a child benefit claim you can also make a claim by calling the Child Benefit Helpline on 0845 302 1444. You can claim child tax credit by calling the Tax Credit Helpline on 0845 300 3900. If you are liable to pay a mortgage on the home in which you live then you may be entitled to help with mortgage interest payments after the first 13 weeks of your income Support or jobseekers allowance claim. If you are in rented accommodation then you can claim housing benefit from your local council. http://www.gingerbread.org.uk/factsheet/26/Claiming-Income-Support-and-other-benefits and http://www.gingerbread.org.uk/factsheet/30/Claiming-Jobseeker’s-Allowance-and-other-benefits You may also be able to get some assistance with your council tax from your council. If you are working 16 hours or more per week then you can claim working tax, child tax credit, child benefit and also housing benefit for help toward your rent if you are in rented accommodation. We have a factsheet on tax credits you may find useful: http://www.gingerbread.org.uk/factsheet/15/Benefits-and-tax-credits-if-you-work-16-hours-a-week-or-more Payments you receive as child maintenance will not affect the amount of benefits you receive. There is a Gingerbread factsheet which you may find useful http://www.gingerbread.org.uk/factsheet/22/Action-to-take-when-a-relationship-ends Or if you would like to speak to an adviser to get a more detailed personalised benefit calculation you can contact the Gingerbread Single Parent Helpline on 0808 802 0925.
gingerbreadkelly:	Q : wonder woman Hi not used this before so don't know how it works. I have been unhappily married for a few years now marraige is at breaking point and but if we separate I would go back home to be her family in bristol, we moved to Cornwall two years ago, I'm worried about the affect the distance will have on the children's relationship with their dad, has anyone got any advice or done this themselves? A : It sounds like that you are going through a difficult time. I understand that you are worried about the affect the distance would have on the children if you separate. You may find our fact sheet useful http://gingerbread.org.uk/factsheet/4/Contact-between-your-child-and-their-other-parent. Also our fact sheet http://gingerbread.org.uk/factsheet/19/Parental-responsibility- If you would like to speak to someone you can contact Gingerbread single parent helpline on 0808 802 0925 if you would like to speak to an adviser.
GingerbreadEmily:	Another question we had in advance was from Sarah, who asks: My cohabititing partner (farther to our son) just walked out, unfortaly do not work and have no family to relay on. we have been left with £540 rent and a hold load of bills. This mean's we are homeless by the end of the month right??????
GingerbreadMishka:	Q : Sarah: My cohabititing partner (farther to our son) just walked out, unfortaly do not work and have no family to relay on. we have been left with £540 rent and a hold load of bills. This mean's we are homeless by the end of the month right?????? A : Hi Sarah, If you are not working you may be able to claim benefits to help you with your rent and bills. You can claim income support if your child is under 5 or if he is 5 or over you can claim jobseekers allowance. You can claim these benefits from the Jobcentre Plus on 0800 055 6688. You may find our factsheets on these useful to look at: http://www.gingerbread.org.uk/factsheet/26/Claiming-Income-Support-and-other-benefits and http://www.gingerbread.org.uk/factsheet/30/Claiming-Jobseeker’s-Allowance-and-other-benefits . You can claim housing benefit to help you pay your rent and council tax benefit to help you with your council tax payments. You should contact your local council to claim these benefits. You can also claim child tax credit by calling the Tax Credit Helpline on 0345 300 3900. You may find our Gingerbread factsheet useful: http://www.gingerbread.org.uk/factsheet/22/Action-to-take-when-a-relationship-ends or if you would like to speak to an adviser to get a more detailed personalised benefit calculation you can contact the Gingerbread Single Parent Helpline on 0808 802 0925.
GingerbreadEmily:	And one from Maria who asks: i just wanna ask about who got more rights to the children when u get divorce my baby is only 5 months
GingerbreadEmily:	Ria also asked us in advance: what can I do when we are seperating and unmarried, with 2 very young children? can I get help finanically in the form of tax relief or benefits? I use an au pair to work freelance so does that mean I cannot get working tax credit as she is not a register
gingerbreadkelly:	Q : Maria: i just wanna ask about who got more rights to the children when u get divorce my baby is only 5 months A : Hi Maria, when separating, discussions over your child can be difficult. All parents who have parental responsibility can spend time with the child and have a say in important decisions in their life. These rights do not end when the parents separate or divorce. It’s usually in the best interests of the child to have a relationship with both parents but there are no set rules on who the child should live with or how and when contact with the other parent should take place. It’s up to you and the other parent to decide what is in the best interest of your child and what will practically work. It may take some time to find an arrangement that works for you all and both parents will need to compromise. If you find it difficult to work things out together you can get help from a mediator who will work with you both to try and reach an agreement. There are some Gingerbread factsheets you may find useful to look at: http://www.gingerbread.org.uk/factsheet/19/Parental-responsibility-, http://www.gingerbread.org.uk/factsheet/4/Contact-between-your-child-and-their-other-parent or for more detailed advice you can contact the Gingerbread Single Parent Helpline on 0808 802 0925.
GingerbreadEmily:	Ikhlas has also asked us in advance: What is the difference between child maintenance & spouse maintenance? Can I claim maintenance during separation period ?
Maizie_D:	Hi Gingerbread, I live in a council flat which is in joint names with my kids’ dad. We want to split up but he won’t move out. The boys will be living with me and I don’t want to upset them more by moving them out of their home. Is there any way I can get the council to move him out? Thanks
Helen:	I am thinking of separating from my ex and have 3 children aged 7, 12 and 13. We have a joint mortgage together. We have talked about separation but he says that he won’t move out. Can you please tell me my housing options?
GingerbreadMishka:	Q : Ria: what can I do when we are seperating and unmarried, with 2 very young children? can I get help finanically in the form of tax relief or benefits? I use an au pair to work freelance so does that mean I cannot get working tax credit as she is not a register A : Hi Ria, you can get financial assistance as a single parent when you are separated. If working less than 16 hours a week and have a child under 5, then you may be able to claim income support or if you are not entitled to claim income support and you are looking for work you may be able to claim jobseeker’s allowance from Jobcentre Plus on 0800 055 6688. You may find our fact sheets on these useful to look at http://gingerbread.org.uk/factsheet/26/Claiming-Income-Support-and-other-benefits shttp://gingerbread.org.uk/factsheet/30/Claiming-Jobseeker’s-Allowance-and-other-benefit If you do not already have a child benefit claim you can also make a claim by calling the child benefit helpline on 0845 302 1444. You can claim child tax credit by calling the Tax Credit Helpline on 0845 300 3900. If you are liable to pay a mortgage on the home in which you live then you may be entitled to help with mortgage interest payments after the first 13 weeks of your income support or jobseekers allowance claim. If you are in rented accommodation then you can claim housing benefit from your local council to help towards your rent. If you are working more than 16 hours a week then you may claim working tax credit, child tax credit and may also be able to claim your child care costs through working tax credits if you have a Ofsted registered child minder. You may find our factsheet useful http://www.gingerbread.org.uk/factsheet/15/Benefits-and-tax-credits-if-you-work-16-hours-a-week-or-more Or if you would like to speak to an adviser to get a more detailed personalised benefit calculation you can contact the Gingerbread Single Parent Helpline on 0808 802 0925.
gingerbreadkelly:	Q : Ikhlas: What is the difference between child maintenance & spouse maintenance? Can I claim maintenance during separation period ? A : Hi Ikhlas, child maintenance is money paid by a parent for maintenance of the child. Child maintenance will not affect any benefits you receive. Spousal maintenance is money paid for the maintenance of a spouse on separation or divorce and spousal maintenance can affect your benefits. Spousal maintenance can only be considered where there is a divorce and non-married separating partners do not usually have an ability to claim this from their ex. If you are separated you can claim child maintenance, either by making an agreement with your child’s other parent or by contacting the Child Support Agency and registering a claim. You may find these Gingerbread factsheets useful: http://www.gingerbread.org.uk/factsheet/12/Making-arrangements-for-child-maintenance and http://www.gingerbread.org.uk/factsheet/22/Action-to-take-when-a-relationship-ends or if you would like to speak to an adviser for more detailed advice you can contact the Gingerbread Single Parent Helpline on 0808 802 0925.
Mel#1:	My partner has just moved out and he has gone to stay with his brother. Our son is 2 and his Dad is now saying that he wants him to stay overnight with him every weekend. I’m worried that this will be disruptive for our son as he has already had a lot of change with the break up. What is a reasonable amount of time for our son to stay with his Dad each week?
GingerbreadMishka:	Q : Maizie_D Hi Gingerbread, I live in a council flat which is in joint names with my kids’ dad. We want to split up but he won’t move out. The boys will be living with me and I don’t want to upset them more by moving them out of their home. Is there any way I can get the council to move him out? Thanks A : A: Hi. Because you are joint tenants you both have the same rights to stay in the property and the council cannot force either of you to leave unless the terms of your tenancy have been broken. If your ex-partner decides to leave the property and gives the council notice this may end the tenancy for both of you. The council can then decide whether to transfer the tenancy into your sole name. If he refuses to leave the property you can ask the courts to make an order to allocate the tenancy to you. If you leave the property voluntarily the council may consider that you have made yourself intentionally homeless and this could mean that they will not rehouse you. You should get independent legal advice before considering moving out. You may find this Gingerbread factsheet useful: http://www.gingerbread.org.uk/factsheet/22/Action-to-take-when-a-relationship-ends or for specialist housing advice you could contact Shelter on 0808 800 4444 or www.shelter.org.uk.
gingerbreadkelly:	Q : Helen I am thinking of separating from my ex and have 3 children aged 7, 12 and 13. We have a joint mortgage together. We have talked about separation but he says that he won’t move out. Can you please tell me my housing options? A : As you jointly own the property you both have a right to occupy it because you are legal owners and it does not matter whether you are married or have entered into a civil partnership. One cannot normally force the other to leave without an occupation order from the court. You would need to speak to a family solicitor for further advice regarding your options and share in the property. To find a local family solicitor in your area speak to Resolution on 08457 585 671.If you choose to move out and privately rent an accommodation you still may be eligible to claim housing benefit but it will depend on your circumstances. For more details please see our fact sheet http://www.gingerbread.org.uk/factsheet/22/Action-to-take-when-a-relationship-ends or you can contact the gingerbread single parent help line on 0808 802 0925 if you would like to speak to an adviser.
GingerbreadMishka:	Q : Mel#1 My partner has just moved out and he has gone to stay with his brother. Our son is 2 and his Dad is now saying that he wants him to stay overnight with him every weekend. I’m worried that this will be disruptive for our son as he has already had a lot of change with the break up. What is a reasonable amount of time for our son to stay with his Dad each week? A : A: Hi. There are no set rules on when, where and how often your child should see his Dad. It is for you both to agree what is in the best interests of your child and what will practically work. It might be helpful for your son to have a regular arrangement as he will then know when he can expect to see his Dad. Any arrangement can take into account the age of your child, where you live, and any work commitments you both might have. If you are not sure what will work you could suggest trying an arrangement for a period of time and then review it at a set date. If you both want to reach an agreement but are finding it difficult to talk about it to each other, you may find mediation helpful. Mediation is not counselling or legal advice but a mediator will try and help you reach an agreement about practical matters. You can find out about mediation services in your area by calling the National Family Mediation Helpline on 0845 60 26 627. We have a Gingerbread factsheet that you might find useful http://www.gingerbread.org.uk/factsheet/4/Contact-between-your-child-and-their-other-parent or you can contact the Gingerbread Single Parent Helpline on 0808 802 0925 if you would like to speak to an advisor.
Maizie_D:	Thank u
Helen:	Thanks so much Kelly - that's really useful.
Wanda007:	Hello, hoping you can help? I have separated from my ex and he is still paying the mortgage and bills for the house as it is jointly owned. Can I still claim Tax credits?
gingerbreadkelly:	Q : Wanda007 Hello, hoping you can help? I have separated from my ex and he is still paying the mortgage and bills for the house as it is jointly owned. Can I still claim Tax credits? A : Hi Wanda 007, you can claim tax credits in your own right even when he pays the mortgage and bills. However it may be hard to prove that you are not financially dependent on him which may cause a problem in claiming tax credits. It is therefore advisable to separate your accounts from him and to change all the household bills in your name. You may find useful: http://www.gingerbread.org.uk/factsheet/22/Action-to-take-when-a-relationship-ends. This can be complicated and if you need further advice you may contact the gingerbread single parent help line on 0808 802 0925 to speak to an adviser.
Wanda007:	Thanx Kelly - might be giving you a call later!
Abi123:	Hi! I’ve recently separated from my ex & have 2 children. My ex works full time but is not paying any thing towards maintenance. Can you please tell me what I can do? Any help would be greatly appreciated, thank you!
GingerbreadMishka:	Q : Abi123 Hi! I’ve recently separated from my ex & have 2 children. My ex works full time but is not paying any thing towards maintenance. Can you please tell me what I can do? Any help would be greatly appreciated, thank you! A : If child maintenance cannot be amicably agreed then you may contact the child support agency who can collect and enforce the payments of chid maintenance. Under current rules there is no charge to use this service and Child support agency uses a formula to calculate how much child maintenance he is liable to pay. This amount depends on his net earnings, number of nights per year the children stay with him and if he has any relevant children living with him.There is a gingerbread factsheet that you may find usefulhttp://www.gingerbread.org.uk/factsheet/9/Using-the-Child-Support-Agency. If you need further information please do not hesitate to contact gingerbread helpline on 0808 802 0925 if you would like to speak to an Adviser.
GingerbreadEmily:	Thanks for all your questions so far everyone - there is only 5 minutes left of this session, so get in your last remaining questions now!
GingerbreadEmily:	That looks about it for today - thanks and we'll see you next month for our next session

GingerbreadEmily:	Q : Sue: im a support worker for a lady who has two teenages at the moment she is in between benefits. she is struggling with having to buy xmas present for the children do you know if there is anyone that could help her A : Hi Sue, We don’t have any details of any organisations that can help with Christmas presents, however it may be worth checking with your local citizen’s advice bureau to see if there are any schemes in your local area. The organisation Turn2Us can help people access money available to them, including benefits and charitable grants and so it may be worth visiting their website www.turn2us.org.uk. Also check out our factsheet Christmas Top Tips http://www.gingerbread.org.uk/factsheet/35/Christmas-Top-Tips-2012, which includes some advice about thinking about presents in advance which may be useful for next year.
GingerbreadEmily:	Q : Janine: My son has a new baby with his ex and he is in SCBU - she is refusing to let him see the baby or even phone the hosp to see how he is - he is distraught what can we do? A : Hi Janine, unfortunately we are not able to advise you on this issue but would suggest that you or your son contacts the Coram Children’s Legal Centre on 0808 802 0008 for free legal information and advice. There is also a charity called Bliss (www.bliss.org.uk ) which supports families whose baby is in a special care baby unit who may be able to support your son at this difficult time.
GingerbreadEmily:	Q : Rilene: debt problems A : Hi Rilene, if you have debts that you are unable to maintain the current repayments on then you should speak to a specialist money adviser. You can ring them on 0808 808 4000 or visit their website http://www.nationaldebtline.co.uk/ . Your local Citizens Advice Bureau may also have specialist money advisers for you to see face to face. You can search for your local CAB office here: http://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/ You may also find our factsheet on dealing with debt problems useful: http://www.gingerbread.org.uk/factsheet/31/Dealing-with-Debt
GingerbreadEmily:	Q : Nicola: I am seperating from my abusive partner. We have a 11 year old daughter. My daughter and me are german. I have sole parental responsibility. A : Hi Nicola, if you are separating with a partner you may find it useful to read through our factsheet http://www.gingerbread.org.uk/factsheet/22/Action-to-take-when-a-relationship-ends or call our Single Parent Helpline on 0808 802 0925 for advice about your situation. If you feel that you or your daughter are ever in immediate risk of serious harm you can telephone the police on 999. You can also get support from the national domestic violence helpline on 0808 2000 247 www.nationaldomesticviolencehelpline.org.uk
GingerbreadEmily:	Q : Liz: What factors should I consider following my ex's request to have our 6 year old daughter stay with him a third night per week apart from I will miss the reduced time with her. A : Hi Liz, it is for you and your ex to agree on the contact and your primary concern should be what is in your daughter’s best interests but it also needs to be a practical arrangement for you and your ex. We have a factsheet that will tell you more about what you should consider when deciding on contact: “Contact between your child and their other parent” http://www.gingerbread.org.uk/factsheet/4/Contact-between-your-child-and-their-other-parent The number of nights she spends with her Dad may mean a slight reduction in the child maintenance he is liable to pay you. See our factsheets on child maintenance on the Gingerbread website: http://www.gingerbread.org.uk/Factsheets or ring Child Maintenance Options on: 0800 988 0988 or our own single parent helpline: 0808 802 0925.
GingerbreadEmily:	Q : Sandra: As a single mum how can I have your help to have a house? A : Hi Sandra, we have had previous online advice sessions on this topic that you may find useful to look at: http://www.gingerbread.org.uk/content.aspx?CategoryID=711 or to have a read of our factsheet on this issue: http://www.gingerbread.org.uk/factsheet/27/Housing-options-for-single-parents or you can call our Single Parent Helpline on 0808 802 9025 and speak to one of our advisers.
GingerbreadEmily:	Q : Hayley: what advice can you give??pls??I am on a course and DSS will stop my income support in jan my youngest be 5yrs then,i wont be able to clain job seekers as on course,,will my housing ben get paid????worried.pls reply thanks A : Hi Hayley, if your course is a full time course you will not be able to claim Jobseekers Allowance but you may be able to claim Housing Benefit depending on your income. There may also be other sources of income that you can claim depending on your course. We would need more information about your course to give you more specific advice about any other benefits, grants or charitable funding you could apply for. You may find our factsheets on money during education useful to look through: http://www.gingerbread.org.uk/factsheet/14/Money-for-further-education-students and http://www.gingerbread.org.uk/factsheet/13/Money-for-higher-education-students or call the Gingerbread Single Parent Helpline on 0808 802 0925 to speak to one of our expert advisers and get advice specific to your situation.
GingerbreadEmily:	Q : Irina: I am 5 weeks due to first baby, signed off 10th november,applied for IS on november12th,but a week ago recieved it still doesnt come through and some confusing habitual residence test{I am EU}. Am I able to apply for Discretionary Housing benefit A : Hi Irina, the benefits system can be extremely complicated, especially if you an EU citizen subject to both the ‘Habitual Residence Test’ and the ‘Right to Reside Test’. Your eligibility for Income Support could depend on these two tests but also about your employment situation. Housing Benefit, which is a benefit that helps towards rent has different rules and so whether you can claim Discretionary Housing Benefit on top of Housing Benefit will depend on a lot of factors. We would need a lot more information from you to fully advise you on this. You may find it useful to call our Single Parent Helpline on 0808 802 0925 to go through all the benefits you could be entitled to with one of our advisers.
GingerbreadEmily:	Q : Sophie: I have recently become a single parent with a 3 year old can you please tell me how much benefits I am entitled to? I do not work. A : Hi Sophie, as you are not working and have a child under 5, you could claim Income Support at your local Jobcentre. You might find our factsheet on Income Support useful to look through: http://www.gingerbread.org.uk/factsheet/26/Claiming-Income-Support-and-other-benefits you will also be entitled to Child Benefit and Child Tax Credit. We would need information from you in order to advice you on help with your housing costs and you may find it useful to call the Gingerbread Single Parent Helpline on 0808 802 0925 to speak to one of our expert advisers and go through your situation in more detail and also find out if the Benefit Cap would affect you.

GingerbreadEmily:	Hi everyone! Welcome to today's session. Our advisers are now ready to take your questions - fire away!
JaneyA:	Hi there - When will the benefit cap start? I think I am going to be affected by it, will I be given any time to try and move somewhere cheaper?
Gingerbread Sam:	Q : JaneyA Hi there - When will the benefit cap start? I think I am going to be affected by it, will I be given any time to try and move somewhere cheaper? A : Hi JaneyA, the benefit cap will affect people from Monday 8th April 2013. Unfortunately it will come in for everyone at the same time and so unless you are in one of the exempt groups your housing benefit will reduce from this date. The exception to this is if you have recently been in work of at least 16 hours a week on average, and this was the case for 50 of the previous 52 weeks, in which case you may be exempt from the cap for 9 months from the date you finished working.
JaneyA:	Thank you, that's really useful
Maizie_D:	Hi, I’m on JSA and am getting £540 a month in maintenance from my ex. At the moment, the maintenance doesn’t affect my benefits, but my friend told me that it will be part of the benefit cap and that I should give it up as I’ll be worse off. Is this true?
GingerbreadPolly:	Q : Maizie_D Hi, I’m on JSA and am getting £540 a month in maintenance from my ex. At the moment, the maintenance doesn’t affect my benefits, but my friend told me that it will be part of the benefit cap and that I should give it up as I’ll be worse off. Is this true? A : Hi Maizie_D! Don't worry, this is not true! Child Maintenance will not be part of the cap so you can still carry on receiving your full amount of child maintenance and all the benefits you're entitled to as you do now.
Helen:	Hello - I have a question. I’m getting carer’s for looking after my daughter who is getting the high rates of both parts of DLA. With my Housing Benefit and council tax and all the tax credits, I get more than £500 week and am worried about how I’m going to pay for all the extra support i need with my daughter that the DLA covers. I don’t know what to do?!
Maizie_D:	Oh good, thank you!
Gingerbread Sam:	Q : Helen Hello - I have a question. I’m getting carer’s for looking after my daughter who is getting the high rates of both parts of DLA. With my Housing Benefit and council tax and all the tax credits, I get more than £500 week and am worried about how I’m going to pay for all the extra support i need with my daughter that the DLA covers. I don’t know what to do?! A : Hi Helen, you don’t need to worry, you will not be subject to the benefit cap as if you or someone in your household (a dependant for example) is getting DLA then you are exempt from the cap. It’s worth highlighting that Council Tax Benefit is not part of the cap, so when working out what your benefit total for the week is, you don’t include any CTB you receive. CTB will be changing from April and be based on calculations set by your local authority.
LauraG:	Hi, I’m on JSA and have 2 kids and get HB of £290 week which doesn’t cover all my rent. I'm not sure how I'm going to be affected by the cap?
GingerbreadPolly:	Q : LauraG Hi, I’m on JSA and have 2 kids and get HB of £290 week which doesn’t cover all my rent. I'm not sure how I'm going to be affected by the cap? A : Hi LauraG! The total amount you receive a week is £508.38. This is made up of JSA of £71 week, Child Tax Credit of £113.68 week, Child Benefit of £33.70 and Housing Benefit of £290. In April, as your total amount is £8.38 over the benefit cap, your Housing Benefit will be reduced by this amount, meaning that you will have to pay an extra £8.38 towards your rent each week.
Mel#1:	Hi - I’m on Income support and also get help with my mortgage and I’ve added everything up and it’s over £500 a week in total, so am now worried that I may get my home re possessed!
Gingerbread Sam:	Q : Mel#1 Hi - I’m on Income support and also get help with my mortgage and I’ve added everything up and it’s over £500 a week in total, so am now worried that I may get my home re possessed! A : Hi Mel, thanks for your question. At the moment the benefit cap only applies to people receiving housing benefit and so if you are in receipt of help towards your mortgage you won't be affected by the cap, regardless of how much your total amount of benefits adds up to.
Wanda007:	Hi! I’m working 20 hours a week and get Tax Credits and Housing benefit help towards my Council Tax. I’ve got 2 kids and want to know how much my income will be affected by the cap. Thanks!
GingerbreadPolly:	Q : Wanda007 Hi! I’m working 20 hours a week and get Tax Credits and Housing benefit help towards my Council Tax. I’ve got 2 kids and want to know how much my income will be affected by the cap. Thanks! A : Hi Wanda007! You have no need to worry abou the benefit cap affecting you because single Parents who are in receipt of Working Tax Credits as they work for 16 hours a week or more, are not subject to the benefit cap and will not see any change in their income.
Wanda007:	Phew! that's a relief! Thanks!
Kathy78:	Hello, I’m due to go on Maternity in May 13 and will only get SMP, but been told I will get HB and Tax Credits so am worried I may be affected?
Gingerbread Sam:	Q : Kathy78 Hello, I’m due to go on Maternity in May 13 and will only get SMP, but been told I will get HB and Tax Credits so am worried I may be affected? A : Hi Kathy, thanks for your question. If you qualify for working tax credit whilst you are receiving statutory maternity pay then you should be exempt from the cap. If you decide not to return to work straight away once your SMP stops being paid you may be affected by the benefit cap because your entitlement to working tax credit will stop. For more information about what benefits and tax credits you can claim whilst you are maternity leave please see our factsheet Money during maternity and adoption: http://www.gingerbread.org.uk/factsheet/17/Money-during-maternity-and-adoption. Benefits and tax credits can be quite complicated when you are on maternity leave and afterwards, and so if you would like to talk through what you will be entitled to and whether the benefit cap will affect you at any point you can call our Single parent helpline on 0808 802 0825 and speak to an adviser to discuss your situation in more detail.
GingerbreadEmily:	Thanks everyone for all your questions. The session's now come to a close - we hope you found it useful!

GingerbreadEmily:	Hi everyone! Welcome to today's session on Relationships. Our adviser, GingerbreadPam and our guest adviser from Relate, Denise are now ready to take your questions
GingerbreadEmily:	We've had a lot of questions sent in for today's session and so to get the ball rolling, I'll post some of them up now for our advisers. Please note that we have had several questions today that are outside the remit of today's session. We will answer these individually within the next two working days.
GingerbreadEmily:	Louise asked: hi, since breaking up with my sons dad i find it really hard to get close to people , i am in a new relationship now and always try to ruin it because im afraid that he will hurt me first its like im my own worst enemy sometimes just want some advice
GingerbreadEmily:	We've also had a question from Sandra where she asks: What to do when ex won't let you move on
Relate Denise:	Q : Louise: hi, since breaking up with my sons dad i find it really hard to get close to people , i am in a new relationship now and always try to ruin it because im afraid that he will hurt me first its like im my own worst enemy sometimes just want some advice A : Hello Louise, This is not uncommon. Your trust will’ve been disrupted and it will take time to rebuild. Think about what you want from relationships and talk about your wish for honesty and transparency. Take things slowly and enjoy the good times you have with your new partner. Remember he isn’t your ex!!
GingerbreadEmily:	And Ella has asked us: Since I subscribed to the caller display option on my landline I no longer have to dread answering the phone. The father of my 2 1/2 year old daughter has been calling regularly- about once every few weeks he'll phone several times until we spoke.
Relate Denise:	Q : Sandra: What to do when ex won't let you move on A : Hello Sandra, I’m not sure what hold your ex has over you, but this your life and you have the right to live it as you would wish. It would be good for you to have the support of others to talk to about how they have moved forward.
GingerbreadEmily:	Anna has asked us: My husband died 20months ago leaving me totally penniless with 3 children in a rund down house we bought to do up, I can't stop feeling nothing but anger towards him, I don't say anything good about him to anyone, he wasn't particulalrly nice towards me
Relate Denise:	Q : Ella: Since I subscribed to the caller display option on my landline I no longer have to dread answering the phone. The father of my 2 1/2 year old daughter has been calling regularly- about once every few weeks he'll phone several times until we spoke. A : Hello Ella, It is really annoying when you find yourself fearful of answering the phone, so well done. You will have to talk to the father of your child and I wonder if you can arrange specific times to do this that is mutually agreeable. This way you reduce the dread even further. They may be times, in an emergency for example, that you need to talk outside of agreed times.
GingerbreadEmily:	Judith contacted us saying: Can't move forward and negative feelings
GingerbreadEmily:	Welcome to everyone who has just joined us. Today we are joined by Denise from Relate and are tackling your questions on relationships. We have had people send us questions in advance, which we are answering now, but if you have a question you'd like to ask Denise fire away!
Relate Denise:	Q : Anna: My husband died 20months ago leaving me totally penniless with 3 children in a rund down house we bought to do up, I can't stop feeling nothing but anger towards him, I don't say anything good about him to anyone, he wasn't particulalrly nice towards me A : Hello Anna, Anger is such a normal part of the grieving process that I’m not surprised that you feel this way. Anger is difficult to manage on its own without all the other pressures you now find yourself dealing with. It will be difficult but it is important to remember that although he wasn’t nice to you, he was the childrens’ dad and they may have a different picture of him They will be grieving too. It would be good for you to talk to Cruse about your loss, Gingerbread Single Parent Helpline 0808 802 0925 about your ongoing needs regarding finance and housing.
GingerbreadEmily:	We have had a question from Nora asking: I hav been separated nearly a yr after 22 yrs of marriage. My husband had an affair and it was my 2 oldest sons 22 and 19 that 2st detected it thru Facebook and skype. He is not very good at covering his tracks. He of course denied it only 2 finally admitting…
Relate Denise:	Q : Judith: Can't move forward and negative feelings A : Hello Judith, Negative feelings can act like concrete boots, preventing you from going anywhere. I’m not sure what your negative feelings are about, perhaps you could contact Relate, your GP or talk to your friends/family about how you’re feeling.
Relate Denise:	Q : Nora: I hav been separated nearly a yr after 22 yrs of marriage. My husband had an affair and it was my 2 oldest sons 22 and 19 that 2st detected it thru Facebook and skype. He is not very good at covering his tracks. He of course denied it only 2 finally admitting A : Hello Nora, Discovering your husbands infidelity will have come as a real shock and is likely to have rocked the foundations of your whole being. The fact that your son’s discovered this means it’s an issue for the family now. Contact your local Relate centre, they have counsellors that you can talk to and also offer family counselling if your sons wish to talk about their feelings too
GingerbreadEmily:	We have also had a question from Dulce asking: Dulce: HI, i been single parent for 13 years, i have 3 kids age 16,17,19 i finish a degree 3 years ago and i cant find a job, i am so tired with this life, and i want to move from the house and travel some where to find a job an have better life
EB00:	Confronted husband (separated) by email about sexual abuse. Told me to leave him alone. Was hoping to resolve in some way as still have to deal with him in mediation and because of children who see him. Is 'friendly' relationship ever possible with someone who has been abusive in several ways? I insisted he leave and get help with behaviour but he wouldn't get help and now going through permanent separation process as he wants capital.
Relate Denise:	Q : Dulce: HI, i been single parent for 13 years, i have 3 kids age 16,17,19 i finish a degree 3 years ago and i cant find a job, i am so tired with this life, and i want to move from the house and travel some where to find a job an have better life A : Hello Dulce, It sounds as if you have been very busy bringing up 3 children and studying. Not being able to find a job may feel like all your studying has been a waste of time……it hasn’t been. Talk to someone about career options at the Job Centre Plus or have a look at Gingerbread’s website http://www.gingerbread.org.uk/content.aspx?CategoryID=323
Relate Denise:	Good luck Dulce, You're being a great role model for your children. If you'd like some emotional support then contact Relate or speak to your Gp
EB00:	Dulce you have done really well getting a degree and bringing up 3 children! I have only just started mine - I'm intending to enjoy the process as much as possible and learn about things which interest me so I hope not to feel it is a waste even if it doesn't relate to an eventual job
EB00:	I don't understand how this thing works but I've posted a question and it's not been answered yet - should I have sent it directly to you?
GingerbreadEmily:	Hi, Denise is just typing out a response to your question now and it will appear shortly
Relate Denise:	Q : EB00 Confronted husband (separated) by email about sexual abuse. Told me to leave him alone. Was hoping to resolve in some way as still have to deal with him in mediation and because of children who see him. Is 'friendly' relationship ever possible with someone who has been abusive in several ways? I insisted he leave and get help with behaviour but he wouldn't get help and now going through permanent separation process as he wants capital. A : Hello EB00, Your safety and that of your children is of utmost importance, if you are concerned about the possibility of any abuse ongoing then you need to perhaps contact NSPCC about your concerns. It is possible to have a ‘friendly’ relationship but only if based on respect of one another and the willingness for change to happen. It is ok not to be friends but you may have to remain courteous when discussing the children.
GingerbreadEmily:	We have also had a question from David: After 15 years of being together, 12 as a married couple, I found out my alleged soul mate was working as a prositute while I was away on business and neglected the kids, she also stole about £40,000 from us. 9 months after seperating (4 months post divorce)
EB00:	Thanks - slight misunderstanding - sexual abuse was towards me, not children. Sometimes I feel really angry that he won't even acknowledge what he did was not OK.
Relate Denise:	Q : David: After 15 years of being together, 12 as a married couple, I found out my alleged soul mate was working as a prositute while I was away on business and neglected the kids, she also stole about £40,000 from us. 9 months after seperating (4 months post divorce) A : Hello David, This will’ve caused some real shock waves through the family and done very little for your ability to trust. Disappointment and anger mixed with lots of questions about ‘why?’ may need exploring so that you can move on in a healthy way. I trust you have taken some legal advice regarding the ‘theft’ and if you need some support about parenting take a look at Gingerbreads forum for single dad’s.
Relate Denise:	Q : Anita: How to deal with an 18 and 22 year old who hate each other and continually fight and I am in the middle A : Hello Anita, Easy for me to say, not so easy to do, but take yourself out of the middle. Try and discover what it is that the children are fighting about and if you require further support then Relate offers family counselling.
tkay:	Hi after 3 years separated my ex won't leave me alone, he cannot seem to move on and still confides in me etc. I have a new partner now and so I don't think this is right.
Relate Denise:	Q : EB00 Thanks - slight misunderstanding - sexual abuse was towards me, not children. Sometimes I feel really angry that he won't even acknowledge what he did was not OK. A : Thanks for the clarification, Relate can help you to deal with the feelings of having been abused. It’s not uncommon for abusers to deny their behaviour, but that doesn’t mean you should not get some support.
tkay:	My ex and I have two children, 18 and 13. I appreciate he wants to stay in touch because of them but he doesn't have to think he still has control over me. He was a serial cheater and also abusive. I just want left alone to move on. He doesn't seem to get it! Any advise please.
Relate Denise:	Q : tkay Hi after 3 years separated my ex won't leave me alone, he cannot seem to move on and still confides in me etc. I have a new partner now and so I don't think this is right. A : Hello tkay, This is his problem that he’s giving to you. If you are always available then he will make use of you. Let him know that he needs to find someone else to confide in, leaving you free to move on. As you have a new partner it is important for you to put a boundary around this new relationship.
EB00:	As he was abusive you could speak to the Womens Aid helpline in your area for further support and advice - it seems to be quite common for them to try to continue to control you in any way they can even when you're no longer together.
Relate Denise:	Relate is the relationship counselling service that has centres in England and Wales. Relate works with couples and individual's, young people and childre aswell as families who are experiencing a variety of emotional difficulties. You don't have to be in a 'couple' relationship in order to access Relate services. Contact Relate via www.relate.org.uk to see how exactly we can help and be supportive.

GingerbreadEmily:	Morning everyone! Welcome to today's session. Our advisers are now ready to take your questions - fire away!
Nicola_5779:	Hi! Couple of things - I have just moved from JSA to the new enterprise allowance, my adviser isn't very helpful and didn't give me any info about housing etc, so how do i get HB if self employed? and also, can i claim tax creds and how do i prove my hours if i won't be earning much to begin with? cheers!
GingerbreadEmily:	Thanks for your question Nicola - our advisers will be able to give you advice shortly
Jane79:	Hi, my little boy turns 5 next year and I'm already worrying about being moved on to JSA instead of income support. I've heard some really scary stories like you have to accept the first job you're offered or you get sanctioned, and we barely make ends meet as it is. I don't have any family nearby and so if there's only jobs that finish after he's finished at school I don't know what I'll do - is there any help you can give me?
GingerbreadEmily:	Thanks Jane79, we'll post up advice to your question soon
Gingerbread Sally:	Hi Gingerbread, sorry if this is a stupid question, but what are the rules for who a childminder needs to be registered with so that I can get help to pay for it? If a friend offers to look after my daughter while I'm at work, can I still get the money?
Gingerbread Sally:	(Sorry - that was a question sent in by Nikki)
GingerbreadPolly:	Q : Jane79 Hi, my little boy turns 5 next year and I'm already worrying about being moved on to JSA instead of income support. I've heard some really scary stories like you have to accept the first job you're offered or you get sanctioned, and we barely make ends meet as it is. I don't have any family nearby and so if there's only jobs that finish after he's finished at school I don't know what I'll do - is there any help you can give me? A : Hi Jane79! Single Parents on Jobseekers Allowance have special rules due to the fact they have young children to care for. Firstly, you can restrict your availability to work to at least 16 hours a week. As you have a child under 13 years old, you can also restrict your availability to school hours. Sanctions are applied if you fail to take to accept a reasonable job offer within these restrictions. If you are unable to take up a job offer due to childcare issues, then this can be seen as good cause for not taking the job and therefore, not face a sanction. We have a factsheet on the special rules for single parents on our website which you may find useful to look through befor you transfer to JSA: http://www.gingerbread.org.uk/factsheet/32/Single-parents-and-Jobseeker’s-Allowance-–-special-rules
Jane79:	Thank you - that's really reassuring. I'm going to tell my friend too!
JohnH:	I'm observing this session to see if I can pass on any good advice or tips to my two daughters who are single parents. Just wanted to echo GingerbreadPolly's advice that lots of good info in the factsheets, well worth a look.
GingerbreadPolly:	Q : Question sent in from Nikki: Hi Gingerbread, sorry if this is a stupid question, but what are the rules for who a childminder needs to be registered with so that I can get help to pay for it? If a friend offers to look after my daughter while I'm at work, can I still get the money? A : Hi Nikki! In order for you to claim the help with childcare costs through Tax Credits, the childcare provider you use has to be registered with OFSTEAD. You can find OFSTEAD registered childcare providers from your local Family Information Service: http://findyourfis.daycaretrust.org.uk/kb5/findyourfis/home.page they can be childminders, after-school or breakfast clubs; just as long as they are registered. If your friend is a registered childcare provider though OFSTEAD, and she looks after your daughter along with other children in her home, then you can claim help with the childcare costs.
Gingerbread Sam:	Q : Nicola_5779 Hi! Couple of things - I have just moved from JSA to the new enterprise allowance, my adviser isn't very helpful and didn't give me any info about housing etc, so how do i get HB if self employed? and also, can i claim tax creds and how do i prove my hours if i won't be earning much to begin with? cheers! A : Hi Nicola_5779, thanks for your question. You can claim housing benefit regardless of how many hours a week you are working self-employed and on a low income but will need to make an estimate of your net profit, which is your earnings minus reasonable expenses, income tax and NI contributions and some money paid into a pension, before the amount of housing benefit can be calculated. If you are working 16 hours a week or more on your business then we understand that you can claim working tax credit once you have been on the new enterprise allowance scheme for 13 weeks or more. HMRC (who pay tax credits) should accept that you are working the hours that you say you are but it would be a good idea to keep a record of all the hours you are working in case they look into it. They understand that you may not make a lot of money to begin with but any evidence you have of things you are doing towards your business would be helpful. For more information on how to estimate your net profit and for a calculation of what benefits you will be entitled to, plus a more in depth discussion of what counts towards your working hours and how to prove this, you can call the Gingerbread Single Parent Helpline number on 0808 802 0925 which is free from landlines and most mobiles.
Nicola_5779:	Thats fab, thankyou
GingerbreadEmily:	Here is a question posted by Sukhpal: can my employers keep putting me through stress again and again transfering me? I work 25hrs and have had major problems since i have returned back to work after my youngest son was born 17/09/2010. I am a single mother and have put in a Griviance in twice
GingerbreadPolly:	Q : Here is a question posted by Sukhpal: can my employers keep putting me through stress again and again transfering me? I work 25hrs and have had major problems since i have returned back to work after my youngest son was born 17/09/2010. I am a single mother and have put in a Griviance in twice A : Hi Sukhpal! It sounds like you’re having a stressful time a work at the moment. Rights of employees and employers is a complex area and specialist advice is needed. It could be that the needs of the business require your job role to be transferred, but more detail would be needed in order to explore this. Parents have the right to ask for flexible working hours, but the employer is not obliged to give this if it does not suit the needs of the business. You may find this guide useful https://www.gov.uk/flexible-working or alternatively, you can contact ACAS on 08457 47 47 47 http://www.acas.org.uk/index.aspx?articleid=1461 or Working Families on 0300 012 0312 http://www.workingfamilies.org.uk/ to get comprehensive advice on your rights at work and what your options are.
EarthMother:	Am I entitled to any benefits until i get my first pay? I get JSA at the moment but I’m worried that I won’t get paid for a couple for a couple of weeks after starting my new job. I really can't afford a gap... Thank you
GingerbreadPolly:	Q : Jane79 Oh yes, and I was also wondering, can you get help with costs for afterschool clubs or only for proper childminders? A : Hi Jane79! As we advised Nikki in her question above, help with childcare costs through Tax Credits can be used towards after-school clubs and breakfasts clubs, nurseries etc and not just child-minders. The childcare provider has to be registered with OFSTEAD in order to qualify for the help.
LauraG:	Hi. I'm really struggling with my shift patterns- I start at 9am so it is tricky to drop the kids off at school before I start work. Do I have the right to ask to change things about and push my start time back half an hour- it would make a huge difference!
GingerbreadPolly:	Q : LauraG Hi. I'm really struggling with my shift patterns- I start at 9am so it is tricky to drop the kids off at school before I start work. Do I have the right to ask to change things about and push my start time back half an hour- it would make a huge difference! A : Hi LauraG! Parents have the legal right to ask for flexible working hours, but the employer is not obliged to give this if it does not suit the needs of the business. This can be quite a complex area in which to try and negotiate so you may find this guide useful https://www.gov.uk/flexible-working or alternatively, you can contact ACAS on 08457 47 47 47 http://www.acas.org.uk/index.aspx?articleid=1461 or Working Families on 0300 012 0312 http://www.workingfamilies.org.uk/ to get comprehensive advice on your rights at work; what your possible options are and also, ways in which you can approach and try and negotiate with your employer.
LauraG:	Thanks Polly! I'll look through those and hope I can manage to get soemthing sorted.
Mel#1:	Who do i contact in regards to coming off benefits when I start work? At the moment I am claiming JSA, child tax credits and housing and council tax benefits. My new job is going to be 20 hours a week and I think I am going to get working tax credits.
Gingerbread Sam:	Q : EarthMother Am I entitled to any benefits until i get my first pay? I get JSA at the moment but I’m worried that I won’t get paid for a couple for a couple of weeks after starting my new job. I really can't afford a gap... Thank you A : Hi EarthMother, thanks for your question. If your job is for less than 16 hours a week you may continue to be entitled to jobseekers allowance (JSA) but the amount you receive will be reduced. If you are starting a job which is for 16 hours or more a week, your JSA will be paid up until the day you start the job. If you have been claiming JSA for 26 weeks or more you may also receive a one-off payment of £250, which is called a Job Grant. If you get help for your housing costs, either for paying the rent or your mortgage, as well as council tax benefit, the amount you have been receiving until your new job starts may continue for a further 4 weeks, which is known as a “4 week run-on”. Depending on your circumstances and how many hours your new job is for you may be entitled to claim working tax credit and if so your entitlement will start from the first day of your new job. If you are already claiming child tax credit you just need to contact the Tax Credit Helpline on 0345 300 3900 and let them know when you are starting your job. It may take a couple of weeks to be processed but it should be backdated. If you are still finding it hard to manage between your benefits changing and your first wages from your job, you can apply for a discretionary crisis loan from the jobcentre or your employer may agree to give you a salary advance. If you have been claiming benefits for more than 52 weeks you may also qualify for In Work Credit which is a weekly amount of £40 or £60 (depending on where you live) which is paid by the jobcentre for the first 52 weeks of your job. This can take a few weeks to process but again will be backdated. For a full calculation of what you might be entitled to when you start your job you can call the Gingerbread Single Parent Helpline number on 0808 802 0925 which is free from landlines and most mobiles.
GingerbreadPolly:	Q : Mel#1 Who do i contact in regards to coming off benefits when I start work? At the moment I am claiming JSA, child tax credits and housing and council tax benefits. My new job is going to be 20 hours a week and I think I am going to get working tax credits. A : Hi Mel#1! As you will be working more than 16 hours a week, yes, you will come off JSA and start receiving Woking Tax Credit. Once you have a date to start you need to contact HMRC to tell them you are starting work and how many hours you will be doing. You also need to tell them about any childcare costs you may have as you may be able to claim help with the costs of these too! You can contact them on 0345 300 3900. You also need to tell Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit know your change of circumstances and give hem details of your hours, income and any childcare costs you may have. You also need to tell the Jobcentre Plus of your starting work. If you have been on JSA/IS (or a combination of both) for the last 26 weeks (6 months) then you can also claim a £250 Job Grant from the Jobcentre. In addition to this, if you have been on JSA/IS (or a combination of both) for the past 52 weeks (a year) you can also claim In Work Credit of £40 week (£60 if you live in London) for the first year you are in employment over 16 hours a week. This amount is on top of any Tax Credits and other benefits you will get.
GingerbreadEmily:	Our session has now come to a close. Thanks for all your questions, we hope you found it useful. Look out for our next online advice session next month!
Gingerbread Sam:	Thanks everyone [MSNImage=1.gif]

GingerbreadLucy:	Good morning everyone! We'll be starting our advice session shortly, so if you have a question on childcare please get posting...
GingerbreadMishka:	Q : Question from Nicky: If I go to university next year will I be able to get help with child care cost? Or do I have to pay it all? A : If you are going to be studying a full time undergraduate course then you can claim a childcare grant of up to 85% of the costs of your childcare when studying. You apply for this at the same time that you apply for your student loan through Student Finance. http://www.gingerbread.org.uk/factsheet/13/Money-for-higher-education-students
Gingerbread Alex:	Q : Question from Britta: if I work for 16 hours a week what help can I get for childcare costs - I would be self employed + if I were to do an MA is there help available for childcare costs? A : Hi Britta. If you are working 16 hours a week or more, you can claim up to 70% of your childcare costs through Working Tax Credit. How much you get depends on what your income will be. If you were to study for an MA and worked 16+ then you can claim the help with the childcare costs through Working Tax Credit, if your total childcare costs are not higher than the maximum amounts you can claim towards. For more information, see our factsheet on benefits and tax credits: http://www.gingerbread.org.uk/factsheet/15/Benefits-and-tax-credits-if-you-work-16-hours-a-week-or-more If you were to study for an MA and not work, then there is no statutory funding for childcare costs like there is for Undergraduates through Student Finance. You would need to look at possible bursaries from the university or alternatively you can contact Turn2Us on www.turn2us.org.uk or Family Action’s educational grants search http://www.family-action.org.uk/section.aspx?id=21211 to see if there are any charitable grants available . If you are in England and your child is aged 3-4, you can get 15 hours free childcare a week http://www.daycaretrust.org.uk/data/files/Information_Services/Factsheets/Free_early_education_for_three-_and_four-year-olds_in_England_April_2012.pdf If you are in Wales you can get 10 hours free childcare for 3-4 year olds and also 12.5 hours free childcare for 2 year olds in some areas of Wales. For more information visit http://www.daycaretrust.org.uk/data/files/Information_Services/Factsheets/General_help_with_childcare_costs_in_Wales_April_2012.pdf
Berty:	Hi! I'm recently divorced and need to go back to work (I've been a stay-at-home mum for the past 5.5 years). I've heard that you need to work over 16 hours a week to claim help with childcare costs. Is that correct? I've heard that it's possible to claim "up to 70%" of the cost of childcare. Is that dependent on salary? Is there an upper limit for salary or for number of hours? Also, do you know the best way to maximise salary vs. the cost of childcare?
GingerbreadMishka:	Q : Question from Lara: I'm a newly single parent and need to start looking for work. I know nothing about childcare and need to find out what options there are and what the costs are. Help! A : Hi Lara - Once you have found a job of at least 16 hours a week you can apply for Working Tax Credit which includes up to 70% of your registered childcare costs. How much you get depends on your income. For more information, see our factsheet on benefits and tax credits:
GingerbreadLucy:	We want to give you the best advice we can, so sometimes it will take our advisers a little time to answer your questions - thank you for your patience!
GingerbreadMishka:	Q : Question from Mae: i am wondering if im going back to work full time, how could I afford childcare and what help there is available to me? i earn £27625 and was told im not entitled to childcare cost and working tax credit. A : Hi Mae - Whether you are entitled to help with childcare costs through working tax credit is dependent on your income, the number of children you have and how much your weekly childcare costs are. It could be worth calling our Single Parent helpline on 0808 802 0925 to get this double checked with a full benefit check calculation to make sure the information you have been given is correct. Another possibility is that you may be able to get childcare vouchers from your employer. You would get the vouchers instead of part of your salary but would benefit from tax and national insurance exemption on the value of the vouchers up to a certain amount. For more information see the Daycare Trust factsheet “Help with childcare costs for working parents”: http://www.daycaretrust.org.uk/data/files/Information_Services/Factsheets/Help_with_childcare_costs_for_working_parents_April_2012.pdf
Gingerbread Alex:	Q : Berty Hi! I'm recently divorced and need to go back to work (I've been a stay-at-home mum for the past 5.5 years). I've heard that you need to work over 16 hours a week to claim help with childcare costs. Is that correct? I've heard that it's possible to claim "up to 70%" of the cost of childcare. Is that dependent on salary? Is there an upper limit for salary or for number of hours? Also, do you know the best way to maximise salary vs. the cost of childcare? A : Hi Berty. Yes, that is correct that you need to be working at least 16 hours a week to be able to claim Working Tax Credit which includes help with registered childcare costs. You can get up to 70% of £175 a week if you have childcare costs for one child, or up to 70% of £300 a week if you have childcare costs for two or more children. Yes, the amount of help with childcare costs that you can get is dependent on your salary (and also on what your income was in the last tax year), as well as the number of children you have and how much your weekly childcare costs are. We would suggest that you call our Single Parent helpline on 0808 802 0925 for advice on what your entitlement would be in your particular situation. If you have more than one option for how many hours you work and therefore how much your earnings and childcare costs would be in each case, we could offer you a ‘better off calculation’ to see overall what may be the best option for your to maximise your overall income, taking into account your childcare costs. You can also find out more information about how Tax Credits are calculated by reading our factsheet on benefits and tax credits: http://www.gingerbread.org.uk/factsheet/15/Benefits-and-tax-credits-if-you-work-16-hours-a-week-or-more
GingerbreadMishka:	Q : Question from Emily: I am returning to work on the 24th of this month but I have to pay my childcare costs upfront. The Job Centre have said they can pay the first week but that's it. How am Iepected to pay for this? I've made a claim for tax credits but that takes 8 weeks A : Hi Emily - You may qualify for a Job Grant of £250 which you could use towards these costs if you are starting a job of at least 16 hours a week and it is expected to last for at least 5 weeks. To qualify you must have been in receipt of one of a list of certain benefits including Income Support, income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance or Employment and Support Allowance for at least 26 weeks before starting work. Job grants are being abolished but they are still available up until the end of March 2013. However, those who only start to receive one of the list of certain benefits after 1st October 2012 will not be able to qualify. If you don’t qualify for a Job Grant, or if it is not enough to cover the childcare costs that you have to pay in advance, you may be able to get help from the Flexible Support Fund which is administered on a discretionary basis by Jobcentre Plus offices. The fund can make payments to cover expenses associated with taking up work or training. You have said that the Jobcentre has said they will only pay for the first week. If you don’t qualify for a Job Grant as well and will be unable to return to work without additional help with your advance childcare costs, you should explain this to your Jobcentre Plus adviser who may be able to increase the amount of help they can provide you with from the Flexible Support Fund.
Berty:	Thank you for your answer! It's really helpful. I'll call the Helpline in the future, too.
GingerbreadLucy:	You're welcome Berty - glad you found it useful!
Mel#1:	My daughter is 16 and has just had a baby. She wants to go back to college to do A levels but has no-one to look after the baby. I’d do it myself but I work full time. Do you know if there’s any help for her?
Gingerbread Alex:	Q : Question from Belinda: what help can u offer me with 2yrs son childcare as im seeking a job,as lone parent A : Hi Belinda. You may be able to get help from the Flexible Support Fund which is administered on a discretionary basis by Jobcentre Plus offices. The fund can make payments to cover expenses associated with taking up work or training. So, for example, you may be able to get help with childcare costs to attend interviews or do undertake some training or voluntary work to help improve your chances of getting a job. These funds are limited and discretionary and it is important to ask well in advance of when you need help with childcare. Some charities and trust funds may offer grants to help you with the cost of childcare, for example if you want to do a course to help you to get a job. These awards are discretionary and will depend on your circumstances. Turn2Us is an organisation which holds a list of charities and grants and can help you to search for any which you may be able to apply to. You can contact them on www.turn2us.org.ukIf you do start a job of at least 16 hours a week you can apply for Working Tax Credit which includes up to 70% of your registered childcare costs. How much you get depends on your income. For more information, see our factsheet on benefits and tax credits:http://www.gingerbread.org.uk/factsheet/15/Benefits-and-tax-credits-if-you-work-16-hours-a-week-or-more
GingerbreadMishka:	Q : Question from Charlotte: im at college single parent, applied for college funding with childcare but wait listed due to restricted funding is there any help i can get? i only need £42 a week A : Hi Charlotte - If you are under 20 years old and live in England, you can claim childcare costs through Care to Learn.http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/EducationAndLearning/14To19/MoneyToLearn/Caretolearn/index.htm If you are over 20, and your children are not 3-4 years old and therefore do not qualify for the free childcare places, then you could contact Turn2Us www.turn2us.org.uk or Family Action’s educational grants search http://www.family-action.org.uk/section.aspx?id=21211 to see if there any charitable grants that can assist in looking for the help with childcare costs.
Gingerbread Alex:	Q : Question from Mel#1: My daughter is 16 and has just had a baby. She wants to go back to college to do A levels but has no-one to look after the baby. I’d do it myself but I work full time. Do you know if there’s any help for her? A : Hi Mel. If your daughter lives in England she can claim help with her childcare costs from a government scheme called Care to Learn. The childcare your daughter uses must be registered with Ofsted. The maximum amount that your daughter can claim is £160 a week, or £175 a week if she lives in London. Care to Learn is available to parents under the age of 20 in England for part time or full time courses or learning programmes. For more information about Care to Learn, call the Learner Support helpline on 0800 121 8989 or visit the Directgov website at http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/EducationAndLearning/14To19/MoneyToLearn/Caretolearn/index.htm If your daughter lives in Wales then unfortunately Care to Learn is not available. She may instead be eligible for an Education Maintenance Allowance of up to £30 a week which can be used to help cover living expenses while she studies, including childcare. For more information, visit www.studentfinancewales.co.uk or contact the EMA Wales Customer Service team on 0845 602 8845.
GingerbreadMishka:	Q : Question from Astra: I am working with a young mother (age 19) who wants to return to College. However she would like to know is there any financail help she can get with child care costs? Her daughter is 9 months old and is therefore to young to stay in childcare provided by A : Hi Astra – You seem to have been cut short! As the mother is under 20, she can apply for Care to Learn if she is living in England. See the Directgov website for more information:http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/EducationAndLearning/14To19/MoneyToLearn/Caretolearn/index.htm If she is living in Wales, then she may find it useful to look at the Day-care Trusts factsheet on childcare options for FE students in Wales: http://www.daycaretrust.org.uk/data/files/Information_Services/Factsheets/Help_with_childcare_costs_for_students_in_Wales_April_2012.pdf
Wanda007:	Hi everyone, I’m 30 years old, on income support and have a 2 year old. I want to start a leisure & tourism course at my local college. Will I be able to get any help with childcare if I start the course? Thanks!!
Mel#1:	Thank you, I will call the helpline number you've given.
AndyC:	I have a question about help with pre-school costs please
GingerbreadLucy:	Hi AndyC - do you have a more specific question or are you looking for general information?
AndyC:	My wife recently passed away and I've been helped by the MacMillan benefit people to get sorted with an income. I'm currently on widowed parents allowance and I have 4 children at home. The youngest is 2 and has just started pre-school today. The sessions are quite expensive and I was wondering whether there is any help available until he is 3?
Gingerbread Alex:	Q : Wanda007 Hi everyone, I’m 30 years old, on income support and have a 2 year old. I want to start a leisure & tourism course at my local college. Will I be able to get any help with childcare if I start the course? Thanks!! A : Hi Wanda. If you contact your college you can ask if there are Discretionary Learner Support Funds available to help pay for childcare. If you have not yet registered for the course you could also speak to an adviser at your local Jobcentre. If they feel that your course will help you back into work they may be able to help you with expenses such as childcare through their Flexible Support Fund. If you cannot get funding elsewhere you may be able to apply for a Professional and Career Development Loan. This is a government sponsored bank loan which you do not have to repay until after you have finished your course. The interest rate is subsidised by the government and the government will pay the interest while you are studying. If the loan is for living expenses such as childcare costs it is treated as income and may reduce any benefits you receive. For more information or an application pack contact the National Careers Service on 0800 100 900 or see the following section of the Directgov website: http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/EducationAndLearning/AdultLearning/FinancialHelpForAdultLearners/CareerDevelopmentLoans/index.htm Another option is to apply for charitable grant help with the cost of childcare. Turn2Us is an organisation which holds a list of charities and grants and can help you to search for any which you may be able to apply to. You can contact them on www.turn2us.org.ukou can also search online for educational grants on the following website: http://www.family-action.org.uk/section.aspx?id=21211
GingerbreadMishka:	Q : Question from agyei: Provide funding/support with childcare cost A : Hi agyei - You haven’t provided much information, but we ourselves do not give funding for childcare. If you have children aged 3-4, they are entitled to 15 hours free childcare a week. If you are an undergraduate university student, you could claim 85% of your childcare costs through Student Finance. If you are working 16 hours a week or more, then you can claim up to 70% of your weekly childcare costs through working tax credit. We would need more information on your situation to advise you more. You could call us on the Gingerbread Single Parent helpline on 0808 802 0925 if you need more information.
LauraG:	I’m currently working 16 hours and receive tax credits and help with my child care costs. I’d like to work full time and my employer would let me do this but I’m worried that childcare for a full time job would be so expensive that I couldn’t afford it. Would I still get some help with childcare if I worked full time?
Wanda007:	Thanks so much Alex - really useful - I'll get looking into these grants and loans right now!
GingerbreadLucy:	Hi everyone - we have just a few minutes of the session left. AndyC and LauraG our advisers are just responding to you now...
Gingerbread Alex:	Q : Question from AndyC: My wife recently passed away and I've been helped by the MacMillan benefit people to get sorted with an income. I'm currently on widowed parents allowance and I have 4 children at home. The youngest is 2 and has just started pre-school today. The sessions are quite expensive and I was wondering whether there is any help available until he is 3? A : Hi Andy, I’m so sorry to hear about your loss. The Government is gradually introducing free early education to some two-year-olds. The two-year-old places are provided based on your child’s circumstances or on your family income. Your situation would need to be assessed, usually by a health visitor, social worker or similar, in order to decide whether your child would benefit from a place. Further information should be available from your health visitor. More places for two-year-olds in general are becoming available and it can depend on your particular area. For further information contact your local Family Information Service. You can find the contact details for your Family Information Service by visiting www.daycaretrust.org.uk/findyourFIS Another possibility is that you may be able to get help from charitable sources. Turn2Us is an organisation which holds a list of charities and grants and can help you to search for any which you may be able to apply to. You can contact them on www.turn2us.org.uk
GingerbreadMishka:	Q : Question from LauraG: I’m currently working 16 hours and receive tax credits and help with my child care costs. I’d like to work full time and my employer would let me do this but I’m worried that childcare for a full time job would be so expensive that I couldn’t afford it. Would I still get some help with childcare if I worked full time? A : Hi LauraG - If you increase your hours and your childcare costs increase by £10 or more a week for at least 4 weeks in a row, your higher childcare costs can be taken into account when calculating your entitlement to Tax Credits. This is providing your childcare costs will not be higher than the maximum amounts that can be taken into account. The maximum amount is £175 a week if you have childcare costs for one child or £300 a week if you have childcare costs for two or more children. Also, if you will be working for at least 30 hours a week you will become eligible for an extra amount in your Working Tax Credit called the 30-hour element. However, the amount of Tax Credits that you can receive depends on your income, so an increase in your income would affect the amount of Tax Credits that you can receive. We would suggest that you call our Single Parent Helpline on 0808 802 0925 for a Tax Credit calculation based on your particular circumstances. We would need to know certain details of your situation such as how many children you have, what your childcare costs would be, what you earnings are and what they would be if you increased your hours, and what your taxable income was in the last tax year. You may also find the following factsheets on our website helpful:http://www.gingerbread.org.uk/factsheet/15/Benefits-and-tax-credits-if-you-work-16-hours-a-week-or-more
AndyC:	Thank you for your advice. Much appreciated.
GingerbreadLucy:	Hi everyone, our session is at an end now - thank you for all your questions, and we hope you found the answers helpful. Remember you can ring our Single Parent Helpline for more detailed advice on your own situation. The number is free from most mobiles and landlines, and is 0808 802 0925. You can find the Helpline opening hours here: http://www.gingerbread.org.uk/content/425/Helpline Enjoy the rest of your week, Lucy

GingerbreadEmily:	Good morning everyone and welcome to today's online advice session. Our advisers are now ready to take your questions, fire away!
Kathy78:	Hi, I am starting a new job and I’m going to earn an extra £50 week than I do now. I’m worried that I will get less tax credits and I’ll also have to pay more rent and I won’t be able to make ends meet. Any advice? Thanks!
Maizie_D:	Hiya, I’ve been offered a new job and i’s for 25 hours a week and though I’ll earn more, about 55 week more, I’m worried about my tax credits going down and also the extra childcare that I’ll need and whether I will afford it. Can you help?
gwinny:	Hi starting a new job its 20 hrs a week and I,m concerned about what extra money I,ll get
victoria-1980:	Hello. I'm starting a self-employed freelance business. I assume that when I work more than 16hrs a week, I will tip into Jobseekers', but is it me who decides how many hours I declare? And what is the threshold of actual earnings in money? If I earn quite a lot for not many hours, what happens then?
gwinny:	How will our questions be answered
GingerbreadLucy:	Hi gwinny - our Advisers will be answering them in turn, so it just might take a couple of minutes for them to get through them. You'll see the answers pop up here, along with your question.
victoria-1980:	When I'm on benefits and self-employed part-time, what business expenses can I deduct when I'm declaring my earnings? Can you direct me to a source of information for self-employed combined with benefits? Thanks.
Gingerbread Jemima:	Q : Hi, I am starting a new job and I’m going to earn an extra £50 week than I do now. I’m worried that I will get less tax credits and I’ll also have to pay more rent and I won’t be able to make ends meet. Any advice? Thanks! A : Hi Kathy78, thanks for your question. Your tax credits are usually based on your income for the last tax year (so that’s April 2011/12). If your income is going to be more than £10,000 higher this tax year than the last tax year then your tax credits will need to change, but if your income is going to go up by less than £10,000 compared to last year, they might stay as they are. If your hours are increasing to more than 16 hours, and you were doing less than 16 hours before, then you should now be entitled to working tax credits. If your hours are increasing to over 30 hours, and you were doing less than 30 hours before the change, then they should increase a little bit (usually by about £15 a week). If you are claiming housing benefit and council tax benefit you should let your local council know about the new income so they can recalculate your benefit.If you are worried about the changes in the amount of benefits then call the Gingerbread Single Parent Helpline on 0808 802 0925 (calls are free from landlines and most mobiles) and one of the advisers can go through all the amounts with you, so that you know roughly how much your benefits will be.
Kathy78:	Thanks Gingerbread Jemima - that makes it a lot clearer!
S12399:	I am self employed after a long time on JSa, currently I am still technically unemployed as I go through the New Enterprise Allowance process. I will become officailly sel femployed on teh 13th of September. does the income from the New Enterprise allowance go to my busness or to me personally?
GingerbreadPolly:	Q : Hiya, I’ve been offered a new job and i’s for 25 hours a week and though I’ll earn more, about 55 week more, I’m worried about my tax credits going down and also the extra childcare that I’ll need and whether I will afford it. Can you help? A : Hi Mazie_D, even though you will be earning more per week, Tax Credits are based on how much you earn in the relevant tax year. In most cases, HMRC use the previous year’s annual income to calculate your Tax Credit entitlement. So, in your case, you are probably assessed on how much you earned between April 2011 and March 2012. As long as your income does not increase by £10000 or more, you can carry on using the 20111-2012 income for your Tax Credit assessment. This means, even though your weekly income will increase, your Tax Credits will not go down. However, if you now have childcare costs, or your childcare costs increase, you do need to tell HMRC as you can claim up to 70% of your weekly childcare costs through Working Tax Credit, so due to the increase in childcare costs, you may actually find your Tax Credits increase! Tax Credits are based on quite a complicated formula. However, as they are based on annual income your increase in wages this tax year means that next tax year (from April 2013) your Tax Credits will change due to it being assessed on the higher amount you earned altogether in this tax year (April 2012-March2013). Our factsheets can give you an overview of how Tax Credits work : http://www.gingerbread.org.uk/factsheet/15/Benefits-and-tax-credits-if-you-work-16-hours-a-week-or-more and http://www.gingerbread.org.uk/factsheet/20/Tax-credits-when-your-circumstances-change There may also be other benefits available to you such as Housing Benefit and Council Tax benefit. You can ring our helpline on 0808 802 0925 and speak to one of our advisers who will be able to give you accurate figures on how you will be affected and when to expect things to change.
Maizie_D:	Thanx, that's helful. Will give you a call later
Gingerbread Jemima:	Q : gwinny Hi starting a new job its 20 hrs a week and I,m concerned about what extra money I,ll get A : Hi gwinny, thanks for your question. If you are not in work at the moment, or your work less than 16 hours a week, you may find our online tool ‘moving from benefits to work’ useful. Here’s a link to it http://www.gingerbread.org.uk/content.aspx?CategoryID=814 If you are increasing your hours, then any benefits you receive might change. You should let all the benefits agencies know about your change in income, so this might be the Tax Credits Helpline, your local council if you are getting housing benefit or council tax benefit, or the job centre if you are claiming income support or jobseeker’s allowance. You might find it useful to look at the Gingerbread factsheet ‘Benefits and tax credits if you work 16 hours a week or more’. Here’s a link to it http://www.gingerbread.org.uk/FactSheetsDetail.aspx?FactSheetid=15&ref=http%3a%2f%2fwww.gingerbread.org.uk%2fFactsheets_ModuleResults.aspx%3fFactsheetCategoryID%3d1 If you’d like to go through all figures so you have an idea of how your benefits might change, call the Gingerbread Single Parent Helpline on 0808 802 0925 and an adviser can work it all out for you. Best of luck with your new job!
GingerbreadLucy:	Hi S12399 - we're answering you next - our advisers will just be a few minutes as we need to look a few things up!
gwinny:	Than you
GingerbreadPolly:	Q : victoria-1980 Hello. I'm starting a self-employed freelance business. I assume that when I work more than 16hrs a week, I will tip into Jobseekers', but is it me who decides how many hours I declare? And what is the threshold of actual earnings in money? If I earn quite a lot for not many hours, what happens then? A : Hi Victoria-1980, when you move in any kind of work, whether employed or self-employed, of 16 hours a week or more, you come off Jobseekers Allowance and move onto Working Tax Credits. Yes, you tell HMRC that you are now working 16 hours or more, and you then become entitled. How much you get, depends on your annual income, Tax Credits will use what your earned in 2011-2012 tax year (this figure can be found on your P60 that you will have received in April 2012). If you think your income in this tax year will be at least £10000 more than the 2011-2012 tax year, you need to use the current year for your Tax Credits to be calculated. There is no ‘earnings threshold’ as such unfortunately and Tax Credits are not based on a £ for £ basis whereby if you earned a pound more, you get a pound less in Tax Credits. In the first year of self-employment, it is common that there may not be a high income made. If your annual income is below £6420 over the whole tax year, then you will get the maximum amount of Tax credits available to you. When you start to earn over this amount, this is when your Tax Credits reduce, but not on a £ for £ basis, so to get an accurate look at what your Tax Credits would be, you can call our helpline on 0808 802 0925 and one of our advisers will be able to go through this with you thoroughly.
Tina_6977:	Hi. Unfortunately the demands of my current employer means I cannot carry on with it. I was wondering what I'll be entitled to if I can't work, or if I tried to study a postgraduate qualification part-time or full-time? I have a son who is 3 and a half and I own my own home.
Nicola_5779:	Hi, i have just got a part time teaching job, only 2-4 hours a week, but a good hourly rate (£15 p/hour) But i've been told i still have to move onto the work programme?? Also, i'm waiting to hear about New Enterprise Allowance but they are taking too long to review my business plan and my advisor has told me i'm no longer eligible; can i combine the few hours part time with self employment to make up 16 hours and get tax credits? Cheers!
victoria-1980:	Hi Polly, when you say at the beginning "come off Jobseekers and move onto Working Tax Credits" I'm not sure what you mean - I am on Income Support currently so do you mean I would move onto Jobseekers and Working Tax Credits once I am declaring more than 16hrs? (I'm a single parent with a 3 year old and a 6 year old)
victoria-1980:	I'm on income support and self-employed, currently with very few hours. If I declare 16hrs a week for a short time but then the work dries up again and goes back down, would I tip back into income support again, then back into JA if the amount of work goes up again? How does it work? Same goes for short temping contracts, I suppose.
GingerbreadPolly:	Q : Tina_6977 Hi. Unfortunately the demands of my current employer means I cannot carry on with it. I was wondering what I'll be entitled to if I can't work, or if I tried to study a postgraduate qualification part-time or full-time? I have a son who is 3 and a half and I own my own home. A : Hi Tina_6977, as you have a child under 5 years old, you can claim Income Support of £71 week. On top of this, you will also be able to get Child Tax Credit of £62 week, as well as the Child Benefit of £20.30. In addition to this you will get full Council Tax Benefit, so therefore not have to pay any Council Tax. As you have a mortgage, once you have been on Income Support for 13 weeks, you will be able to claim help with your mortgage interest through Income Support. How much you get depends on your outstanding amount and your interest rate. On Income Support, you can study full time or part time and there is no effect on your benefits. You can call our helpline on 0808 802 0925 to get an accurate look at how much help you will get towards your mortgage if you went on Income Support. You may also find our factsheet on income Support useful to read through http://www.gingerbread.org.uk/factsheet/26/Claiming-Income-Support-and-other-benefits
Tina_6977:	Thank you Polly! If I start a course, and my son turns 5 whilst I am part-way through, will I be expected to leave the course, or can I complete the year? Will all the other benefits still apply even if I'm studying?
Gingerbread Jemima:	Q : S12399 I am self employed after a long time on JSa, currently I am still technically unemployed as I go through the New Enterprise Allowance process. I will become officailly sel femployed on teh 13th of September. does the income from the New Enterprise allowance go to my busness or to me personally? A : Hi S12399, thanks for your question. The new Enterprise Allowance is not taxable income, As it is quite a complicated issue you might want to call a charity helpline called Working Families, their helpline number is 0300 012 0312, and here is a link to their website http://www.workingfamilies.org.uk/
Ccouillard:	Hello! Not sure how the live advice sessions works but here are my questions:I was on maternity leave for one year until the 1st of May. I have returned to my job but too cut a long story short, I have left my job last week with a three months salary package to set up my company. My savings are melting away and I’m pretty sure I won’t make much money for the first few months so I won’t be able to pay myself a salary. Can I start claiming income support? If so when shall I start doing the paperwork (my last salary will be paid end of November).
GingerbreadLucy:	Welcome Ccouillard! Our advisers are going through all the questions now, so once they get to yours you will see it pop up below.
GingerbreadPolly:	Q : victoria-1980 Hi Polly, when you say at the beginning "come off Jobseekers and move onto Working Tax Credits" I'm not sure what you mean - I am on Income Support currently so do you mean I would move onto Jobseekers and Working Tax Credits once I am declaring more than 16hrs? (I'm a single parent with a 3 year old and a 6 year old) I'm on income support and self-employed, currently with very few hours. If I declare 16hrs a week for a short time but then the work dries up again and goes back down, would I tip back into income support again, then back into JA if the amount of work goes up again? How does it work? Same goes for short temping contracts, I suppose. A : Hi Victoria-1980, sorry, there was confusion there as it didn’t state in your first question that you were on Income Support, but was in the second question. Apologies, as you mentioned Jobseekers Allowance, I assumed you were on that!
Gingerbread Jemima:	Q : Nicola_5779 Hi, i have just got a part time teaching job, only 2-4 hours a week, but a good hourly rate (£15 p/hour) But i've been told i still have to move onto the work programme?? Also, i'm waiting to hear about New Enterprise Allowance but they are taking too long to review my business plan and my advisor has told me i'm no longer eligible; can i combine the few hours part time with self employment to make up 16 hours and get tax credits? Cheers! A : Hi Nicola, thanks for your question. If you are claiming jobseeker’s allowance, then you can be referred to the Work Programme after a certain period of time. It sounds like you might be earning between £30 and £60 per week, which means you would still be entitled to a small amount of jobseeker’s allowance, so if you choose to continue claiming it, then you can still be referred to the Work Programme. Unfortunately the New Enterprise Allowance is not available for people who have been referred to the Work Programme already. If there are issues of you applying for the New Enterprise Allowance before your referral, and that it has been delayed, you might want to speak to one of our advisers to see if it might be possible to dispute the decision. The Gingerbread Single Parent Helpline number is 0808 802 0925 and is free from landlines and most mobiles. Yes, you can do a mixture of self employed hours and employed hours to make up the 16 a week for tax credits – that’s absolutely fine.
S12399:	thank you
GingerbreadPolly:	Q : victoria-1980 Hi Polly, when you say at the beginning "come off Jobseekers and move onto Working Tax Credits" I'm not sure what you mean - I am on Income Support currently so do you mean I would move onto Jobseekers and Working Tax Credits once I am declaring more than 16hrs? (I'm a single parent with a 3 year old and a 6 year old) I'm on income support and self-employed, currently with very few hours. If I declare 16hrs a week for a short time but then the work dries up again and goes back down, would I tip back into income support again, then back into JA if the amount of work goes up again? How does it work? Same goes for short temping contracts, I suppose. A : Hi Victoria-1980, sorry, there was confusion there as it didn’t state in your first question that you were on Income Support, but was in the second question. Apologies, as you mentioned Jobseekers Allowance, I assumed you were on that! No, if you are Income Support and want to work 16 hours a week or more, the Income Support stops and you claim Working Tax Credit. You do not claim jobseekers allowance. You cannot claim Working Tax Credits and jobseekers allowance/income support, you claim one or the other. If you start self-employment and you find that it is not working out or work dries up, then as your youngest child is under 5 years, you can simply claim Income Support again. You do not claim jobseekers at any point until your youngest child is over 5and you work less than 16 hours a week. Hope this clarifies the differences in the different benefits for you.
victoria-1980:	Ah, thank you Polly, I was definitely under the impression that once I worked 16 hrs I would move off Income Support and on to Jobseekers, hence my confusion. Sorry I wasn't more specific. I think I understand now...
Nicola_5779:	Thanks, if i choose to sign off and just get small amount of income from part time hours, can i still get housing ben?
Gingerbread Jemima:	Q : Ccouillard Not sure how the live advice sessions works but here are my questions:I was on maternity leave for one year until the 1st of May. I have returned to my job but too cut a long story short, I have left my job last week with a three months salary package to set up my company. My savings are melting away and I’m pretty sure I won’t make much money for the first few months so I won’t be able to pay myself a salary. Can I start claiming income support? If so when shall I start doing the paperwork (my last salary will be paid end of November). A : Hi Ccouillard, thanks for your question. It will depend on the details of the package you received when you left your job, and how much it is worth, so it is quite difficult to give you a definite answer on this one I’m afraid. Some payments after you leave a job are counted as ‘capital’ and you cannot claim income support if you have £16,000 or more in capital. There are quite complicated rules about how payments after you have left work are treated for benefits purposes, so I think you might find it helpful to call the Gingerbread Single Parent Helpline on 0808 802 0925, and an adviser can go through the details of what benefits you are entitled to. It would be useful if you have the details of the payment when you call.
Gingerbread Jemima:	Q : Nicola_5779 Thanks, if i choose to sign off and just get small amount of income from part time hours, can i still get housing ben? A : Hi Nicola, yes you can. You will need to let the local council know the situation as they will be informed by the job centre that you have signed off. It means they will have to recalculate your housing benefit and council tax benefit based on your income. As your income is going to be less than jobseeker’s allowance, the amount of your housing benefit and council tax benefit should stay the same as it is now. Hope that helps!
GingerbreadPolly:	Q : Tina_6977: Thank you Polly! If I start a course, and my son turns 5 whilst I am part-way through, will I be expected to leave the course, or can I complete the year? Will all the other benefits still apply even if I'm studying? A : Hi Tina_6977, yes, all the benefits I mentioned apply if you are studying whether it be part, or full time. The only slight difference is that if studying full time, you don’t claim Council Tax Benefit as full time students are automatically exempt form paying Council Tax, so you just need a certificate of exemption from your university (these are normally available at the beginning of the academic year from Student Service within the university) and send it to your local Council Tax dept. If you are studying part time, you claim full Council Tax benefit. Unfortunately, you must have enrolled on the course of study before 21 May 2012 to enable you to carry on the full time course, once your child turned 5. If you are studying full time when your child turns 5, you will not be able to claim JSA as you cannot be a full time student and claim JSA. You can claim JSA once your child is 5 if you are a part time student however. You still have to fulfil the JSA conditions of looking for 16 hours a week work whilst studying part time. It might be helpful to have a look at our factsheets http://www.gingerbread.org.uk/factsheet/30/Claiming-Jobseeker’s-Allowance-and-other-benefits as well as http://www.gingerbread.org.uk/factsheet/32/Single-parents-and-Jobseeker’s-Allowance-–-special-rules and http://www.gingerbread.org.uk/factsheet/13/Money-for-higher-education-students
Ccouillard:	ok Jemina, thanks. They are going to pay me on a monthly basis over a 3 months period. My capital is below £16K but I guess it makes it difficult for me to claim anything in terms of income support for that period of time. I'll give a call to the help line this afternoon to the helpline.
GingerbreadLucy:	Hi guys, I'm afraid that's all we have time for now. Remember we have an online guide on this topic you can access any time here: http://gingerbread.org.uk/content/604/Tailored-advice and you can always ring our free Helpline for detailed advice on 0808 802 0925. Thanks for all your questions!
victoria-1980:	Thank you
Ccouillard:	thanks
Nicola_5779:	Thanks
Tina_6977:	Thank you!

GingerbreadEmily:	Morning everyone! Welcome to today's session - our advisers are now online, ready to take your questions
GingerbreadEmily:	We had a question posted for us on our Facebook page from Judy - I'll post the question up now for our advisers
GingerbreadEmily:	Judy: I want to know how much my ex's JSA conditions will affect the extent of support he can give me with childcare over the next 6-7 weeks. He is reluctant to commit to any help, and it feels like he uses the jobcentre rules as an excuse to me! The children are 13 and 11
Squirrel56:	Can I get childcare paid for me when I have to sign on over the holidays?[ProcessingInstruction]
Gingerbread Kate:	Q : Judy: I want to know how much my ex's JSA conditions will affect the extent of support he can give me with childcare over the next 6-7 weeks. He is reluctant to commit to any help, and it feels like he uses the jobcentre rules as an excuse to me! The children are 13 and 11 A : Hi Judy, if your ex is not treated as the parent who has the day to day caring responsibilities for the child, then he would normally be required to be actively seeking and available for work for 40 hours per week. There are special rules for single parents who claim Job Seeker’s Allowance to take account of their caring responsibilities, but these do not extend to the parent who does not have the day to day care. Generally job-seekers have to sign on every two weeks so he will have to go into the Job Centre on these days, but the other steps and obligations he has to fulfill will depend on what is set out in his job-seekers agreement, for example, he may have to undertake training or work experience, particularly if he is on the Work Programme.
Gingerbread Alex:	Q : Squirrel56: Can I get childcare paid for me when I have to sign on over the holidays? A : Hi Squirrel56, if you need childcare generally in order to sign on and look for work and there is no affordable or appropriate childcare available whilst your children are on their holidays, then the Job Centre should accept that you cannot look for work during this period. You should continue to receive your JSA regardless of this. This is called ‘being treated as available for work’. In some cases the Job Centre may ask you to sign on by post.
hels82:	Hi, I have been offered a voluntary work placement but it is during the holidays and I don’t have any family nearby who could look after my son. There is a play scheme locally but I can’t afford it. Is there any way I can get help to pay for it?
LucyJane:	Hi there. Because I’m not working I haven’t arranged any childcare for the school holidays as I can’t afford it. My youngest child is now 5 and I am on Jobseekers Allowance and am constantly applying for jobs, but if I do manage to get a job I won’t have any childcare in place until the kids go back to school!!! Will I be able to put off starting working until September? [ProcessingInstruction]
Gingerbread Kate:	Q : hels82 Hi, I have been offered a voluntary work placement but it is during the holidays and I don’t have any family nearby who could look after my son. There is a play scheme locally but I can’t afford it. Is there any way I can get help to pay for it? A : Hi Hels82, you may be able to get some help from your local Job Centre’s Flexible Support Fund, speak to your adviser about the placement and how it will enable you to move into work more quickly. Unfortunately, it is a discretionary fund which means it is up to the Job Centre to decide whether they will meet these costs; you don't have a right to them. Alternatively, if your son is aged between 3 and 4 you should be entitled to 15 hours of free early years childcare. Speak to your local Family Information Service to find out about your local childcare providers.
Gingerbread Alex:	Q : LucyJane: Hi there. Because I’m not working I haven’t arranged any childcare for the school holidays as I can’t afford it. My youngest child is now 5 and I am on Jobseekers Allowance and am constantly applying for jobs, but if I do manage to get a job I won’t have any childcare in place until the kids go back to school!!! Will I be able to put off starting working until September? A : Hi LucyJane, if you are offered a job and are worried that you won’t be able to take it because you don’t have childcare you should tell your adviser. If childcare is available but you can’t afford it because you haven’t started work yet there may be discretionary funds available from the Jobcentre’s Flexible Support Fund to help you. If you’ve been receiving benefits continuously for 26 weeks before you start work you may also be entitled to a one off job grant of £250 to help with the expenses involved in starting work. If you have to refuse a job because there is no childcare available you should discuss this with an adviser. The Jobcentre will decide if it is reasonable for you to refuse the job due to lack of childcare. If they decide it is not reasonable your Jobseekers Allowance may be affected. If your Jobseekers Allowance is stopped you can appeal against the decision and apply for hardship payments until the appeal is heard. If you do need to appeal I suggest you contact your local Citizens Advice Bureau for help in making the appeal http://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/index.htm
hels82:	Great, thanks!
GingerbreadEmily:	Welcome to everyone who's just joined us!
k2m:	Hello. I am a single mum with 3 children all on summer hols from monday. Iam on JSA but have been offered job starting in sept. What do i do for the 6 weeks of hols? If i stop looking for work my benefit stops but i have a job lined up and i have no childcare for summer.
Gingerbread Kate:	Q : k2m: Hello. I am a single mum with 3 children all on summer hols from monday. Iam on JSA but have been offered job starting in sept. What do i do for the 6 weeks of hols? If i stop looking for work my benefit stops but i have a job lined up and i have no childcare for summer. A : Hi K2M, there is a rule in the Job Seeker’s Allowance Regulations which says that if you are unable to find affordable or appropriate childcare during the school holidays, the Job Centre should accept that you are not available to take up work over this period. Explain to your adviser that you cannot afford childcare for 3 children over the 6 week summer holidays and they should treat you as if you are available for work. Your Job Seeker’s Allowance will continue during periods that you are treated as available for work. You can find this information in our factsheet ‘Single Parents and jobseeker’s allowance – special rules’ in the Advice and Information section of our website.
k2m:	Thank you very much
GingerbreadEmily:	Just to let you all know - to coincide with today's session, we have a new factsheet out which includes information about childcare and being available for work called 'Claiming jobseeker's allowance and other benefits' which you can view or download here: http://gingerbread.org.uk/factsheet/30/Claiming-Jobseeker’s-Allowance-and-other-benefits
Elmtreemummy:	Hi there, hope you can help me. I am on the work programme and have been told that I must attend a 2 week computer course. I would like to do the course but it is during the school holidays and I will have no childcare for my 2 children. I asked the Family Information Service for details of childcare in the area but there is none nearby as I live in a rural area. The relative who normally helps out with childcare has become ill and is no longer able to help. I explained this to my employment adviser but she told me that there would be a sanction if I did not go to the course. I don’t know how I will manage if they stop my benefits. Is there anything I can do?
Gingerbread Alex:	Q : Elmtreemummy Hi there, hope you can help me. I am on the work programme and have been told that I must attend a 2 week computer course. I would like to do the course but it is during the school holidays and I will have no childcare for my 2 children. I asked the Family Information Service for details of childcare in the area but there is none nearby as I live in a rural area. The relative who normally helps out with childcare has become ill and is no longer able to help. I explained this to my employment adviser but she told me that there would be a sanction if I did not go to the course. I don’t know how I will manage if they stop my benefits. Is there anything I can do? A : A. Hi Elmtreemummy, single parents don’t have to follow an instruction given by an employment adviser, such as taking up a course or a job, where there is no appropriate or affordable childcare available. You should provide your adviser with as much supporting evidence as you can to show that there is no childcare available in your area – perhaps the list of childcare providers from the Family Information Service – and explain that your usual carer is ill. Try to keep a copy of any documents you give to the adviser. Your adviser will pass this to a Jobcentre Plus decision maker who will decide if they agree that there is no appropriate childcare available to you. If you disagree with their decision you can appeal against it. If your Jobseekers Allowance is stopped you can apply for hardship payments until the appeal is heard. If you do need to appeal you can contact your local Citizens Advice Bureau for help in making the appeal http://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/index.htm
Elmtreemummy:	Ok, thanks. Good to know there's something I can do.
GingerbreadEmily:	Thank you for all your questions today. Our session's now coming to a close. If you have any last minute questions, post them up now.
cressida2:	Hi there,I am a single mum with a 7 year old. I live over 200 miles from my family & have no suitable friends who could care for my daughter if I were to secure a job interview. The town I live in is in a rural area with high unemployment . Child care is very difficult to access with few providers. I have no-one to care for my child,even for the shortest time.The Jobcentre has been consistently hostile & aggressive,bullying me into applying for unsuitable jobs (full time nights are a favourite with them) & telling me I will be sent to a Compliance officer if i don't secure at least 2 interviews a week. I can't get a straight answer from anyone at the JC as to what I should do with my daughter if I have to attend an interview.My daughter's male biological parent has not been seen since she was 3 months old & has no part in her care so cannot be called upon.What are my options please? I will confess to be dreading the next few signing on sessions.The JC staff take seeming pleasure in humiliating me in front of my daughter,I have taken to recording my signing on appointments on my MP3
Gingerbread Alex:	Q : cressida2 Hi there,I am a single mum with a 7 year old. I live over 200 miles from my family & have no suitable friends who could care for my daughter if I were to secure a job interview. The town I live in is in a rural area with high unemployment . Child care is very difficult to access with few providers. I have no-one to care for my child,even for the shortest time.The Jobcentre has been consistently hostile & aggressive,bullying me into applying for unsuitable jobs (full time nights are a favourite with them) & telling me I will be sent to a Compliance officer if i don't secure at least 2 interviews a week. I can't get a straight answer from anyone at the JC as to what I should do with my daughter if I have to attend an interview.My daughter's male biological parent has not been seen since she was 3 months old & has no part in her care so cannot be called upon.What are my options please? I will confess to be dreading the next few signing on sessions.The JC staff take seeming pleasure in humiliating me in front of my daughter,I have taken to recording my signing on appointments on my MP3 A : Hi Cressida2, I’m sorry that you are having so many difficulties with this. Single parents with a child under 13 can limit the hours they are expected to work to the child’s usual school hours so they should not be expecting you to look for work at night. If you have to attend an interview you should be given 48 hours notice however if your caring responsibilities make it unreasonable for you to do this you can ask for up to 7 days notice. If you cannot find appropriate childcare you do not have to follow an instruction given by your adviser but the job centre must agree that there is no appropriate and affordable childcare. Try to provide as much evidence as you can to support your argument. During the school holidays if you cannot find appropriate childcare and the jobcentre agrees that there is none available then you can still be treated as available for work and you wouldn’t have to look for work during this period. As you seem to have received very poor treatment you may want to consider making a formal complaint. The complaints procedure can be found here http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/employment/jobseekers/contactjobcentreplus/dg_186391. There is a useful factsheet setting out all the special rules for single parents claiming jobseekers allowance on the Gingerbread website at http://gingerbread.org.uk/factsheet/32/Single-parents-and-Jobseeker’s-Allowance-–-special-rules. You will find references to the jobseekers allowance rules in this factsheet that you may find helpful to include in your complaint. You may wish to contact the local Citizens Advice Bureau for help in making a complaint http://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/index.htm
GingerbreadEmily:	Thanks everyone, the session's now finished for today. We hope you have found it useful - Keep a look out for the next one we will be running next month. If you still have questions you'd like to ask our team, give our free helpline a call on 0808 802 0925

SoloMamma:	Hi, I've just been offered a place on a GDL course (Graduate Diploma Law - law conversion course) at Uni, but have discovered that I am not eligible for a student loan. I was told that as I already have a first degree I am not entitled to take out a second student loan - I paid off my first loan many years ago now. Is that correct? I will soon be coming off maternity allowance, and have been told that once I have, I will be eligible for full income support, mortgage interest help, council tax benefit. Will I be able to continue claiming all this support whilst studying? Do I need to have been on income support for some time already for it to continue whilst I study, or will it be Okay if I have only recently had to sign on, a month before I start? As I am not eligible for the student loan, I have also been told that I will not be eligible for any childcare support (85% reduction in costs) or any special grants for single parent students - is this correct? Are there any other places I can turn to? I am concerned that I may not be able to accept the place without any of these additional grants being available to me. Fortunately my father has offered to pay the fees but cannot help any further than that. Many thanks
Sarah-jane_1290:	Hi
Sarah-jane_1290:	Hi
Sarah-jane_1290:	Hi I completed my first degree in 1998. I am thinking about retraining to be a nurse. I have an eight year old boy. I currently live in Windsor but want to study and move to Inverness. I would be applying to start a nursing degree on September 2013. I currently work 17.5 hours per week as an administrator. Would the government 'allow' me to first of all give up my current job to move to Scotland or would I have to have a job waiting for me? Secondly, can I give up what ever job I get in Scotland to return to full time study? What help will I get to study a nursing degree? Can I still claim housing benefit and tax credits? Is there a bursary? As a single parent am I allowed to choose full time education over employment or does the government expect me to work as well? I am 37 and I am lucky enough to have a housing association flat that I can hopefully swap with someone near Inverness. Thanks for your help.
Sarah-jane_1290:	I forgot to ask if i will be eligible for help with childcare costs as well, i.e. breakfast, after school clubs, half terms and summer holidays. Thanks
GingerbreadEmily:	Hi Sarah-Jane, welcome to today's session. Our advisers will be able to answer your question shortly in about fifteen minutes.
GingerbreadEmily:	Welcome to today's session - our expert advisers are now online to take your questions. As this is quite a complex subject, it would be useful for us if you state whether you currently live in England or Wales and where you want to study and also for some funding it may depend on your age, so if you don't mind disclosing that it would be helpful - thanks!
KaytiiB5:	Hi, i have a 9 month old baby and on income support and tax credits plus child beneift. i want to train as a midwife, which means going to universityr 3 years, its a full time course would i get help for childcare? also would it effect my benefits by doing the course?
KaytiiB5:	ps i am 21 years olda nd live in england.
Gingerbread Sam:	Q : SoloMamma: Hi, I've just been offered a place on a GDL course (Graduate Diploma Law - law conversion course) at Uni, but have discovered that I am not eligible for a student loan. I was told that as I already have a first degree I am not entitled to take out a second student loan - I paid off my first loan many years ago now. Is that correct? I will soon be coming off maternity allowance, and have been told that once I have, I will be eligible for full income support, mortgage interest help, council tax benefit. Will I be able to continue claiming all this support whilst studying? Do I need to have been on income support for some time already for it to continue whilst I study, or will it be Okay if I have only recently had to sign on, a month before I start? As I am not eligible for the student loan, I have also been told that I will not be eligible for any childcare support (85% reduction in costs) or any special grants for single parent students - is this correct? Are there any other places I can turn to? I am concerned that I may not be able to accept the place without any of these additional grants being available to me. Fortunately my father has offered to pay the fees but cannot help any further than that. Many thanks A : Hi SoloMamma. Unfortunately it is our understanding that you will not be entitled to a student loan or the childcare grant but there may be other places you could go to for support. Aside from looking into whether a law firm will sponsor you, you may be able to apply to your university’s Access to Learning Fund if you are studying in England or the Financial Contingency Fund if you are studying in Wales. These funds are discretionary and so it will be down to your university to decide what types of expenses you can apply for and who is eligible for help – the student support services at the university should be able to advise on this. It may also be worth seeing if there are any grants available from charities or trust funds to help with your general living expenses or something more specific such as money towards the cost of your travel or books and equipment or childcare. You can contact the Educational Grants Advisory Service (EGAS) on 020 7241 7459 to search for suitable grants. Finally, if you are unable to find any grants (which you do not have to repay) you could look into a Professional and Career Development Loan. This is a government-sponsored bank loan, which you do not have to repay until you have finished your course. You can find out more about this by visiting the directgov website (http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/EducationAndLearning/AdultLearning/FinancialHelpForAdultLearners/CareerDevelopmentLoans/index.htm) or calling the National Careers Service on 0800 100 900. If you are not entitled to a student loan or alternative funding towards your living costs you can continue to claim income support, help for mortgage interest and child benefit and tax credit. If you are studying full time you should be exempt from paying council tax. There are no rules about how long you have been claiming income support and studying and so it should not affect your claim if you have not been claiming this benefit for very long. If you do receive funding for your living expenses from another source this may affect your entitlement to income support but this will depend on how much receive. You may want to call our Single Parent Helpline on 0808 802 0925 for a calculation of your benefit entitlement based on your individual circumstances.
GingerbreadRosy:	Q : Sarah-jane_1290: Hi I completed my first degree in 1998. I am thinking about retraining to be a nurse. I have an eight year old boy. I currently live in Windsor but want to study and move to Inverness. I would be applying to start a nursing degree on September 2013. I currently work 17.5 hours per week as an administrator. Would the government 'allow' me to first of all give up my current job to move to Scotland or would I have to have a job waiting for me? Secondly, can I give up what ever job I get in Scotland to return to full time study? What help will I get to study a nursing degree? Can I still claim housing benefit and tax credits? Is there a bursary? As a single parent am I allowed to choose full time education over employment or does the government expect me to work as well? I am 37 and I am lucky enough to have a housing association flat that I can hopefully swap with someone near Inverness. Thanks for your help. A : Hi Sarah Jane 2090. As you are planning to study in Scotland, we are not in a position to advise you but you can get the advice you need from One Parent Families Scotland by ringing their helpline: 0808 801 0323. They are open for advice on Mon-Thu 9.30am-3pm and on Fri 12.30pm-3pm. Their website is: www.opfs.org.uk
Gingerbread Sam:	Q : KaytiiB5 Hi, i have a 9 month old baby and on income support and tax credits plus child beneift. i want to train as a midwife, which means going to universityr 3 years, its a full time course would i get help for childcare? also would it effect my benefits by doing the course? A : Hi KaytiiB5. If you are going to university to become a midwife you can apply for to the NHS for a bursary to help with your living costs which you do not have to repay and a childcare grant which can cover up to 85% of the cost of your childcare. You can also apply for a reduced rate student loan from student finance. When assessing whether you are entitled to means-tested benefits such as income support or housing benefit, the funding you receive is taken into account. However benefits such as child benefit and child tax credit are not affected by any student funding and as a student you will be exempt from paying council tax. It can depend on how much you receive in bursaries and loans as to how your benefits are affected but you can call our Single Parent Helpline on 0808 802 0925 for a calculation.
Sarah-jane_1290:	Thanks for your help Rosy; I'll phone One Parent Families Scotland. All the best.
GingerbreadEmily:	Hi - We have a question that was left on our website from Kayleigh135 - Hi! I am due to start a childcare course at college in september and as part of the course you have to be in a work placement for 16 hours a week. I have secured the placement and it is voluntary, does volutary work affect your benefits? Do i tell the job centre about the course and placement? Also i'd like to find out if there is any funding available to help pay for the course? My son is 3 1/2 and starting nursery in september and im claiming income support. Thank you.
GingerbreadEmily:	We also have another question on our website from Roobear - Hello! I am due to start a social work BA in September. I will be getting all the usual student finance; however I will also be getting an NHS social work bursary of £4975 per year. This bursary is described as 'an incentive to study social work', by the NHS Business Services Authority, but they do not specify exactly what it is for. Therefore, I am rather concerned as to whether the council will be using my bursary as part of their calculations for my HB entitlement. Most people spend the bursary on books, partial fee payments and travel to placements, which is what I plan to do. If I tell the council this, will my bursary be disregarded from their calculations? Thank you and sorry for the essay!
GingerbreadEmily:	Hi Flopsybella, If you wouldn't mind reposting your question in here, one of our expert advisers will answer it for you now - Thanks [MSNImage=1.gif]
Flopsybella:	Hi. I hope to start a Social Work BA in September. I currently receive income support and council tax benefit and help with my mortgage interest. I received a student grant in 1991 to do an HND in Hotel and Catering this was all paid off about 10 years ago. I understand I will be eligible for the NHS bursary and I hope a student grant for fees/maintenance, also a disability grant as I am dyslexic. How will this effect my benefits. Also the course is for 4 days a week finishing at 4pm and while on placement I will have to work normal working hours, I have 3 children (12,9 and 4) will I be able to get any help with childcare costs? Thanks for any advice you can give me.
Gingerbread Sam:	Hi Kayleigh135, thank you for posting your question earlier. If you are studying and doing voluntary work it does not affect your income support claim (unless you are receiving any financial support for your living costs). You have a duty to report any changes that could affect your benefit and so it would be a good idea to let the jobcentre know you are studying. If your adviser at the jobcentre agrees that the course is likely to lead to employment, they may agree to offer some financial support through the Flexible Support Fund, however this is entirely down to your adviser’s discretion. You could ask at the college whether you can get fee remission to pay for the fees of the course – whether you do will depend on your age and whether you have any other qualifications already. The college should also have a Discretionary Learner Support Fund if you are in England or a Financial Contingency Fund if you are in Wales which you can apply to for discretionary help with funding a course. As we have suggested above, you might be eligible for a grant from a charity or trust fund to help with the costs of the course. You can contact the Educational Grants Advisory Service (EGAS) on 020 7241 7459 to search for suitable grants. If you are unable to find any grants, as a last resort you could look into a Professional and Career Development Loan to pay for the fees or other costs such as childcare. This is a government-sponsored bank loan, which you do not have to repay until you have finished your course. You can find out more about this by visiting the directgov website (http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/EducationAndLearning/AdultLearning/FinancialHelpForAdultLearners/CareerDevelopmentLoans/index.htm) or calling the National Careers Service on 0800 100 900.[ProcessingInstruction]
GingerbreadRosy:	Hi Roobear[ProcessingInstruction] Any part of your student support that is for maintenance will be counted as income for the purpose of calculating your housing benefit. So the maximum amount of maintenance loan you are entitled from student finance will count as income. From this you can deduct the amount of the loan that is for books and equipment, which is £380 unless otherwise specified. A fixed amount of £295 is deducted for travel costs unless a specified amount is stated instead. £10 per week is also deducted. The bursary is likely to count in full if it is for maintenance, ie, for general living costs. So you would need some evidence in the award document of what it is for in order for the DWP to ignore it for the housing benefit calculation. Without that, you can try to list out what you will expect to use it for but the DWP may not accept that. Have a look at the factsheet on our website called “Money for higher education students” on www.gingerbread.org.uk under A-Z of Factsheets. If you need more help, ring our helpline on 0808 802 9025
GingerbreadEmily:	Another question from our website is from Alice6579 who asked: Hi I have a place at uni but am not entitled to studnet loans as I am still paying my initial loan from 1992. I am entiitled to an NHS bursary, and all the extras. I cannot add any student finance to this. Will I be eligible for any housing benefit help?
Gingerbread Sam:	Hi Alice6579. Thank you for your question that you posted on the website. The rules about funding when you have already had funding in the past are quite complicated and so we can’t advise on the student loan without a bit more information. We would suggest contacting the student support services of the university you are going to study at for some advice on this. If you are studying you can claim housing benefit as a single parent but the amount you receive will be affected by your student income. Once you know how much you are going to receive you can contact our single parent helpline on 0808 802 0925 for a calculation. If you are only entitled to only a small amount of housing benefit you can request a discretionary housing payment which can be made in addition to housing benefit to help pay your rent if you are experiencing difficulties. You can request this from your local housing benefit office and you may have to provide them with details of your income and outgoings, including details of the repayments you are making for the outstanding student loan.[ProcessingInstruction]
Gingerbread Sam:	Q : from gemma_68: Hi I'm planning to study mental health nursing, what are the benefits i m going to have? Will it sustain my 3 under 16 kids? A : Hi gemma_68. Thank you for posting your question on the website. If you studying Nursing at degree level you may be eligible to apply for a bursary from the NHS, which includes an allowance for any children you have. For more details about how much you would be eligible for you can visit the NHS bursary website: www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk which has a calculator to help you work out how much support you will get. You may also be eligible for a reduced rate student loan from Student Finance who you can call in England on 0845 300 5090 or in Wales on 0845 602 8845. The benefits you are entitled to will depend on whether you are studying full or part time, the age of your children, whether you are working as well as studying and how much student finance you are going to receive. If you call our Single Parent helpline on 0808 802 0925 we can go through what benefits you will be entitled to claim and work out how much your weekly income will be to help you decide whether you can afford to study whilst looking after your 3 kids.
GingerbreadRosy:	Q : Flopsybella Hi. I hope to start a Social Work BA in September. I currently receive income support and council tax benefit and help with my mortgage interest. I received a student grant in 1991 to do an HND in Hotel and Catering this was all paid off about 10 years ago. I understand I will be eligible for the NHS bursary and I hope a student grant for fees/maintenance, also a disability grant as I am dyslexic. How will this effect my benefits. Also the course is for 4 days a week finishing at 4pm and while on placement I will have to work normal working hours, I have 3 children (12,9 and 4) will I be able to get any help with childcare costs? Thanks for any advice you can give me. A : Hi Fopsybella, Where you have studied in the past, the rules are very complicated about getting student finance to do a degree, so please check that out with Student Finance England (www.direct.gov.uk/studentfinance) or Student Finance Wales (www.studentfinancewales.co.uk) . If not you should get financial help from the NHS www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk. The NHS scheme provides the bursary you mention and an additional grant, the parents learning allowance and a Childcare allowance of 85% of childcare (childcare is limited to £255 per week for two or more children). Normally the bursary and additional grant are also taken into account as they are for living costs, but any part that is earmarked for fees, books or travel will not be taken into account. The parents learning allowance and childcare grant will not affect your benefits. Most students will have too much student finance/bursaries to qualify for income support but where you are in addition getting help with your mortgage, you may still qualify for a small amount of income support until your youngest child reaches the age of five. This is a fulltime course and so you should not have to pay council tax during the time you are studying. Do download our factsheet called “Money for higher education students” on www.gingerbread.org.uk under A-Z of factsheets and then if you would like more help, ring our helpline on 0808 802 0925.
GingerbreadEmily:	Thanks for all your questions today - we hope you found it useful. Look out for our next session that we will be running in July and don't forget, you can view the transcript of today's session in the Past Sessions section on our Online Advice Sessions page.

Helen_7255:	hello, my mum lives in Austria and my sister went over last year and had to get her children's visas signed by their dad, even though he went with them and guessed it was because as she had a different surname to her children. My question is, I'm planning on going over soon and my daughter has the same surname as me, lives with me full time (only sees her dad once a month) but he is on the birth certificate. Would they want her dad to sign the visa to give permisson for me to take her?
GingerbreadPolly:	Q : Helen_7255 hello, my mum lives in Austria and my sister went over last year and had to get her children's visas signed by their dad, even though he went with them and guessed it was because as she had a different surname to her children. My question is, I'm planning on going over soon and my daughter has the same surname as me, lives with me full time (only sees her dad once a month) but he is on the birth certificate. Would they want her dad to sign the visa to give permisson for me to take her? A : Hi Helen_7255! You would need to ask the Austrian embassy what their requirements are for a child entering that country and who needs to give consent for the visa to be issued, as this is falls under Austrian law requirements as opposed to English law.
JellyBabies:	If you're a British subject you don't need a visa for Austria
Helen_7255:	how can I contact them please?
GingerbreadPolly:	Q : Helen_7255 how can I contact them please? A : Hi Helen-7255, the Austrian Embassy website is http://www.bmeia.gv.at/en/embassy/london.html
Jane_5779:	You don't need a Visa but Austria are one country within the EU who have additional requirements in respect of single parents travelling with their children and normally require a notorized letter of consent with regards to entering/leaving the country...how old is your child Helen?
Helen_7255:	You do need a visa though as my sister has not long in been and she had to apply for one for each of her party. My daughter is 4years old, will be 5 by the time we go
GingerbreadLucy:	Hi everyone - just to be clear that we're not experts outside of English law, so please do contact the right embassy to find out more.
hels82:	Hi guys, my ex wants to take our children away for two weeks over the summer holidays. I’m not happy about them going, but he is saying that I can’t stop him taking them and have to give him their passports so they can go. Do I have to do this?
JellyBabies:	Why do you want to stop your children having a holiday Hels? Surely it would be a good thing for them?
Abi123:	Hi everyone - I am planning to take my kids on holiday to France for 2 weeks at the start of the school summer holidays. However, my ex-husband has emailed me saying he wanted to take the kids to visit his parents then. Can I take them to France as planned? Thanks
Gingerbread Alex:	Q : hels82 Hi guys, my ex wants to take our children away for two weeks over the summer holidays. I’m not happy about them going, but he is saying that I can’t stop him taking them and have to give him their passports so they can go. Do I have to do this? A : Hi Hels 82, you don’t have to give him the passports and he does actually need your consent to take the children abroad. However, if you don’t agree he would have the option of applying to court for permission to take the children away. The court would consider what is in the best interests and there would need to be a good reason for refusing him permission to take the children on holiday. It would be a good idea to try and reach an agreement about holidays. If your ex has parental responsibility you would also need his consent to take the children abroad on holiday.
Helen_7255:	Thanks for your advice Polly, will contact them later and ask [MSNImage=1.gif]
Jane_5779:	I'm surprised you need a visa Helen if you have a British Passport and are British Citizens....your child s dad will have parental responsibility so you will be more than likely need a notorized consent letter.
hels82:	Thank you Alex
Helen_7255:	Sorry Jane I just realised I spelt it wrong it is Australia we going lol
GingerbreadPolly:	Q : Abi123 Hi everyone - I am planning to take my kids on holiday to France for 2 weeks at the start of the school summer holidays. However, my ex-husband has emailed me saying he wanted to take the kids to visit his parents then. Can I take them to France as planned? Thanks A : Hi Abi123! As your ex-husband as parental responsibility, this means that you both have to come to an agreement about what is going to happen over the holidays and who is going to take the children away when. Both of you need to try and come to an agreement and compromise about how this will work. If you are finding it difficult to discuss this with your ex-husband, then you could consider mediation to help you resolve this issue. If you are unable to come to an agreement through mediation, then the matter would need to go before a court and they would make the decision based on what is going to be best for the children.
Jane_5779:	Yes...you will need visa's then....best contact Australian Embassy ....they will be strict too on entrance requirements
e85:	Hello, my new partner would like to take me and my son away on holiday abroad but my son’s dad has his passport and won’t give it to me. What can I do?
Abi123:	Thanks Polly, I hope it won't go as far as the courts - I'll try coming to an agreement with him.
Gingerbread Alex:	Q : e85 Hello, my new partner would like to take me and my son away on holiday abroad but my son’s dad has his passport and won’t give it to me. What can I do? A : Hi e85, if you haven’t already done so you may wish to write to him to ask him to give you the passport in the first instance. If he also has parental responsibility for your son and you don’t have a residence order then you also need his permission to take you son for a holiday abroad. You may wish to discuss with him what his reasons are for refusing to give you the passport. If he has concerns about your son going away it may help if you share as much information as possible about the trip, such as details of travel arrangements and where you will be staying, and how you can contact each other if necessary. You may wish to try mediation if you can’t agree. You can find details of mediation services on the following websites: www.familymediationhelpline.co.uk or www.nfm.org.uk If he still won’t give permission or give you your son’s passport, you could seek a court order as a last resort. This type of order is called a Specific Issue Order. You will need to seek legal advice from a family law solicitor about applying for such an order. Resolution is an association of solicitors who specialise in family law. You can search for details of local solicitors on their website at www.resolution.org.uk
e85:	Hi Alex, thanks so much - that's really helpful
LauraG:	Good morning everyone! I’ve been invited on holiday with some friends and would love to go, but it is just before the end of term and would mean my daughter would miss 3 of days of school. Is this allowed?
Gingerbread Alex:	Q : LauraG Good morning everyone! I’ve been invited on holiday with some friends and would love to go, but it is just before the end of term and would mean my daughter would miss 3 of days of school. Is this allowed? A : Hi LauraG. You will need to contact your daughter’s school at the earliest opportunity to discuss it with them and to ask if they will authorise the absence. If you take your daughter on holiday without the head teacher’s permission, the school may refer the matter to the local education authority. In England, if you take your child out of school without the head teacher’s permission you could be fined. Government guidance states that schools should not authorise more than a total of ten school days’ absence from school for a family holiday.
LauraG:	Thanks Alex, I'm hoping the school will be OK about it, but will check in with them before I do anything else.
Squirrel56:	My ex partner want to take the children on holiday but won't tell me where he is taking them. I don't want to stop him having a holiday with them but feel I should kniow wher they are going. Can I insist that he tells me? am I being resonalble to want to know wher they are going?
GingerbreadPolly:	Q : Squirrel56 My ex partner want to take the children on holiday but won't tell me where he is taking them. I don't want to stop him having a holiday with them but feel I should kniow wher they are going. Can I insist that he tells me? am I being resonalble to want to know wher they are going? A : Hi Squirrel56, as a parent you have the right to know where your children are. In practical terms this is because if you need to contact them for example in an emergency, you are able to do this. And equally, to make them feel secure in them knowing you know where they are. Your ex should be telling you where they will be staying and how to contact them if need be whilst away. If he is insistent in not giving you this information, you can try mediation to see if he will agree to this, or failing that, you can apply to the courts for a Specific Issue Order, whereby your ex is specifically ordered to tell you where they are going.
Squirrel56:	Thank you Polly. That is a weight off my mind.
Cazzie1:	Morning everyone! I'm thinking of taking my 3 kids abroad this summer and need to get them a passport first, but my ex says he doesn't want them to go on holiday and I can't get a passport without his permission. Can he do this? [ProcessingInstruction]
Anabel500:	Good morning everyone! Sorry I'm late joining. I’m thinking of taking our two children to Wales for two weeks in August. It’s only in a caravan and is nothing grand, but a break away would be really good for us all. My ex is saying he won’t let us go as this means that he won’t get to see the children as it’ll mean he misses his weekend with them. I have tried to see if we can go around this, but I can’t get any time off work apart from these weeks as other people have booked their holidays. My ex is really insistent that the children aren’t going. He has booked them a holiday to Italy in July for two weeks and I have no problem with them going with him, but now I feel like telling him he can’t take them as he is stopping me going away with them. It’s causing me a lot of stress and I don’t know what to do.
GingerbreadPolly:	Q : Cazzie1 Morning everyone! I'm thinking of taking my 3 kids abroad this summer and need to get them a passport first, but my ex says he doesn't want them to go on holiday and I can't get a passport without his permission. Can he do this? A : Hi Cazzie1! When applying for a UK passport, only one parent with parental responsibility needs to sign the form to obtain a passport. However, if your ex feels, for some reason, that taking the children on holiday is not in their best interests, then he can do a number of things to try and prevent this. He could potentially apply to court for a Prohibitive Steps Order to try and prevent the children leaving the UK. However, his reasons for applying for this, has to be based on a real concern about the children going abroad on holiday, not just because he doesn’t want them to. It could be worth trying to discuss with your ex the reasons why he doesn’t think it would be good for the children to go on holiday with you and try to see if you can get an agreement in place. If you cannot come to agreement, then you could try mediation. Similarly, in that he can apply to court to try to prevent the children going abroad, if you ultimately cannot come to an agreement, then you can apply to the court for permission to take the children on holiday. The courts, in either case, would always base tier decision on what is best for the child and what is going to be of benefit and a positive outcome for them.
GingerbreadLucy:	Hi everyone - we have around ten minutes left in this session, so if you have a question on holidays now is the time to post it!
Cazzie1:	Thanks Polly, that's really helpful, I'll try talking to him first if I can now that I know this. Do you know as well how long it would take to apply for a passport, and where I get the forms from?
Gingerbread Alex:	Q : Anabel500 Good morning everyone! Sorry I'm late joining. I’m thinking of taking our two children to Wales for two weeks in August. It’s only in a caravan and is nothing grand, but a break away would be really good for us all. My ex is saying he won’t let us go as this means that he won’t get to see the children as it’ll mean he misses his weekend with them. I have tried to see if we can go around this, but I can’t get any time off work apart from these weeks as other people have booked their holidays. My ex is really insistent that the children aren’t going. He has booked them a holiday to Italy in July for two weeks and I have no problem with them going with him, but now I feel like telling him he can’t take them as he is stopping me going away with them. It’s causing me a lot of stress and I don’t know what to do. A : Hi Anabel500, I’m sorry to hear that you are having difficulties getting your ex to agree to the holiday. You have said that the problem is that you ex doesn’t want to miss his weekend with them. I am not sure whether the contact that he has is arranged by a private agreement or through a contact order. If there are no court orders, then strictly speaking you don’t need his consent to take them on holiday within the UK. If he has a contact order then the situation is different if the holiday would mean that your ex can’t have the contact that has been ordered by a court. However, in either case, it really comes down to trying to reach a compromise. You may want to discuss how a holiday away with you is good for the children just as a holiday with him is and that you don’t have a problem with him taking them to Italy for two weeks. With regards to him missing a weekend, would it possibly to agree for him to have more contact another time to make up for it perhaps. One option would be to try mediation if you can’t reach an agreement yourselves. You can find details of mediation services on the following websites: www.familymediationhelpline.co.uk or www.nfm.org.uk
GingerbreadPolly:	Q : Cazzie1: Thanks Polly, that's really helpful, I'll try talking to him first if I can now that I know this. Do you know as well how long it would take to apply for a passport, and where I get the forms from? A : Cazzie1, It can take up to 6 weeks for a first time passport to be issued. There is an express 1 week service, but this costs extra. Details on how to apply for passports can be found here http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/TravelAndTransport/Passports/index.htm where you can order application forms or apply online.
Cazzie1:	That's brill, thanks. Wish me luck!
Anabel500:	Thanks for the advice Alex - I'm going to try and come to some sort of compromise with him - thanks!
GingerbreadLucy:	Hi everyone - thanks for all your questions and I hope that you found our answers useful. Make sure you check back for when our next advice session will take place, and in the meantime enjoy the sunshine!

GingerbreadEmily:	Welcome to today's advice session on Benefits and Tax Credits Changes. The session's starting now - please fire away with your questions!
Gingerbread Sam:	Hello everyone!
hels82:	Hi guys,
hels82:	Sorry if this is a silly question, just herd lots of different things. I’m going to be reducing my hours from 25 to 20 soon so my wages will drop. I’ve heard that I might not get an increase in my WTC due to some change in the rules. Is this right? I’m really worried about how I’m going to afford to pay my bills.
Gingerbread Alex:	Q : hels82 Sorry if this is a silly question, just herd lots of different things. I’m going to be reducing my hours from 25 to 20 soon so my wages will drop. I’ve heard that I might not get an increase in my WTC due to some change in the rules. Is this right? I’m really worried about how I’m going to afford to pay my bills. A : Hi hels82. Tax Credits are usually based on your income for the previous tax year (which runs from 6 April one year until 5 April the next year). You can ask the Tax Credit Office to base your Tax Credits on an estimate of your current year income if that would be better for you (because your income is lower than last year, and you would get more Tax Credits). However, from 6th April 2012, if your income if going down by £2500 or less compared to last year your Tax Credits will still be based on the previous year’s figure. They will not increase because your income has gone down, as they would have in the past. In the following tax year (from April 2013) your Tax Credits will be based on the lower income figure. If your income is going down by more than £2500 compared to last year your Tax Credits will be amended. They will ignore the first £2,500 of the reduction, so effectively they will add £2,500 to the lower figure that you expect to earn this year. If your overall income from earnings and Tax Credits will be less, you may become entitled to other benefits or an increase in other benefits, such as Council Tax Benefit to help pay your council tax bill, and Housing Benefit if you have rent to pay. If you would like to check your entitlement to Tax Credits and benefits for your individual circumstances, you may wish to give our Single Parent Helpline a call on 0808 802 0925.
Rebecca_1687:	my little boy turns five nxt august my income support is due to stop and i'm due to go onto working tax credit, will income support also stop helping me with my mortgage?
S12399:	hello
hels82:	Thanks Alex, that's really good to know. Think I will give the helpline a call too! Thanks again x
hels82:	Oops sorry, that message was for Alex!
S12399:	I have a question. I am a single father of 2 children. I have lost my home as well as my partner. My home was repossessed. We are currently living in a Privite Sector leased property after being accepted as homeless by my local council. This property is provided by a hosuing association after we were put forward by the council. The rent for our property is higher the the LHA but the council makes up the difference at the moment as our only other income is benefits.Will the benefit cap apply to the extra housing benefit we receive?
Gingerbread Sam:	Q : Rebecca_1687 my little boy turns five nxt august my income support is due to stop and i'm due to go onto working tax credit, will income support also stop helping me with my mortgage? A : Hi Rebecca! Thanks for your question. Working tax credit is something you can claim when you are working 16 hours or more but unfortunately you cannot get help for your mortgage at the same time. If you are not going into work soon and your income support is due to stop because of your son’s age, you will probably be switched over to jobseeker’s allowance. You can claim this benefit if you are not working or working less than 16 hours each week. If you claim jobseeker’s allowance you will still get the same amount of benefit that you get now, including the same help with the mortgage that you are currently getting. For more advice about how your benefit entitlement may change if you start work you can call our Single Parent Helpline a call on 0808 802 0925.
Rebecca_1687:	thanks that answered my question
Pootle:	I'm a single mother to 3 children due to being widowed, I get CTC and CB but I only get half the full amount of Widowed Parent Benefit, I have applied for a part time job in the local school and am worried I will loose out on free school dinners, I quite often end the week with literally £10 to my name and I can't always pay my household bills as it is. Will I be worse off working part time (school hours), the thought of staying on benefits and not working is making me very depressed.
LucyJane:	Hi, I'm really confused about child benefit, what's happening with it? Who is going to lose it and when? I'm not sure what the cut off point is after all that press on it, how much notice do you get if you're going to lose it?
S12399:	not seeing much advice people
GingerbreadEmily:	Hi S12399, our advisers are answering your question and will post it up any minute now, think it'll be a long reply!
Gingerbread Sam:	Q : Pootle: I'm a single mother to 3 children due to being widowed, I get CTC and CB but I only get half the full amount of Widowed Parent Benefit, I have applied for a part time job in the local school and am worried I will loose out on free school dinners, I quite often end the week with literally £10 to my name and I can't always pay my household bills as it is. Will I be worse off working part time (school hours), the thought of staying on benefits and not working is making me very depressed. A : Hi Pootle, thanks for your question. The way that your current benefit entitlement will be affected will depend on how many hours per week the part time job is going to be for and how much you will be paid. If the job is for less than 16 hours each week then you are likely to still receive free school dinners, the widowed parents’ allowance, child tax credit and child benefit, however if you receive other benefits such as council tax benefit and help towards your housing costs, these may be affected. If the job is for 16 hours a week or more than you will no longer receive free school dinners but you should be entitled to claim working tax credit and widowed parents’ allowance, child benefit and child tax credit and still possibly the other benefits for your housing costs and council tax, although the amounts may change. It is difficult to say whether you will be better off by working without knowing a few more details but if you would like to call our Single Parent Helpline on 0808 802 0925 we can go through all the benefits you are receiving now and calculate how these will be affected and work out whether you will be better or worse off by taking the job.
Gingerbread Alex:	Q : S12399: I have a question. I am a single father of 2 children. I have lost my home as well as my partner. My home was repossessed. We are currently living in a Privite Sector leased property after being accepted as homeless by my local council. This property is provided by a hosuing association after we were put forward by the council. The rent for our property is higher the the LHA but the council makes up the difference at the moment as our only other income is benefits.Will the benefit cap apply to the extra housing benefit we receive? A : Hi S12399, sorry for the delay. Just to explain first of all to everyone what the benefit cap is about. From April 2013 the Government is introducing a cap on the total amount of benefit that working-age people can receive. The cap will be applied to the total amount of benefit that working age people can receive so that households where someone is not in receipt of Working Tax Credit will no longer receive more in benefits than the average income of working households. Some people will be exempt from the benefit cap, including those who receive Working Tax Credit or those where someone in the household is in receipt of a certain disability benefits. If you will not be exempt from the benefit cap, whether you will be affected depends on whether the total amount of benefits you receive and what level the benefit cap is set at. However, it sounds as though you are getting payments called discretionary housing payments. These are not classed as benefit payments and so will not fall within the benefit cap rules, but we don’t have enough information yet about how much help will be available through this kind of discretionary support paid by local authorities.
S12399:	Thanks, seems the government is just making everyones life a mess again.
S12399:	Another question I a afraid. Will free school meals, free prescriptions, school clothing assistance and free school trips be included in the benefit cap?
Gingerbread Alex:	Q : LucyJane: Hi, I'm really confused about child benefit, what's happening with it? Who is going to lose it and when? I'm not sure what the cut off point is after all that press on it, how much notice do you get if you're going to lose it? A : Hi LucyJane. Initially the government said that Child Benefit would be removed from households where at least one person is a higher rate taxpayer. The government has made some changes to this plan and has set out its new proposals in the budget. It says that, from January 2013, child benefit will be withdrawn through an income tax charge that will apply to households where someone has an income over £50,000. For households where someone has an income between £50,000 and £60,000 the charge will apply gradually (1 per cent of child benefit for every extra £100 earned over £50,000), and only households where someone has an income in excess of £60,000 a year will cease to be entitled to child benefit. The government should provide further information in due course as to how those affected will be notified of the change and how much notice will be given.
moderation:	i am a single parent of 7 kids,im really worried about how much money will i loose out on next yr when i hv to start job seekers.im now at college doing access to teacher training and a childcare course as to be able to find jobs a little easier next year.
Gingerbread Alex:	Q : S12399: Another question I a afraid. Will free school meals, free prescriptions, school clothing assistance and free school trips be included in the benefit cap? A : Hi again S12399. Please do keep the questions coming! No, none of those things will be included in the benefit cap. People who qualify for those before the benefit cap is introduced will continue to qualify for them after the benefit cap is introduced.
S12399:	Does council tax benefit count as income for the benefit cap?
S12399:	and child benefit?
Gingerbread Sam:	Q : moderation: i am a single parent of 7 kids,im really worried about how much money will i loose out on next yr when i hv to start job seekers.im now at college doing access to teacher training and a childcare course as to be able to find jobs a little easier next year. A : Hi Moderation. If you are currently claiming income support and switch over to jobseeker’s allowance in the future, the amount of benefit you will receive should not change, as income support and jobseeker’s allowance are paid at the same rate (currently £71 per week). The other benefits that you currently receive would not change either. However the rules of claiming jobseeker’s allowance are different to claiming income support which can affect people who are studying. If you started the course before May 21st 2012 and it is full time, you should be able to continue getting income support until the end of your course or until your youngest reaches the age of 7, whichever comes first. However if you wanted to study more in the future, you may want to get advice on how studying will affect your benefits.
moderation:	thanks for the answer but i meant the child tax credits aswel
S12399:	Also does the £10 you are allowed to earn about JSA count towards the benefit cap?
Gingerbread Sam:	Q : moderation: thanks for the answer but i meant the child tax credits aswel A : Hi moderation. If you switch from income support to jobseeker’s allowance the amount of child tax credit you get should not change. Does that answer your question :) ?
moderation:	yes, thanks for u time
Gingerbread Alex:	Q : S12399: Does council tax benefit count as income for the benefit cap? A : Hi again S12399. As far as we are aware, council tax benefit will not be included within the benefit cap. However, the government plans to replace council tax benefit with new local authority support schemes for council tax. They are still deciding how these will work and so we don’t know any more about this planned change at the moment.
Gingerbread Alex:	Q : S12399: and child benefit? A : Hi S12399. Yes, Child Benefit will count towards the cap.
moderation:	will child maintanance payments counts towards the cap?
Sarah2012:	Hello, sorry I just joined the conversation (my first time), I have just become self-employed and have been working part-time as an employee for more than 6 months, I used to have jsa but now I am on my own... Council tax is asking me to pay £200 for year 2011-2012 but I cant afford to pay the full amount just like that. What are my possibilities? Many thanks
Gingerbread Sam:	Q : moderation: will child maintanance payments counts towards the cap? A : Hi moderation. Child maintenance payments are completely disregarded for benefit purposes and are not classed as a benefit payment and so they will not count towards the cap.
moderation:	ok thats great,thanks again
moderation:	does child maintanance stop when the child is 18 or 19 if still in education
Gingerbread Alex:	Q : S12399: Also does the £10 you are allowed to earn about JSA count towards the benefit cap? A : As a single parent you can earn up to £20 a week without it reducing your JSA. The government has said that the benefit cap will apply to the total amount of benefit you can receive, rather the total amount of income you receive from other sources including earnings.
GingerbreadEmily:	Hi everyone, thanks for your questions today. The session's soon coming to a close but we will be answering all questions that have been posted so far. We hope it has been useful for you.
moderation:	is there any form of government funding to help with electricity and gas debts,i pay over 165,00 a month due to use and previous debts and im strugging
Sarah2012:	Do we stay online in order to read answers or advice for my question? Many thanks
GingerbreadEmily:	Q : Sarah2012: Do we stay online in order to read answers or advice for my question? Many thanks A : Hi Sarah, yes you can stay online and we'll have your answer up soon. You can also read the whole conversation after the session is over on our website in the past advise sessions section.
Gingerbread Sam:	Q : Sarah2012: Hello, sorry I just joined the conversation (my first time), I have just become self-employed and have been working part-time as an employee for more than 6 months, I used to have jsa but now I am on my own... Council tax is asking me to pay £200 for year 2011-2012 but I cant afford to pay the full amount just like that. What are my possibilities? Many thanks A : Hi Sarah, welcome to the conversation. If you are in arrears with your council tax from last year you will need to speak to your council about repayment options and possibly negotiate with them a repayment plan. You may need to get some specialist debt advice to help you with this, I would suggest speaking to National Debtline on 0808 808 4000 for some independent advice on this matter or go to a Citizens Advice Bureau in your area for some help. You can find your nearest CAB by typing in your postcode on their website http://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/index.htm. You may be entitled to claim council tax benefit to help you pay your current council tax, but the amount you receive will depend on your self-employed earnings, minus reasonable expenses, income tax and national insurance contributions and possibly some money you pay into a pension. You may also be able to claim working tax credit if you are not already, if you are working on your business 16 hours a week or more. For a benefits check on your current circumstances you can call our Single Parent helpline on 0808 802 0925 to make sure you are getting all the help you can at the moment.
Sarah2012:	Ok thanks Emily!!
Gingerbread Alex:	Q : moderation: does child maintanance stop when the child is 18 or 19 if still in education A : Hi moderation. Child maintenance through the Child Support Agency stops when a child is 16 or when they are 19 if they are in full-time non advanced education (e.g. A-levels or equivalent). If separated parents have a private agreement then it is up to them to agree whether payments may continue beyond the age of 19. In some cases it is possible to get a court order for maintenance for a child over 19, for example if they have a disability. You may wish to seek advice from a family law solicitor about whether this may be possible in your particular case.
Sarah2012:	Thank you Sam!! I only claimed Working Tax Credit from yesterday. And Council Tax only informed me I had to pay that amount 3-4 weeks ago for beginning of April. Plus, I got confused as a few weeks before that letter, they already set a payment plan for year 2012-2012. And I started paying beginning of April. Now they are sending a reminder for 2011-2012, but this month I'm only earning £300, they cant expect me ALL my wages to go to the Council Tax, can they? The reminder does say within 7 days...
moderation:	hello is any1 there?????/
Gingerbread Alex:	Q : moderation: is there any form of government funding to help with electricity and gas debts,i pay over 165,00 a month due to use and previous debts and im strugging A : Hi moderation, sorry to hear you are struggling with your electricity and gas debts. Your energy supplier may have a charitable trust fund that can help with arrears. For information about these funds and other help, please see our factsheet called “Managing your household bills” which you can find on our website here: http://www.gingerbread.org.uk/factsheet/8/Managing-household-bills This factsheet also contains other information about managing household bills. You may also find our factsheet called “Money matters: the guide for single parents” useful, which you can find on our website here: http://www.gingerbread.org.uk/factsheet/31/Money-matters---the-guide-for-single-parents This factsheet contains information about how to deal with debts including fuel debts.
Gingerbread Sam:	Q : Sarah2012: Thank you Sam!! I only claimed Working Tax Credit from yesterday. And Council Tax only informed me I had to pay that amount 3-4 weeks ago for beginning of April. Plus, I got confused as a few weeks before that letter, they already set a payment plan for year 2012-2012. And I started paying beginning of April. Now they are sending a reminder for 2011-2012, but this month I'm only earning £300, they cant expect me ALL my wages to go to the Council Tax, can they? The reminder does say within 7 days... A : Hi Sarah, it sounds as though you have been sent a reminder for the amount still outstanding from 2011-12 which they are asking you to pay in one go on top of how much you are due to pay each month of 12-13. It may be a good idea to explain to your council that you are unable to afford to pay this money at the moment and try and negotiate that you repay a little bit each month, explaining how much you are earning at the moment and how much your outgoings are. As well as contacting the organisations that I suggested above, you may find it helpful to read through our factsheet called ‘Money Matters’ which you can find here: http://www.gingerbread.org.uk/factsheet/31/Money-matters---the-guide-for-single-parents which gives tips on how to deal with debt.
Sarah2012:	Thank you Sam [Emotion=emteeth.gif]
GingerbreadEmily:	Thanks everyone, we have now finished today's session. Keep a look out for next month's one, which we'll be updating you with soon!

GingerbreadEmily:	Hello and welcome to today's session. We're now open for questions.
hels82:	Hi everyone
hels82:	I’m struggling to pay my gas an electric, the price has gone up a lot recently and Im finding it hard to cover the cost of them. I’m getting behind and scared they’ll cut me off. I’m only on Income Suport and it’s just not stretching.
Marie29:	I have split up with my partner and he had a lot of debt on credit cards and the bills are still coming to this house. Is this going to go against me and will it get me black listed?[ProcessingInstruction]
GingerbreadPolly:	Q : hels82 I’m struggling to pay my gas an electric, the price has gone up a lot recently and Im finding it hard to cover the cost of them. I’m getting behind and scared they’ll cut me off. I’m only on Income Suport and it’s just not stretching. A : Hi Hels82! Unfortunately, the cost of gas and electric has been rising for everyone and many people are faced with this situation. It could be worth talking to your utility company about any tariffs they have for customers on low incomes. There is also the Warm Home Discount Scheme that you may be eligible to apply for at www.direct.gov. Some utility companies offer financial help in the form of grants to customers who have energy arrears. You can find information on these from your energy supplier or you can check out our factsheet on managing household bills here: http://www.gingerbread.org.uk/factsheet/8/Managing-household-bills
hels82:	Thank u Polly x
nannynic:	Not sure if you can help - I am a single mum on DLA and ESA and am paying a mortgage after my husband walked outon me and my boys. I am wanting to have him removed from the mortgage and wondered if there is any way that I can get a mortgage while I am unable to work due to Disability.
LucyJane:	Can you still get crisis loans? Were do you go for one, someone said theyve stopped them but i'm struggling this month and could really do with somethign to tide me over - don't want to go to one of those loan companies from on the tv, but I don't know where to go for help
e85:	Hello Gingerbread! My fridge/freezer has broken and I know this may sound daft, but I can’t store food and so I’m having to buy things on a daily basis and it’s costing me a fortune. I haven’t got enough to buy one myself, can you suggest anything?
Gingerbread Jemima:	Q : Marie29 I have split up with my partner and he had a lot of debt on credit cards and the bills are still coming to this house. Is this going to go against me and will it get me black listed? A : Hi Marie29 If the credit cards are in your ex partner’s name, then you don’t have any liability to pay them. If you had any joint finances together, such as a joint mortgage or joint bank account then you will be financially linked with the credit reference agencies. If this is the case you can contact the credit reference agencies (Experian, Equifax and Call Credit) to ask them to put a note on your file to say that you are no longer financially linked to that person. It is called a notice of disassociation and you will need to contact all three agencies. If you have never had joint finances with your ex- partner then his credit history will not affect you. You can send back his post as ‘return to sender’ so that the credit card company knows that he doesn’t live there anymore. You might want to have a look at our factsheet ‘Money matters: the guide for single parents’ http://www.gingerbread.org.uk/factsheet/31/Money-matters:-the-guide-for-single-parents as this has the contact details for the credit reference agencies. Different creditors will have different ways of deciding whether they should give you credit, depending on your credit history, but there isn’t such thing as black listing.
GingerbreadPolly:	Q : nannynic Not sure if you can help - I am a single mum on DLA and ESA and am paying a mortgage after my husband walked outon me and my boys. I am wanting to have him removed from the mortgage and wondered if there is any way that I can get a mortgage while I am unable to work due to Disability A : Hi nannynic! It must be a struggle paying the mortgage on your own, but the first thing you need to do is talk to your mortgage provider to see what options they have for you. It will very much depend on them if they will remove your ex-husband from the mortgage and give you a mortgage on your own. It is worth asking if they will do this. If not, there could be options with other mortgage providers and it may be the case that you need expert financial advice from a qualified financial adviser to explore all your options. If you have been claiming Employment and Support Allowance for 13 weeks, you can claim help with your mortgage interest payments, and this can help towards paying the interest part of your mortgage. If you have a repayment mortgage, you will need to pay this part yourself, unless your mortgage provider is willing to let you go on an interest only mortgage. So, it’s worth speaking to them to find out what all your options are. We have a factsheet on ESA and the help with mortgage interest here: http://www.gingerbread.org.uk/factsheet/3/Benefits-and-tax-credits-for-ill-health-or-disability
Marie29:	Thank you Jemima.
Gingerbread Jemima:	Q : LucyJane Can you still get crisis loans? Were do you go for one, someone said theyve stopped them but i'm struggling this month and could really do with somethign to tide me over - don't want to go to one of those loan companies from on the tv, but I don't know where to go for help A : Hi Lucy Jane, yes crisis loans are still available. You will need to apply through the Job Centre. You can call the benefit enquiry line on 0800 055 6688 and let them know that you want to apply for a crisis loan. Crisis loans are generally for essential items that you need for your family, such as food and other immediate needs. Crisis loans are interest free so they are a much cheaper option than taking out a loan from companies advertised on the TV.
LucyJane:	Thx - I will try that x
GingerbreadPolly:	Q : e85 Hello Gingerbread! My fridge/freezer has broken and I know this may sound daft, but I can’t store food and so I’m having to buy things on a daily basis and it’s costing me a fortune. I haven’t got enough to buy one myself, can you suggest anything? A : Hello e85! That’s not daft at all and buying food on a daily basis can work out to be a lot more expensive. If you are in receipt of Income Support/Jobseekers and have been for the past 26 weeks, you could apply to the Social Fund for a Budgeting Loan or a Community Care Grant. A budgeting Loan does have to be paid back and is there to cover things such as household furniture/white goods and can be from £100 to £1500. A community Care Grant does not have to be paid back, and therefore has stricter eligibility criteria, in that you would need to show that your circumstances are putting pressure on your family and causing exceptional stress. If you are not eligible for either of these, then there is an organisation called Turn 2 Us that has details of all financial grants available and can help you try and find one that you could apply to. You can give them a call on 0808 802 2000 or check out there website where you can search for a grant yourself on their database at www.turn2us.org.uk You might find it useful to check out our factsheet on managing unexpected expenses here: http://www.gingerbread.org.uk/factsheet/11/Financial-help-for-unexpected-or-extra-expenses
GingerbreadEmily:	Thank you everyone. We've got 10 minutes left of this session, if anyone has any more questions?
e85:	Thanks guys, I'm gonna do some research now! Really good to know
Gingerbread Sally:	Hi everyone, here's a question from one of our members on Facebook: I just wanted a bit of advice as I started my own business last year after struggling to find work....i work 35 hours but don't yet take a wage....it seems as I claim WTC i don't qualify for help I would if I was on Jobseekers etc even though I am technically a low earner. I have a large amount of credit card debt and tried to get a loan to clear it as payments would be easier to manage that way but was refused. Just wondered if there is anyway I can get a little help till i'm making a wage that wont affect my credit history. I am paying minimum payments on cards but having to go without other stuff to manage this
Nicola_0904:	managed to get into the session now...the facebook question is mine
Gingerbread Sally:	Ah, that's good news Nicola!
Gingerbread Jemima:	Q : Gingerbread Sally Hi everyone, here's a question from one of our members on Facebook: I just wanted a bit of advice as I started my own business last year after struggling to find work....i work 35 hours but don't yet take a wage....it seems as I claim WTC i don't qualify for help I would if I was on Jobseekers etc even though I am technically a low earner. I have a large amount of credit card debt and tried to get a loan to clear it as payments would be easier to manage that way but was refused. Just wondered if there is anyway I can get a little help till i'm making a wage that wont affect my credit history. I am paying minimum payments on cards but having to go without other stuff to manage this A : Hi Nicola, It might be useful for you to get your benefit entitlement checked to see if you are getting everything you should be. You can call the Gingerbread Single Parent Helpline on 0808 802 0925 and an adviser can run through this with you. It’s important to prioritise your essential needs such as food, fuel bills, rent or mortgage etc, over the payments for your credit cards. The credit card companies might be able to accept a lower payment each month, but they will want to see a budget (sometimes called a financial statement) to show that you can’t afford to make the minimum payments in full after your essential expenditure. You might find it useful to speak to a specialist debt adviser to discuss your options. You can contact National Debtline on 0808 808 4000, or the Consumer Credit Counselling Service on 0800 138 1111. Both of these organisations do not charge for their services, some others do, so it is something to watch out for.
Nicola_0904:	Thanks for the advice. Because I am paying the minimum payments they don't see that I am struggling and when I discused it with my bank they bascially said if I admit I cant afford it it will affect my credit which will affect my business which is unfortunelty my only chance at getting a wage anytime soon. When I spoke to debt line they said my only option is bankruptcy as ingoings don't cover outgoings. I think my only option is to fine the storm! But thanks for the advice
GingerbreadEmily:	Sorry to hear that Nicola, if your situation changes then give National Debtline a ring to see if their advice is different.
GingerbreadEmily:	Thank you everyone. The session's now closing, we hope you found it useful and we'll keep you updated about the next one we'll run.
nannynic:	Thank you Polly

cosmic:	Morning
Holly_8378:	Hello!
Holly_8378:	I'm guessing we can start now?
cosmic:	Has the session began now?
GingerbreadEmily:	Our online session has now started and our team of advisers will be answering your queries shortly[ProcessingInstruction]
cosmic:	I have a question regarding housing that I would like help with, I am renting a house that has been repossessed by the lender and have less than a week left before the 28 possession order expires,
cosmic:	I have put in a homeless application with local council, but they wont do anything till the bailiff order comes through
Gingerbread Kate:	Q : Lynsey_2857 I am having trouble finding a decent house in a decent area when the Landlord will accept Housing Allowance & income support. Especially now that housing allowance has dropped. I need to be out of here in July & would love a garden for my son, I already chip in £163.50 a month & find things tight so an extra £163.75 will break us. I am applying for Council Housing but know the list is long & housing not always up to a great standard. Any advice (oh have asked Landlord to reduce rent here but I also have very noisy unpredictable neighbours)? A : Hi Lynsey_2857 Finding a landlord who will accept housing benefit can be very difficult as some landlords specifically state ‘no DSS’ (Department of Social Security) and unfortunately, there are no laws preventing landlords from doing this. Sometimes your local council will have a list of local landlords who are willing to let to housing benefit claimants. You mentioned that you have to move out in July, but depending on the reasons why, you may want to reconsider staying in your current home and applying for additional help from the local council. Each local council has a pot of discretionary funds known as ‘Discretionary Housing Payments’ which you can apply to if you experience a shortfall in your rent. The Government has announced that it will increase its contribution to this funding from the current £30 million a year, to £60 million a year from 2012/13. There are no guarantees that you will receive any help and it is not a long term option, but it can help you to secure your current accommodation for longer until you find an appropriate alternative. It is also advisable to apply for council housing if you are homeless or about to be made homeless. The council should give you an idea of how long you have to wait for an offer of accommodation. The waiting time will depend on the priority of your housing need and the accommodation that is available. Renting from a housing association may be another option. Your local council should have a list of housing associations that work in your area, or you can contact the Tenant Services Authority on 0845 230 7000 or use their website http://www.tenantservicesauthority.org/ . The process for getting a housing association home is similar to that for council housing. When you apply, your priority over other housing applicants will be assessed. Some housing associations have an open register and you may apply directly to them, others do not and will only take tenants who have been nominated by the local council. To find out more about your housing rights and the duties owed to you by your local council, speak to Shelter. Shelter are a specialist housing and homelessness charity which run a free advice helpline on 0808 800 4444, they also have a website full of useful information http://www.shelter.org.uk/
Holly_8378:	my parents say they will act as guarantors for me but I would like to know what I should expect in regards to reactions toward single parents/single income renting etc
Holly_8378:	I am a single mum, always have been, to my daughter who is aged 4 (5 in june). I am currently living with parents (after moving away from london), they live in a very rural community and it is proving impossible to get a job. I have decided on another area I would like to move to (around 40 miles from my parents) I am currently applying for jobs in this area (mostly part time) and will be shortly looking for rented accommodation. However I have not rented before (other than student houses) and I do not have a very good credit rating (Was silly with money in my student days)
cosmic:	Am concerened that I will be placed in a shelter.. as this will make my 7 year old daughter very anxious as she has aspergers syndrome
Gingerbread Jemima:	Q : sanchini I am would really like to move but cannot afford the upfront deposit etc. Where I currently live although it's privately rented the council helped by paying the deposit and first months rent. However I was hasty in taking this property as I was pregnant. The place itself is ok compared to some properties but it's drafty and the fixtures are very old. Most of not all are original from the early 90s! And no they are not in good condition. I complained to the landlord and he said he wouldn't replace anything unless he was selling which I found very unfair as me and my son have to live here. Any advice as to what I can do? I also fell into rent arrears so I felt guilty asking him to fix/replace things, (silly i know!) now that is cleared, I want to ask again but I want some advice on how to approach it. Thanks, much appreciated! A : Hi Sanchini, thanks for your question. Your landlord has an obligation to keep the property in a good state of repair, which would include exterior issues such as the drainage and sanitation, and also internal repairs such as ensuring the heating systems, toilets etc are all in good working order. Your landlord does not have to ensure that thi

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