What benefits for a 17 year old pregnant girl?

[crosser62]

Was 17 last month, 8 weeks pregnant.
No prospect of ever getting a job, not been in school since aged 13.

How financially will she survive?

Lives with mother & mothers partner in rented accommodation. Has no income at all.
Are there even any benefits available to someone so young and totally dependant?

Gosh, this is such a sad situation.

I really hope she can access the support she neeeds.

She already has a social worker?

Yes i agree that in this situation the focus shouldn't be whether she can get benefits, it should be whether she is likely going to be able to keep the child. Any idea of the social workers thoughts/focus on this?

Yes, I agree other people suggesting abortion isn't really appropriate. She's 17 not 13 and able to make that decision. She can claim UC under 18 once she is 29 weeks I think, then child benefit once the baby is born. If course this will mean her mum can't claim for her anymore which is probably why she has suggested the carer idea.
An assessment will be made, not necessarily by SS but maybe early help or equivalent, and if she's thought to be unable to care for the baby SS will look to get mum to be the main carer in the first instance, then other family members, before care was an option.
The housing situation sounds the most worrying bit as most councils won't help much anymore

She has a social worker I think because she was 16 and diagnosed with autism, I think her mother took her to the GP regarding pip assessment and claim so GP referred her to sw as safeguarding Safety netting.

@Thisismytimetoshine The interests of the child will be paramount through all of this. They will have a SW who will be tasked to ensure the baby is cared for properly.

The OP was asking about benefits but it is clear there are many other aspects which have to be considered. I am sure terminating the pregnancy has been discussed with the girl but if she does not want to it cannot happen.

Also the baby will have a different SW to the SW the young woman has. There probably isn't one allocated yet as the pregnancy is in the very early stages.

If she’s that disabled she should get PIP

Shorty posted too soon. She would have to claim pip herself not through the gp or anything, if the dwp want evidence they contact health professionals directly.

If she can't make a sandwich then how is she going to care for a baby!! There are some serious protection issues here (and there will be a hell of a lot more of this pregnancy continues!) I think the baby needs to be taken straight into care tbh. The girls mother is clearly not the most supportive either...so wouldn't be the best choice to take the baby.

Hi OP, I know you said she was turned down for PIP. However my experience is that its, a nightmare to claim. If they haven't appealed they need to do so.... ideally with support. If its too late to appeal then a new claim needs to go in but they need help with the form as it's a bugger to do. I help people fill them in and I know how awful they are.

Turned down for pip

A quick reminder to a few PPs that this is a vulnerable child who's obviously been badly let down by her parents.
I imagine the fact that she's not been to school since she was 13 is reason enough for her to have a SW.
OP in your place I'd have a word with the social worker and Express concern for her current home life, that she's not been to school for 4 years and isn't capable of caring for a baby. If you're able to, it would be nice to offer practical support to the family but obviously you're not obliged to.

The baby may be taken directly into care but there is a whole load of assessment to be undertaken before that decision is made. You can't just remove a child without ensuring you have covered every base in terms of supporting the mother to care for the child or having baby placed with a relative. All of this needs to go through the legal system and very clear evidence is required.

I live the other side of the country. They moved away from us all about 18 months ago, as I say the mother met her latest partner over the internet so moved them both there.
The mother soon got a job and has been working since but the girl not really leaving the house. Not sure if she gets on with the new partner, certainly her & her mother cannot stand partners small child. For this reason I can’t see the relationship lasting.

I fell pregnant when I was 15, and once I turned 16 I was able to claim benefits in my own right. It was income support back then, which is now part of universal credit. I was still living at home at that point as well. I got child benefit once the baby was born, and when they first came out, what was then working families tax credit (again now part of UC).
I think all you can do is be supportive, without being judgmental. Hopefully the social worker will have it all in hand, and be able to act in the best interests of mother and baby.

It looks as if she will need a lot of support not just financial to even be anywhere near capable of caring for a child. I think Social Services should be involved in the decision making into what is best.

Have they spoken about the possibility of her moving into a mother and baby unit? (Once the child is born) 8 weeks is really really early on

So let’s recap. A young woman who barely leaves the house and has no friends becomes pregnant and her stepfather is one of many her mother has had. The you woman says the father is some unknown 18 year old that nobody knows. How did they meet?? Seems unlikely.

The young woman is incapable of caring for herself or her child and will stay at home with the stepfather able to access both her and the baby.

God what a situation.

Inclined to think there could be some sexual abuse going on here and I’d be really really worried for the girl as she may be being abused and blackmailed.

Abortion would be best.
And preferably removal of the girl as her mother seems flighty and appears to have multiple dodgy men in her life one after another, and is unable to protect her child from whomever got her pregnant. I appreciate the girl is 17 but she’s incapable of caring for herself.

Re benefits, there are charities which help with PIP appeals and things for autistic people. You pay them to help you complete the paperwork and they make sure the right boxes are ticked to get benefits. I think they attend interviews and assessments with the autistic person to make sure they don’t forget to include relevant details. Worth doing if you want to help her. It costs but basically the person gets hundreds in benefits so it’s worth it’s weight in gold.

Maybe get 17 yr old and child into placement like www.capstonefostercare.co.uk/becoming-a-foster-carer-uk/parent-and-child-placements/?gclid=CjwKCAjwtqj2BRBYEiwAqfzur-8Tr5-Zl70gKUDumTP2mR1KvdZv-nndEy0CtGN7P1FeEuBimIkZaxoCLgEQAvD_BwE

It doesnt sound like 17yr old's mother is fostering independence or life skills. Maybe it suits her...more money?
By focusing on benefits /money it sounds like the 17 yr old s mother is thinking what money benefits etc she can get from this situation .
Maybe 17 yr old and baby would be better in supported mum and baby placement to learn skills
Break some of the ties with inadequate mother. Who hasn't taught 17 yr old how to make a sandwich..

But obviously cheaper for ss to keep them as they are.... throw benefits their way....ultimately think of the baby 's situation. who is best placed to support baby and its mother?

Erm...who said stepfather? It’s a gay relationship, two women...

This is a strange thread
The OP isn't the mum of this teenager and there are a lot of assumptions being made about what social services will or won't do. At the end of the day nobody knows what this young woman's parenting capacity is with her mum's support so the speculation about adoption is unwarranted and frankly unrealistic. If the mum can't care for the baby or doesn't want to, it's more than likely that the grandmother would just take over. Nobody is going to separate the baby from a capable grandmother who is already caring for them. Cool your jets folks.

As money is an issue now, as the mother will have to give up her job to care for both, they can’t live on fresh air.
She needs to know how she will cover rent/bills/ cost of caring for 3 individuals with no income.

There are a lot of people adding their own spin on this thread. SS will be involved and act in the best interests of the child. No need to add any dramatic extras on a situation we know little about.

Agree codename, I think the child will go to the girls mum. I think she will care for both for as far as possible.

Thing is she has never cared solely for her own child, my mother has done 80% of the care. Now they live the other side of the country they have little in terms of network help and support other than official sources.
That would be the case if they were here. Rightly so.

Thank you every one, I feel a bit more reassured that there will be help out there for them all.