Student finance

[Ihoeihoeihoe]

Shamelessly posting for traffic.

Long story short my sister is at university, she and our parents had a falling out over Christmas and she now resides permanently with me when not at university. We’ve only just got round to sorting everything out - change of addresses on everything etc.

She’s just called student finance and they’re saying that they can’t help her because only her parents or a partner can be her ‘sponsor’ (whatever that means) and because she hasn’t been working the last 36 months she can’t be an independent student. Along with that although she is 19, she’d need to fill in an estrange student form and social services will become involved. She’s 19. I’m over 30, my partner is 32 and we have a child of our own. I don’t understand how it’s so hard to just change her addresses, letters etc here and register her as living with us in regards to student finance.

She’ll only be here in holidays as the university is 100+ miles away.

It really is a bad situation to be in.

Her parents now won't get the forms to fill in if student finance have already been informed, and, yes you need a lot of proof of being estranged - the social worker thing isn't bollocks at all - the threshold when I was a lecturer was very high. I had a student who came back to uni having spent their break hospitalised due to a fight with his parents, police got involved and parents said it wasn't them and social services didn't want to know. Student finance wouldn't accept it and that was the end of his loan. He ended up leaving, and living and working locally from the start of his second year.

Good news is he got his degree in the end, I was so proud to see how well he did ( I went to his graduation with the OU!), but it was heartbreaking situation.

When I was a student your parents needed to have been convicted of abusing you, proof being them in prison and you in care. I know because I was that student. I got my degree but it was hellishly difficult financially as I went when there were grants and you could only get a loan after your parents had topped up your grant.

The problem isn't changing address its her saying why it's been changed I suspect.

Try the union but if she's already suggested to student finance she's independent she won't get any money for her second year. It will have recorded on her file.

@Becca19962014

Thanks for your reply, she’s not independent. They wouldn’t change her to independent anyway as she doesn’t meet the criteria. She’s not estranged either. It really does just come down to a change of address. There is no violence involved, just an argument with family and she’s moved here. Seems very very ridiculous to have social workers involved in that from where I’m standing, she’s an adult. According to all other sources I’ve found they will still get the chance to fill in forms as she’s not actually done anything other than query a change of address? She hasn’t asked to become ‘estranged’ or anything else. They asked why she was changing her address to her sisters and she said family argument.

Meh, just tell them it has been resolved then.

All you need to do is to go onto her online sfe account and edit the details. Nothing else is relevant.

Try the union but if she's already suggested to student finance she's independent she won't get any money for her second year. It will have recorded on her file.

If this is the case she just needs to tell them that she isn't independent, she got mixed up about what she had to do and she simply wants to change where her post goes to.

The situation has been massively overcomplicated, but to be fair to you both, you thought you were doing the right thing.

Forget about the change of address. Literally just drop it. Tell her to call them and be like 'I was going move in with my sister because I thought it would be fun but I'm not now'.

Then just get your parents to forward the letters on when she moves in.

Don't overcomplicated things further.

Above is assuming your parents aren't going to be dicks about it, of course, and risk penalising their child emotionally, financially and in terms of her education due to an argument.

Every student could claim to have fallen out with their parents to be deemed independent, and claim full loan entitlement, if what you think should happen did happen.

These aren't rules made up by Student Finance England. They are debated in Parliament and written in to law. There is no point appealing to SFE; they have followed the law. Write to your MP if you feel this law needs changing.

SLC are talking rubbish re social care being involved, she’s an adult and it wouldn’t meet the threshold for adult social work services.
The threshold is so high that those who actually need it can’t get help.

Will your parents still allow their incomes to be used for her loan purpose? If so that’s fine, Change of address or not... they’d still be financially responsible for her in terms of uni

[quote Ihoeihoeihoe]@Becca19962014

Thanks for your reply, she’s not independent. They wouldn’t change her to independent anyway as she doesn’t meet the criteria. She’s not estranged either. It really does just come down to a change of address. There is no violence involved, just an argument with family and she’s moved here. Seems very very ridiculous to have social workers involved in that from where I’m standing, she’s an adult. According to all other sources I’ve found they will still get the chance to fill in forms as she’s not actually done anything other than query a change of address? She hasn’t asked to become ‘estranged’ or anything else. They asked why she was changing her address to her sisters and she said family argument.[/quote]
I don't think it's as simple as that though from their point of view. Her permanent address is the one where those whose income is assessed for her to apply for student finance. Hence the part in your OP about independent student/estrangement came into it (I apologise I thought she brought that up but it appears I misunderstood).

Try phoning and saying she's changed her mind and still with her parents.

I assume the problem isn't so bad they'll refuse to do the form. Also all her uni post will need to go to them as the permenant addresses must match, same goes for her bank.

It seems simple but as these things are all linked it isn't unfortunately.

My apologies for the misunderstanding!

A letter from a social worker is probably just one of an array of ways to determine a student's estrangement; please don't fixate on that. They have to be thorough when granting this status, as all SFE's decisions are subject to audit by their overseeing government department.

Just to claify her permenant address needs to match for uni, student finance and bank so all of those need to be her parents address otherwise there will be issues with payment being issued.

It’s a bizarre system. I went to uni with someone whose parents were rich, so they got barely any support. But parents said he had to stand on his own two feet and didn’t give him a penny, so he was absolutely broke and had to drop out in the second year.

If you’re going round in circles with them, it’s probably best to write everything down and raise a complaint. Email address and details are here: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/student-loans-company/about/complaints-procedure The complaints team were surprisingly helpful when I dealt with them.

@TeeBee @nokidshere @therearefourlights
thanks for the help and advice will sort this all out tomorrow now. Think it’s going to be a ‘sorry she’s a drama queen it’s sorted situation’.

@Pinkfreesias - didn’t want more money. Said it in every one of my posts. All we wanted was a change of address. Not to claim independence/ estrangement. We were doing what the SFE website told us to do. Thanks for your time.

@Becca19962014 - from what I have read it doesn’t matter if she lives with me we won’t be assessed? Only parents/ partners incomes will ever be assessed unless estranged or independent of which she is neither.

I’ll follow the advice of tell her to call and say she was being a drama queen and it’s all sorted etc. And get parents to post letters on. I think after a few weeks of peace it’ll all settle down and they’ll be on talking terms anyway. Teenagers are hard work, already dreading my baby growing up!

No it doesn't matter if she lives with you, but she can't change her address to yours for student loads is the point. Nor consequently can she change the permanent address for uni or her bank because the address needs to be the same for all three.

It's definitely best to get them to send the letters on.

No you won't be assessed, that wasn't what I meant.

Sorry for being confusing!

Loans not loads!!