Another potential chop to CB

[scaryteacher]

www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/conservative/8047447/Conservative-Party-Conference-George-Osborne-to-take-another-bite-out-of-child-benefit.html

There wasn't really any notice about the changes to the EMA here. It was on the bumff that they sent out with the application forms
and there are a couple of sentences on the relevant pages of the council website, but that's all. There is no differentiation anymore either. You either qualify or you don't. They did away with the 3 tier system last year, when they changed the income brackets and now they reckon that it may not be paid at all after Christmas.

Most kids who stay on at school in this area were getting EMA and it was the only reason a lot of them stayed on. I think that the effect of all this could be really bad for our teenagers as education is the only way out of places like this.

Its heart breaking that the poorest teenagers in this country, will once again be denied the opportunities of higher education

CTC's are deendant on the receipt of child benefit. So poorer parents wil NOT just be losing £20 a week CB, they wil also lose up to £35 a week CTC as well. And a 16yo with learning difficulties will NOT be able to get a PT job in order to supplement the income. A family like ours would also lose a percentage of our HB as DD would be able to 'contribute' to the household income.

EMA will barely cover bus fares to college. ANd further education is not all about A-levels, it also includes a lot of more vocational qualifications such as hairdressing etc.

In my situation, DP is BARRED from taking a second job by his work contract, and in 3 years and 200 job applications I have yet to find an employer wiling to employ me with uncontrolled epilepsy. We can't just 'go out and clean toilets' to keep DD in education.

And what's the betting that these cuts also come in in 3 yrs time. Just as DD hits 16yo. Deep Joy.

AS I say, don't count on getting EMA for much longer, either.

Ours is being done away with even with an SNP led government. I can't imagine that the Tories will be terribly keen to keep it going. The low income families will get precisely nothing for their 16-18 year olds. There are no jobs at all available for the kids, or anyone else for that matter, so we will have to keep them on fresh air.

My OH already works 2 jobs to earn 16grand a year. I can't work because of the children and the circumstances of oh's work. I have a 17 year old who will be affected if these changes come in quickly and other kids coming up behind him.

YOP schemes ..why give someone a job,when you can get a teenager to do it for £40 a week for a year, and then move on to the next one

oh well at least I can use this as a reason why they can't move dd to the crap for her college, I will have to get a job so won't be able to take her.

Loudlass says exactly what I came back on to say. Except the CTC could actually be £50 a week.

Could the CTC be that much? I get it for the younger 2 ds's as well as DD, so I was unsure how much of it was specifically 'for' DD.

Stressed they said that 2 years ago as well when dd1 was getting it so fingers crossed i've not got around to finishing off DS's forms yet better hurry up just in case.

I get a bit of WTC, CTC, CB and with the EMA makes £115 a week! This is keeping us going whilst DD does 6th form. After that I'm stuffed, or looking for a rich man. ATM hoping my working poor single status will get her help through Uni, but gawd knows, now.

Didn't mean to be flippant about the 'scrubbing toilets' remark, just meant that no way would they deny my DD any further/higher education even if they tried to starve us out of it.

We are lucky that our local comp has a good 6th form so no need to travel more that 2 1/2 miles, just under the assisted travel. Btw can you not apply for a bus contract free or is that only when there isn't an alternative? Ignore me, I remember that it is. Our comp is 2 1/2 miles away from our village, 3 1/2 from 2 others and they get free buses/transport. Our lazy children have to pay fares.

Stressed, hopefully they will at least keep EMA for current recipients.

Borders, I know. This is DS2's 3rd year of EMS (he was deferred a year at the start, so turned 16 in JAn of 4th year.) There is much more being made of it by our LA this time though and the school have talked it up as well,

It's not looking too good, especially with there being no bonuses at all this year. You should hurry up and stick your form as I don't think they are backdating it now.

Stressed, I am in England and admit to not reading the small print. Is it different in Scotland?

Eve, I think that EMA may be different in England. In Scotland, HE kids like my DS2 can get it at the moment (if you're prepared to jump through hoops)and I know that this isn't the case in England and Wales.

It's been a bit of a life saver for DS2 because it has meant that he has been able to pay for a lot of his educational resources from the EMA money. He has strange and eclectic interests (he has Aspergers) and his stuff costs a fortune now. Yesterday, we spent 100pounds on textbooks for science and Chinese history, for example, and during the summer it was 150pounds on a course on Buddhism, sumi-e equipment and some harmonica stuff. Without his EMA, we wouldn't be able to get him any of that stuff.

If CB and then CTC goes for him (and then his siblings when they hit 16) goodness knows how we will manage.