daughter/full time college/pregnancy/benefits?

[threebats]

Hope this is the right place to post this question.
I have a 21 year old daughter who is pregnant, due in July when she will be 22. Quickly want to say, we are all pleased with the news - there's been a lot of sadness in our little family over the last few years so hard to see a new baby as anything other than happy news :) even though some people we know (scowling as I type) have been uptight over the fact 'she's far too young...'
She is in a relationship, has been for 4 years but she does not live with her boyfriend. She lives with me at home as last year she went back to full time college after realising the world of call center jobs was hanus and she wanted a better life for herself...
I work part time, claim working and child tax credits. I have a son with high end autism so am registered as his carer - the reason I can not go out and get a full time job - sick and tired of having to explain this to people that call me a benefit scrounger! I am working all the hours that I can work while caring for my son, any more hours worked cancels out my carers allowance and also leaves him home alone on days he is not at education which I can not do. He is in full time college - 3 days a week.
I have a 15 year old also... Full time school.
Anyhow, I have tried, unsuccessfully to get some advice on what aside from child benefit my daughter will be able to claim when her baby is born and she remains living at home with me while she completes her final year in college. Her bf is happy and willing to contribute to baby, he is not a waster, he's a decent lad, he works part time after finding it hard to find a full time job but in all honesty, they are going to struggle financially - dd does already - I financially support her currently and I do not claim any help in the manner of tax credits for doing so given her age and so forth. All I have been told is; if she were not to go to college, she would be entitled to state help which to my mind sounds ridiculous as surely we ought to be assisting in education rather than punishing for going? But that is only my personal opinion on the skewiff ideals of this country! Its kind of why I am posting on here because I can't understand the logic of this - surely it can not be right that when she has the baby she gets no help at all because she is in college? Yet if she chose to not complete her courses, she'd get money? I am trying to work out if I have to support her when baby is born plus support the baby in reality given her bf's small earnings? I feel crushed financially as it is and this is keeping me awake at night as I try to work out where i can magic the cash up from!
Anybody who has been through a similar situation - your input would be much appreciated. Do not want to go into it greatly with dd as she is terribly sick at the moment, the pregnancy has thus far been horrible for her.
Many thanks.

I'm not sure tbh. Perhaps contact the college and ask? Can she go pt on the course?

She should contact her Student Services team at the college because there is help available for people in full-time education that is not available for others.

We did that, the college student services and we were told until the baby is born, there is nothing they can advise - I suspect this might be because any given individual can and does face individual circumstances after the birth of a baby and they go on individual circumstances?
Her courses are full time and she has a score of 100% on all of them, she is also class representative so to give that all up for the sake of a year left seems daft in my mind - they don't do part time courses in her area. But thanks for the suggestion - it was one of the things I thought of first of all as well.
I suppose I am being over practical here and worrying about something that is going to happen in 6 months time? I just hate financial surprises. I can't cushion them too well, I have a tiny margin for error each month. I am sure I will sort something out along the way though...

It maybe worth talking to her tutor as it is possible at many colleges in these circumstances to take a year out (a type of maternity leave) she would not at that point be in education.
Due to an tragic experience I had with one of my HE students I know they prefer not to commit fully until the baby has arrived safely as things can not work out the way everyone had hoped.
It does count in her favour if she is really hard working until the birth as this is seen as her commitment to the course.

I got pg when I was 18 and at university. This was a few years ago and the system has changed a bit, but some funding elements have remained although they've changed the names. I continued to study f/t and got an increased grant/loan, some childcare funding, child tax credits, child benefit, plus the discretionary access to learning fund. I was exempt from council tax (as all students are - though I believe this is changing for some councils now) and got about half my rent paid through housing benefit. I couldn't claim income support as the student loans etc I got took me over the income threshold.

During the summer holidays I could claim income support and full housing benefit. It was enough to pay the bills, fund my studies and keep us reasonably comfortable.

Your dd's situation is a bit different though, as I was a lone parent and was renting a house on my own. It will be a bit more complicated, as she is living with you. I am not sure how the DWP will view her relationship and whether she will be considered to be a lone parent.

Is her college course FE or HE? Does she get any grant or loan for her course now?

I fell pregnant whilst studying at college which like your daughter it took me a while to get back into college returning when I was 19 my tutor sorted everything out so that providing I put in the work I could finish the course early in April to have my baby in May instead of finishing in July. I did this n was able to start claiming income support for me and my baby however I was living at home with my mom but she is disabled and unable to work n so the overall household income allowed me to claim income support. I think given that u work may hav an effect on what ur daughter can claim.