Discussion Boards I care for...
unpaid care for young carers in further education
- By Faye
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Mon 10 Mar 2008 15:35
Hi my name is Faye. I care for my mum who has severe ruematoid Arthritis cause dad who is a nurse works long hours to keep a roof over our heads. I feel totally let down by the education system and the government. I decided to continue with my education by taking some A Levels at sixth form college and when I applied I put in a covering letter that I was a registered carer and my hours could not exceed 21 hours. They promised me that this would be no problem and they would give me special student status. My dad was present at the meeting.
However when the Carers allowance asked for hours the college put down 21/22 which included home study. I don't get EMA cause my parents just go over the limit. However we do not hardly have any money cause mum and dad had to leave work for 2 years when my eldest sister was very ill a couple of years ago and we got into debt which we are paying back. We also have a big mortgage .Firstly I feel like my college have betrayed me and secondly I cannot beleive the stupid rules the government make on carers.
Can anyone offer me any advise I feel so let down and angry. It is not fair.
Replies
- By kerry
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Re: unpaid care for young carers in further education
Tue 11 Mar 2008 21:00hiya sweetie, i can understand why u are angry but 21 hours means 21 SUPERVISED hours. this should not include hours you study alone or unsupervised.
I know cos im at uni and this is one of the queries i had and the uni told me altho it was considered full time, that FT meant anything UP TO 21 hrs beofre i would lose my carers allowance.
so i still get it.
it should be the same for you.
i think your college are a bit mixed up here and you need to have a meeting with the student support worker (or whatever yours is called). also the financial office should be aware of this.
as long as u care for 35 hrs pw or more and supervised study for 21 hrs or less (or if working bringin home £95 pw or less)
good luck honeykerry
- By kerry
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Re: unpaid care for young carers in further education
Tue 11 Mar 2008 21:05faye, im quite sure this is correct. However, im just now wondering if the rules are different for young carers in FT education....
perhaps u could try approaching a young carers organisation (locally to where u live- the social services dept would have a number for them) and ask their advice.
Let me know how u get on.......
- By SarahD
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Re: unpaid care for young carers in further education
Wed 12 Mar 2008 10:06Hi Faye
We have another website with a discussion board specifically for younger carers - www.youngcarers.net which you will be allowed to use until you are 19. Why not take a look there because Sam and Ewan will be able to give you some advice that will be specific to young carers.
Thanks
Sarah, PRTC Online Editor
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By natalie
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Re: unpaid care for young carers in further education
Wed 12 Mar 2008 13:04it is up to 21 hours i used to do it regardless orf age
- By welfare
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Re: unpaid care for young carers in further education
Wed 12 Mar 2008 15:20If you are in "full-time education" you cannot get CA. If you are attending University, College or School for 21 hours a week or more you will be treated as being in full-time education. In calculating the 21 hours you include only hours spent in "supervised study". You ignore any time spent on meal breaks or unsupervised study undertaken on or off the premises of the educational establishment.
"Supervised Study" does not depend on whether your supervisor (teacher, tutor, lecturer) is present with you. If your study is directed to your course of education and the curriculum of your course and it is undertaken to meet the reasonable requirements of your course, it will normally count as supervised study.E.g. In my opinion - if you attend 3 days a week from 9am to 4pm and have an hour for lunch - then you are attending for 18 hourse per week (the place of education may count this as full-time but for CA purposes this would not be full time)
- By Faye
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Re: unpaid care for young carers in further education
Wed 12 Mar 2008 16:02Hi
Thanks to everyone who has replied but I am still confused. I actually am only in college for 14 hours per week but the college and Government are saying that home study must be included and the tribunal will go by what the college say. They are saying 2- 3 hours per A level. per week I am taking 3 A levels. There is no way I spend that much time on home study especially in view of the subjects I take which are Performing Arts, Theartre Studies and Sociology. Is home study counted as SUPERVISED. I have begged the college to budge but they won;t I feel like I have been hoodwinked by the college they were fully aware of my circumstances on application and assured me I would be fine to claim. I even give up the opportunity to take a DADA AWARD because I knew and understood this was a full time course. The college will not give me a proper answer so I can only guess it is to do with their funding they receive for full time pupils. i feel let down robbed and humiliated. A lot of people tell me to leave but I love college and love my tutors why should my education suffer because I am a carer.
Very disollusioned anyone who can help me I would be so grateful.
Faye
- By welfare
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Re: unpaid care for young carers in further education
Wed 12 Mar 2008 16:46Home study is considered "Supervised". However, it is considered "unsupervised". "Unsupervised Study" means work beyond the reasonable requirements of your course. In assessing your hours of attendance, evidence from your education institution about the amount of time for which you are expected to study to complete your course is important. However, your hours of attendnance should be judged by the facts in your individual case. You may be able to argue that you intend, expect or actually devote less time to your studies than your education institution considers is necessary to meet the reasonable requirements of the course, or that you are exempt from some requirements of the course because of, for example, a prior qualification. However, guidance to decision makers suggests that they should be very slow to accept that you spend less time on supervised study than your education institution expects you to. Equally, a decision maker should be very slow to conclude that you receive full-time education because you devote considerably more time to the course than is expected of you.
However, as you attend college for 14 hours and the college expects you to study 2-3 hours for each of the 3 subjects (the minimum amount would be 20 hours and therefore part-time study). However, be very careful, if your parents are still receiving Child Benefit and other benefits for you, these may be lost where the CA is gained. To continue to receive child benefit you have to be in full time non-advanced education.
- By welfare
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Re: unpaid care for young carers in further education
Wed 12 Mar 2008 16:51Sorry for the error above - Home study is considered "Supervised".
Please ignore the 2nd sentence "However, it is considered unsupervised".
As if these issues aren't confusing enough, without me making it worse - I'm really sorry.
- By kerry
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Re: unpaid care for young carers in further education
Wed 12 Mar 2008 19:55Hi faye,
when i applied to my uni for a (full time) degree course i was told that i had to be in supervised study for 21 hrs or more pw.
i was told that this DID NOT include unsupervised study, in other words i was told it did not include how much time i spent studying, or doing essays; only time that i spend in lectures/workshops/semnars etc with a lecturer.so...
my supervised time (lectures etc with a lecturer) is 12 hrs per week, so that is what i am down as doing.
sometimes i may do another 10 hrs pw at home or in the library or whatever, but other times i may not need to do any at all for a while.
some weeks you do more study than at others- it depends on what work you are doing.
e.g if i have essays to do ill put in more hours at home or in the library etc
so i dunno how they can judge really.you could always say that u do less than 2 or 3 hrs pw as you have to care for your mum and do household tasks!!!!!!