The end of income support

On Monday 24th of November, lone parents will no longer be eligible to make a new claim for income support if their youngest child is aged 12 or above. Lone parents currently claiming income support with their youngest child aged 12 or above will have their income support terminated some time in 2009.

Lone parents will be transferred to Job Seeker's Allowance and forced to apply for paid employment or else risk their benefits being terminated.

Something that really concerns me is that there could be a reduction in the number of parents of children who are bullied at school or children with SEN that the school cannot provide effective services for who decide to go ahead with HE. Some parents could end up telling their children that they have no choice but to attend school because their parents have to work in order to pay the bills now that IS has been scrapped.

I resigned from work twice to HE my son between the ages of 12 and 16 and I was offered IS without any complications. JSA is only officially available to people who have been made unemployed and is not generally available to people who have quit their job even because of family matters.