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hi there
i am new to this site so apoligies if you have seen this before but i could not see any headings related to this and it seems to be a minefield out there
Im hoping to be able to stop giving my ex child support and start giving my son the money instead to help him whilst on his apprenticeship as i know my money just goes towards their credit card bills etc i have spoken to her about this but refuses to let me do this for him and the law seems to be a mine field
my son is 17 years old and starts with Next the clothing company on an apprenticeship in 2 weeks timewhich will be full time all be it 2 days a week are at college which Next organises and 3 days a week in work for around £90 a week
i cant seem to find out if the Next clothing company apprenticeship is goverment backed or employer backed as this seems to make a difference ??
my payments are not through CSA they are paid by bank transfer and what we personally agreed years ago to save all the hassle of csa etc
can you help me out please
Hi Paul,
You maybe able to do that i use to work for a training company who found the kids the jobs.
and parents lose all benefits if a child goes on a apprenticeship as is classed as working and providing for himself.
most apprenticeships are government funded for under 18 year olds (meaning training provider get paid by the government)
I think i am right but been out the game over a year.
contact this lot http://www.apprenticeships.org.uk/ and they should point you right way.
Hi Paul 1131
Thanks for your post. I’m William the Child Maintenance Options consultant. With you having a family-based arrangement in place it would be between you and your son’s mother to agree together if your maintenance payments can be paid directly to your son. There are no strict rules that you have to stick to when having a family-based arrangement.
Family-based arrangements are not legally binding, however, they are quick and easy to change. We have useful tools and guides available to download from our website at http://www.cmoptions.org/en/toolbox/index.asp. You may find our Discussion Guide useful as this can help you plan your conversation with your son’s mother in regards to changing your agreement.
If you are unable to make an agreement together, you may wish to follow the guidelines of the Child Support Agency (CSA). Child maintenance is only paid to the parent or guardian who as the main day-to-day care of the child.
Under child support legislation, regular child maintenance payments must be made until a child is 16 years old, or 20 if they are in full-time, non-advanced education (A-level or equivalent), or for as long as Child Benefit is being paid. Generally if Child Benefit is still being paid child maintenance is still payable.
The definition of full-time education is more than 12 hours a week of study, on a course up to and including A level standard. Some examples of non-advanced education are:
A levels or similar - eg Pre-U, International Baccalaureate
Scottish Highers
NVQ up to level 3
home education - if started before your child turned 16
Courses are not approved if paid for by an employer or ‘advanced’, eg a university degree, BTEC Higher National Certificate.
Approved training should be unpaid and can include:
some apprenticeships and traineeships
Courses that are part of a job contract are not approved. Further information can be found at https://www.gov.uk/child-benefit-16-19.
To find out more about all the options available for maintenance and how Child Maintenance Options can help you visit http://www.cmoptions.org or call us free on 0800 988 0988 between 8am and 8pm Monday to Friday or 9am and 4pm on Saturday.
Thanks
William
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