Social Security Benefits: Children

(asked on 21st June 2017) - View Source

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what budget has been allocated from the public purse for training third party professional referrers in relation to the process for application for Support for a child conceived without your consent.


Answered by
Damian Hinds Portrait
Damian Hinds
Minister of State (Education)
This question was answered on 29th June 2017

The list of third party professionals for the non-consensual conception exception is published on gov.uk and the legislation enables these professionals in Scotland to provide evidence.

Approved third party professionals are those who in the course of their duties already deal with people in difficult circumstances, and are people with whom we believe it would be beneficial for the claimant to engage in order to obtain further guidance and support.

No new legal duties are placed on the third party professionals. They will not be asked to form a judgement as to whether or not the conception was non-consensual. The third party professionals are confirming only that the claimant’s circumstances are consistent with those of a person who has conceived a child in such a way. Under the legislation, this confirmation alone suffices as evidence of entitlement to the exception.

Reticulating Splines