Care Leavers: Housing Benefit

(asked on 2nd November 2016) - View Source

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to paragraph 3.85 of the Government's publication, Keep on Caring, published in July 2016, what progress is being made by her Department on exploring the extension of the exemption from the shared accommodation rate of housing benefit to age 25.


Answered by
Edward Timpson Portrait
Edward Timpson
This question was answered on 8th November 2016

My Department continues to work with colleagues in the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to consider whether there is any benefit to care leavers from extending the exemption to the ‘shared accommodation’ rate to age 25. We have also invited the Children’s Society to share some real-life case studies to illustrate the impact of moving to the shared accommodation rate.

With regard to wider financial help, care leavers are entitled to a range of support including a Higher Education Bursary, DWP benefit support when returning to non-advanced education through the second chance learning scheme, and day one Universal Credit and hardship payments when sanctions have been applied.

‘Keep on Caring’ provides more detail on the support available and the areas where we are continuing to work with other Government departments. It is available at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/535899/Care-Leaver-Strategy.pdf

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