Government advisers call for review of rules that cause loss of household income when a child takes up job training
Young people from disadvantaged backgrounds are abandoning valuable job training opportunities because of a little-known welfare “apprenticeship penalty” that can leave their families out of pocket by as much as £340 a week.
The problem is caused by benefit rules that classify a 16-year-old apprentice as an “independent worker” who no longer requires parental support. As a result, the parents’ child benefit and child and disability elements of universal credit are withdrawn.
Continue reading...This article was originally published by The Guardian and written by Patrick Butler Social policy editor.
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