Foyer Update is a monthly feature contributed by the Foyer Federation and written by Sophie Livingstone, Head of Policy & Communications. Views expressed are those of the author. Email: sophie@foyer.net
Access to Education
By Sophie Livingstone, Head of Policy &
Communications
As highlighted in last month's article, the holistic nature of Foyers means that as a minimum they offer affordable accommodation integrated with opportunities for learning and personal development. However, Foyers often find themselves working in frustrating circumstances, battling against conflicting and confusing regulations and requirements.
Young people living independently face greater challenges in building a better future. The job of Foyers is to give them more opportunities to do so. Many young people living in Foyers have had a disrupted education and need additional help before they feel ready to move back into a more formal learning environment. However, time is not on their side, as despite the Government's commitment to lifelong learning, we still have a system which strongly discourages full-time study after the age of 18 years (except at university), leaving the people who have fallen furthest behind in the education race with least opportunity to catch up.
One of the main barriers to full-time learning for Foyer residents is the 16 Hour Housing Benefit Rule, which means that anyone over the age of 18 and in housing need cannot claim Housing Benefit if they are studying for more than 16 hours a week. It is an issue that the Foyer Federation has been campaigning on for some time – we want to see adults able to study full-time for qualifications at Level 3 (A Levels, Advanced BTEC and equivalent, NVQ3 and Access courses) or below without suffering loss of Housing Benefit.
A further barrier to Foyer residents increasing their prospects is often JobcentrePlus, and in particular the New Deal:
He was 24 and wanted to study for his A-Levels including history - he wanted to go to University to do a BA in History. But A-Levels were not allowed on the New Deal. He found a job after living on JSA for four months in a call-centre and his now working there. He was a very committed guy, very focused. He would have gone to university if he'd got to do his A-Levels.
Jobcentres generally don't have New Deal contracts with local colleges, which means they are forced to take Foyer residents off A-Level and other courses in order to fulfill their statutory requirements.
The Government has taken steps to counter the massive post-16 school drop-out rate and top up the income of students on low incomes through the Educational Maintenance Allowance (EMA), which provides young people with up to £30 per week. This allowance is intended to be in addition to any benefits they receive, and therefore makes a direct contribution to a young person's learning, enabling them to purchase books and equipment, for example.
However, we have reports from Foyers that young people working part-time, rather than claiming Income Support while studying, are being told that their EMA allowance must count against their Housing Benefit, therefore creating a disincentive to support themselves rather than claim benefits. We are taking this up with the Learning and Skills Council, which administers the EMA, but again this seems like bureaucracy taking precedent over a sensible and supportive approach to young people carving out a better future.
The New Deal has made great inroads into reducing youth unemployment, and the Government's target of increasing skills and access to lifelong learning is to be applauded. But as ever, the devil is in the detail. If the 'hardest to reach' are to make a successful transition into adulthood, then the Government must take seriously the issue of accessing education and opportunity for some of the most vulnerable young people in our society, or risk the consequences - social and financial - further down the line.