apprenticeship

A question about : apprenticeship

I was hoping to get some information on when a child leaves 6th form and starts an apprenticeship.
At this present time we do not know if the course is an approved programme led apprenticeship or a course provided by an employer as part of a job contract.
We could not ask the ex directly as there has been a severe break-down in communication, which has also led to my partners children having no contact with him since the age of 12, the children are all 18yrs old now and it was a family member who gave the information about the apprenticeship and the children changing their names legally to the mothers maiden name.
My partner pays csa for all his children and any correspondence from csa refer to the children with my partners surname we have not had any notice from csa informing us of any changes of csa payments or name change of the children.
I know changing a childs name does not change csa payments but not sure if an apprenticeship does?

Best answers:

• Here is the link to whether Child Benefit is payable. If CB is payable then CSA is also payable. https://www.gov.uk/child-benefit-16-19
  NVQ's up to level 3 is counted as approved education, so I believe CB is still payable therefore CSA is also payable.
• Hi Kent,
  Thanks for the Link, we have looked at the info but we don't know if it is an unpaid apprentice course.
  His daughter stayed on last year at 6th form and got herself a part-time job for pocket money, she went back to 6th form this sept but then had an interview for an apprenticeship, which we know that she has taken up.
  It may be an idea for my partner to seek legal advice as there is no way he will find out, this is the unfortunate circumstances when there is severe communication break down and your never informed of anything.
• You could waste a lot of money on legal advice without achieving anything; ask CSA to check that child benefit is still being paid, that's the best way to find out. If they confirm that child benefit is still payable ring them to check again in a few months to check again. It's likely that the course will count as full time non advanced education so your partner will still be liable to pay child support until the course ends or until the 'child' reaches age 20.
• I agree with justontime, we stopped paying CSA after the 'child' had been working on the apprenticeship scheme for more than a year, and was being paid as part of that but because CB was still being paid CSA was still payable. After a year we assumed the apprenticeship had finished and asked the CSA to do a CB check, turns out we'd overpaid as the PWC had neglected to tell the CSA that the child was no longer on an apprenticeship, and therefore she was no longer getting CB for that child. We did get a refund of the overpayments.
• My son is 17 and started an apprenticeship in July. As he is paid about Ј100 per week no CB is payable.
• Hi All,
  Thanks for taking time to read and reply.
  Justontime, I know going down the legal route would be costly and makes sense to check with csa and to check again a couple of months later, so will take you advice on that.
  I have been told that if they are being paid while on the apprenticeship that CB ceases, which ultimately means csa will end too.
  I found this link:
  https://www.csahell.com/csa-payments-...urse-3064.html
  All very confusing to say the least, the hardest part is when your told nothing and you have to play a guessing game.
  Once again, "thank you" all for replying to me
• Quite a few apprenticeships are classed as approved training in which case CB is still payable.
  All you can do is every couple of months ask the CSA to perform a CB check which takes them just a few minutes in most cases. If CB is being paid then CM is due. If CB ceases then your case will close and any overpayments made will be refunded (eventually!)
• In our case although the child was being paid because the apprenticeship was a level 3 or below CB was still payable and therefore CSA was payable also.