Young Parent Payment : Contents
Factors to consider when recommending payment distribution between payment cards and in-hand allowance
When making a recommendation as to how a young person's payment should be distributed between the in-hand allowance and the payment card, the Service Provider will consider the young person's circumstances, including (but not limited to) the following:
- what level of need does the client have for costs that can be met through the payment card, eg if they are boarding and their food is covered they may not need as much money on the payment card as most of their main meals will be covered
- what essential costs does the client need to meet from their in-hand allowance eg do they have clear essential needs such as travel costs on which they need to spend their in-hand allowance, or do they have access to a food supplier (eg fruit and vegetable market) where it would be more cost effective for them to shop, however that supplier does not accept the payment card
- does the client have sufficient budgeting skills to ensure their in-hand allowance is prioritised to meet essential costs, such as food and groceries, where necessary
- has the client demonstrated poor budgeting skills in relation to the way they have been using their current distribution of payment eg has the client failed to provide food or other essentials for their children out their in-hand allowance, where this has been necessary due to them not having enough credit on their payment card
YSSU makes the final decision as to how the young person's payment will be distributed between the payment card and in-hand allowance, taking into account the information supplied by the young person's Service Provider.
When making this decision, YSSU must be satisfied that the distribution between the two payment methods is reasonable given the client's individual circumstances.
For more information see:
