Work requirements for those on benefits

Email from NCHENZ:

NOTE!! The new work requirements for beneficiaries that affect homeschooling parents come into force at the end of the 2010 school year. See the information direct from Paula Bennett at
http://www.nchenz.org.nz/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/Tarnya-Burge-07-09-10.pdf

http://www.nchenz.org.nz/2010/09/07/more-on-dpb-and-work-requirements/

Recent legislation has seen changes in the work requirements for beneficiaries. Until now parents on a benefit who homeschool their child(ren) were generally exempt from these requirements, but no longer.

The regulations now require that homeschooling parent on a benefit must show that "it would be unreasonable to expect the child to
attend school because of the family's circumstances" for them to be granted an exemption from work test requirements. Section 6 (2) (c) of the new regulations.

Circumstances under which an exemption might be granted are that the child has special needs, or that the family lives too far from a school.

Note that these regulations affect those on sickness and unemployment benefits as well as the DPB.

I strongly urge all homeschoolers to support our fellow homeschoolers who are being affected by these changes. We never know when we might face the same situation ourselves.
Please leave a comment on our webpage
http://www.nchenz.org.nz/have-your-say/

Regards from someone who has been a single homeschooling parent.
Penny Bilton.

Co-ordinator of NCHENZ