On the child maintenance front, payments are made based on an overall assessment of how much needs to be contributed by the paying parent, rather than for specific purposes.

The person paying has no control over what the money is spent on.  Once payment  of the assessed amount has been made there is no obligation on the paying parent to contribute any more money, but it also doesn’t stop the paying parent from contributing more voluntarily.  Often people do this to keep things sweet or when unexpected expenses are incurred.  If both parents are struggling financially this will be difficult, but it is worth trying to keep on good terms if possible.

Parents who rely on housing benefit may only be able to take shared accommodation without bedroom space for their children to stay with them.  Most single people under 35 in the private rented sector are restricted to the shared accommodation rate (SAR); their housing benefit is set at a level to cover the rent on a room in a shared house.  New applicants may have to apply for Universal Credit rather than Housing Benefit.  For further information on housing issues see the Shelter Scotland or Citizens Advice Scotland sites.