HMRC staff are routinely failing to follow relevant guidance when dealing with child benefit claims in respect of young people aged 16 and over who are continuing in home education, according to concerned parents and support organisations.

Even in cases where well informed parents have advised the Child Benefit office of their continuing entitlement due to their child's ongoing, non advanced, full time home educated status, the benefit has still been withdrawn with immediate effect and without reference to the Full Time Education Section (FTES) which determines eligibility.

Home Education Forums has heard from several home educators whose child benefit has been suspended in recent weeks, despite their fulfilling the continuing eligibility criteria for receipt of this universal benefit.

Meanwhile, the national Scottish home education charity Schoolhouse, which provides full details of the relevant child benefit regulations for home educators on its website, says it has dealt with an increasing number of enquiries in recent months from parents who are concerned about the suspension of their payments without notice, leading to stress, anxiety and financial hardship in some cases.

Although payments have been reinstated following case by case investigation, both Schoolhouse and AHEd, its counterpart organisation south of the border, remain concerned that front line HMRC staff are failing to properly assess the eligibility of home educating parents whose young people have turned 16, since they appear to have no access to accurate information about the applicable criteria. The problem is compounded by the fact that call centre staff are either unable or unwilling to transfer calls to FTES staff who are already aware of the issue and its disproportionate impact on a small but growing minority of parents.

A recent call from Home Education Forums to the HMRC press office resulted in one case being re-examined and resolved within the hour, but concern remains about the seemingly routine withdrawal of child benefit in respect of home educated children post-16 who are continuing in non advanced, full time education.

As long as the fundamental problem remains unresolved, home education support groups believe that a significant number of home educating parents who are unaware of the regulations will lose out on the child benefit to which they remain fully entitled because they will simply accept that they are non eligible, having been told so by inadequately trained call centre staff rather than the FTES.

It is an added burden for home educating parents to have to pursue their genuine entitlement until their benefit is reinstated, if indeed they are aware of the rules in the first place. All parents should surely be given accurate information at first point of contact and not have to battle it out on a case by case basis, especially when home education is not the rarity it once was