This makes me feel a total failure

[kah]

I have been in touch before - but just to confirm my fears... My son has a partial student loan because of the level of my salary - I have an IVA - I can't help him - he's failed the second year at university according to his tutors he is working too many hours#! This makes me feel a total failure. Is there no way he could get a full loan like children of less well off parents - my debts are not his fault. There is only me to help him and I can't.

[MelanieGiles]

Hi kah

I am sorry to hear about your son's struggles. If you are in an IVA, would you be better off by just going bankrupt where you may be able to negotiate reduced payments with the Official Receiver, and include a contribution to his university expenditure to top up the difference. Or why not speak to your IP to see if some form of allowance could be made for this in your ongoing monthly contributions.

Are you a single parent?

Regards, Melanie Giles, Insolvency Practitioner for over 20 years.

For further details contact me at http://www.melaniegiles.com and view my IVA blog at: http://melaniegiles.blogs.iva.co.uk

[kah]

Bankrupcy means he loses his home (what little security we have after his mother's prolonged mental illness)- my original proposal included this element but it was rejected because - students receive loans (not grants or gifts) and an IVA does not allow me to top up what is after all a loan scheme. The governments student finance wesite says that if parents aren't going to pay up - students are unlikely to make it through university. The new arrangements the government are proposing to provide grants to students from poorer families - again this is based on income - so he'll get nothing. I am in despair