Giving Compass' Take:

· A student in the UK has dropped out of school after seeing that her studies would go over 21 hours a week—the limit set by the Department for Work and Pensions to receive a care allowance. Although the DWP recognizes the importance of education, this rule forced a tough decision for Lucy Prentice, a student who has cared for her mother for years since her brain aneurysm.

· Why does the DWP set a limit on school hours for caretakers? How can policies be structured to better support students with care responsibilities? 

· Currently, governments spend billions of dollars a year on programs for the overall welfare of citizens. Read about a proposal for U.S. citizens to receive an annual allowance to ensure nobody falls below the poverty line.

Lucy Prentice has been her mother's carer since she was 11 years old. But now she has quit her college studies in Carmarthenshire after two years because she would lose her £64.60 a week Carers Allowance.

The rules state she cannot study more than 21 hours a week - and still get the financial support. The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) said it recognised the importance of carers maintaining links with education.

Lucy, 20, has joined a campaign to call for a change in the law and how it affects young carers.

The rule over care allowances applies to post-16 education, including carers in sixth forms and colleges. To be eligible, you must be over 16 and care for someone for at least 35 hours a week.

"I would love to go back to college but I can't afford to lose the money," said Lucy, who had studied business administration and switched to animal management. She had been working towards a career in the care industry and also hopes of her own business with animal rescue. "I worry about my future - I don't want to end up on Jobseekers Allowance," she said. "I worry I won't get a good job or earn good money. We struggle now and I don't want it to be the same in the future."

Read the full article about care allowance by India Pollock at BBC.