Regulation 7 Circumstances in which a person is to be treated as being or not being a member of the householdI1
England, Wales and Scotland
Subject to paragraphs (2) and (3), the claimant and any partner and, where the claimant or his partner is treated as responsible by virtue of regulation 6 (circumstances in which a person is to be treated as responsible or not responsible for another) for a child or young person, that child or young person and any child of that child or young person shall be treated as members of the same household notwithstanding that any of them is temporarily absent from that household.
A child or young person shall not be treated as a member of the claimant’s household where he is—
placed with the claimant or his partner by a local authority under section 23(2)(a) of the Children Act 1989f1 or by a voluntary organisation under section 59(1)(a) of that Act, or in Scotland boarded out with the claimant or his partner under a relevant enactment; or
placed, or in Scotland boarded out, with the claimant or his partner prior to adoption; or
Subject to paragraph (4), paragraph (1) shall not apply to a child or young person who is not living with the claimant and he—
is being looked after by, or in Scotland is in the care of, a local authority under a relevant enactment; or
has been placed, or in Scotland boarded out, with a person other than the claimant prior to adoption; or
has been placed for adoption pursuant to a decision under the Adoption Agencies Regulations 1983 or the Adoption Agencies (Scotland) Regulations 1984.
An authority shall treat a child or young person to whom paragraph (3)(a) applies as being a member of the claimant’s household in any benefit week where—
that child or young person lives with the claimant for part or all of that benefit week; and
the authority considers that it is reasonable to do so taking into account the nature and frequency of that child’s or young person’s visits.
In this regulation “relevant enactment” means the Army Act 1955f4, the Air Force Act 1955f5, the Naval Discipline Act 1957f6, the Matrimonial Proceedings (Children) Act 1958f7, the Social Work (Scotland) Act 1968f8, the Family Law Reform Act 1969f9, the Children and Young Persons Act 1969f10, the Matrimonial Causes Act 1973f11, The Guardianship Act 1973f12, the Children Act 1975f13, the Domestic Proceedings and Magistrates Courts Act 1978f14, the Adoption (Scotland) Act 1978f15, the Family Law Act 1986f16and the Children Act 1989.