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Hi everybody this is behalf of my sister she doesn’t use the internet much! My sister is a single mum to three girls, 11yrs, 10yrs and 5 yrs the youngest has started school and she has to claim JSA now. She has been out of work for a long time and suffered Post traumatic stress due to the severe violence of her ex partner one of the children’s dad. She has just got back into work only working 10 hours per week, as a catering assistant in a school. The school is not that near by and she doesn’t work but has given her the confidence and allowed her to get experience and go on courses there is the possibility of increasing her hours in the future. Her job advisor tells her she cannot sit looking pretty in this job and must apply for 10 jobs a week 20 a fortnight using only the job universal jobsite. The advisor is being very unreasonable the job centre she has to attend is a long bus journey away and is often a struggle between work and picking the kids up. I helped my sister out and thought we will play the game and apply for the 20 jobs even if she is not suitable for them. This wasn’t good enough the advisor is making her go again on Friday and said if she doesn’t apply for just suitable catering jobs she is stopping her JSA. There is not 10 suitable jobs on the site the jobs my sister has been applying for our on the council websites which is where she has been applying for 16 hour jobs and more but that doesn’t count. They are being very unreasonable my sister dreads going in now she already has panic attacks but this doesn’t concern them her advisor sarcastically suggested she seek counselling. What can she do?
Hi Sally, thanks for your help. She does see a lone parent advisor but this doesn't seem to help. She is really enjoying her new job and although it is 10 hrs it's a chance of progressing in the future. Her advisor sounds unreassonable she has already give her a warning if she doesn't amend her cv they are stopping her benefiit's. I mOhhh for with her to the appointment for some suppOrr can we change the agreement of 19 jobs a week? They expect to see her every 2 weeks now and this week twice in one week.
Hi vikz112, unfortunately your sister isn't alone with this stress that the job centre is putting her under. I am going to highlight this thread to our parliamentary officer who wants to hear from parents who are being threatened with sanctions.
Hi vikz, I agree with the others but I would also like to say that on a practical basis your sister would need to work 16 hours a week to qualify for Working Tax Credit and Child Tax Credit and then she wouldn't have anything to do with the Job Centre people anymore. There is no reason why she cannot keep this current job (which suits her) and find something else for 6 hours a week to "patch on" to it. She could for example work privately for people doing cleaning, shopping and errands for this amount of time per week, of course keeping records of all money received and telling her tax office that she is selof employed for some of the time. I know this is a hassle but that type of work can also be fitted round the girls and it feels to me as if it would be less hassle than what they are putting her through.
Hi vikz112
Your sister is lucky that she has you supporting her. It sounds like the Job Centre are not being fair to your sisiter expecting her to look for 20 jobs that are not there to begin with.
Does your sister see a lone parent advisor? if not see if the Job centre has one and see if you can get an appointment with them as there are some flexibilities that would apply to your sister.
If you take a look at this Guidance for Lone Parents on JSA you will see that there are certain flexibilities that apply to lone parents on JSA.
Your sister should check if it states on her Jobseekers agreement how many jobs she needs to look for each week, as if it only states three or four that is all she is expected to apply for unless they change it.