What if the worst happens?

harissa

Hypothetical situation. Just curious about how much income a lone parent plus child/ren would be expected to survive on if the benefit was cut?

Also, HOW can a person prove they are looking for work when each week there are no suitable jobs advertised in the local paper? Would they simply accept that I genuinely spend a fair amount of time looking through online resources yet find nothing? For some reason the local paper has now taken to advertising jobs in the next county which would require 1 bus plus 2 trains to reach. The jobs on offer invariably demand x-number of years previous work in the job supported by a trade qualification. Most applicants are expected to be car owners and drivers too!

Posted on: October 26, 2009 - 11:15am

Ali D

Don't really know the answer to that one but may be finding out soon (my last post :roll: ). I don't know what the rules are for lone parents but I was told when I went I had to agree to travelling an hour there and back! I have to go to sign on for the first time tomorrow and tell them I didn't go for the job they suggested because it was too far away (would have took me over the hour actually). I don't see how all this is going to work really, it's not too bad if you only have one child under 16 like me but if you have three or four it will be a logistical nightmare.

Posted on: October 26, 2009 - 7:32pm

lindsaygii

I was proving job hunting earlier this year. I took print outs from websites that I'd looked at. And (whisper it), just to make the point I applied for things just so I had -- no chance of getting them -- but then I had proof of application by email too, and I took those in.

Also, believe it or not, I kept copies of the newspaper job pages. I know it doesn't prove I applied, but it does prove I at least held the paper in my hand.

These people are just doing a job. Make it easy for them and they'll leave you alone. it's not like they really care, is it?

Posted on: October 26, 2009 - 11:20pm

Louise

Parenting specialist

Yes! that is it exactly, lindsaygii. They are doing a job and need to tick a box. So they are much more likely to tick YOUR box if you go along to the Job Centre clutching some adverts etc. Also I think it helps to keep a jobs diary. This can just be an old exercise book. Record in it every action you take towards employment, so it might read:

Monday 26th Oct: bought local paper. No suitable jobs. Called at college to find out about free courses. They will send leaflets.
Tuesday 27th Oct: searched online with JobCentrePlus and local agencies. phoned for application form for receptionist job.
Wedensday 28th Oct: received leaflets from college. All for people who have been on JSA for more than 6 months so am not eligible. Signed on.
Thursday 29th Oct: filled in receptionist applcation and posted off
Friday 30th Oct: searched local paper website. Phoned re delivery job but only temp for 4 weeks so not suitable.

As for travelling time, I am not aware of a "rule of thumb" but think it could be argued that it is not economically viable to travel too far. A job for 16 hours a week would be best done in two lots of 8 hours if you have a lot of travelling and yet this is totally impractical with chidren as it would mean you would be out the house for 10 hours or more!

Harissa, I have no information about what "benefit cuts" might mean. In reality I imagine there will be one or two test cases where it will be shown to be not possible....

Posted on: October 27, 2009 - 9:04am

Ali D

I agree with what you are saying. I went yesterday to sign on for the first time. Got there and was asked if I was signing on so was directed to a free Jobs Point. This is a computer screen with the latest jobs on so I pressed a few buttons and looked busy cos I already knew the latest jobs as my job searching revolves around the internet. I've found every site that has jobs in my area. An old friend of mine came in so we had a bit chat and she said she just prints out a couple of jobs to make it look like she's interested. :o Anyway got called over, asked if I had been looking for a job, told her about the three I'd applied for, then she asked me if I look in the newspapers so I said I did, then I had to say which one's. And that was it!!! She didn't even mention the job of 40 hours which was two bus rides away that I didn't go for (in a prison btw, talk about easing me in gently :) ) So yes, I agree that they are only doing their jobs and if they can tick the boxes it makes their lives easier.

Posted on: October 28, 2009 - 10:42am

Sally C

Hi Everyone –

Harissa, regarding the hypothetical situation… if your benefits are cut (this will only happen if the criteria for JSA are not met), it means you will lose 40% of your usual benefit. However, if you are sanctioned, then you are able to apply for a hardship payment which is 60% of what you normally get. You don’t need to fill in any new claim forms for this, but you would need to talk to your personal adviser about whether you are entitled to a hardship payment – as you have children it is likely you would be. But let’s hope it doesn’t get to that stage.

In terms of travel to jobs and back, you will be expected by the JCP to look for jobs within 1-hour distance from your home (which means 2 hours travelling maximum per day, to and from work). However, this does also include time to drop off your children into nursery, childcare or school. If, for example, there is a job which seems relatively local, but you need to catch 2 different buses to get there AND also drop your child/ren off at nursery/school, which ends up taking over 1 hour, then you would have ‘just cause’ to turn the job down. It’s important to explain this to your adviser at the Jobcentre, and perhaps even bring in a little map and bus/train routes to explain the route and why it is impractical. I know it does seem a bit ridiculous, but hopefully it might take the pressure off if someone is telling you you need to apply for a job which is 2 hours away. Out of interest, when you are seeing your advisers, are they making it at all clear that this is the case?

About proving that you are ‘actively looking for work’, I think all your ideas are really useful. The JCP officially expects you to do at least 3 things per week, i.e. write a CV, fill in an application, speak to potential employers etc. Things like bringing in the local newspapers or print-out versions of online jobs are really good things to do to show that you are looking – and hopefully it will mean they can indeed tick their boxes!! :roll: And Louise’s idea about the log book would be really handy to show that you have being doing things like phoning around, which is harder to ‘prove’.

I’m interested, Ali D (nice to meet you btw!), if your adviser has explained that you don’t have to take a full-time job if you would prefer to work part-time? 40 hours is a lot of time for anyone, let alone if you are the sole carer for a child! :shock:

Hope to hear from you all again soon!
Sally C :)

Posted on: October 28, 2009 - 12:17pm

Ali D

Sally C wrote:

Hope to hear from you all again soon!
Sally C :)

Hi Sally C

When I went to fill in the form at the Job Centre for the transfer over she asked me what hours I would like, wrote down between 16 and 30 then still gave me the details for two jobs of 40 hours. She didn't explain at all about having the right to work part time, I only know about it because I've done the research myself!

Out of the three jobs I've applied for in my first week, I've just received my first rejection letter!! Probably plenty more too come I would think.
Im actually working voluntarily at the moment two mornings a week so hopefully when the funding comes through I will be offered an Admin post there of 20 hours a week. I'm keeping my fingers crossed anyway!

Posted on: October 28, 2009 - 6:14pm

lindsaygii

Speaking of ridiculous... when I first signed on the guy at the JC went through the screens very quickly, ticking things I would do, what I would apply for, where I would apply and so on.

I found out a couple of months later that at some point in this process I had agreed I would work as a Life Guard if I was offered the chance. No, really. So, in March, when I was six months pregnant, the guy in the signing on place asked me if I was still prepared to take Life Guard work if it was there. I went mad at him and demanded they get the press in immediately to confirm that Job Centre Plus currently expect six month pregnant women to be out there saving lives in the high seas.

Strangely he backed down and signed me on without any more fuss.

ha hahhaa ha ahaa ha!! tossers.

Posted on: October 28, 2009 - 8:18pm

Louise

Parenting specialist

I love it, lindsaygii, how ridiculous are they? It's all about ticking boxes.....I can imagine the headlines now. Good for you!

Posted on: October 29, 2009 - 10:38am

Claire-Louise

I think that should be the uplifting thought for the day
"Government expects 6 months pregnant woman to accept Life Guarding Job"
What a silly question/expectation!
C-L

Posted on: October 29, 2009 - 6:26pm

harissa

Could she swim??

Posted on: October 30, 2009 - 2:00pm

hazeleyes

Don't suppose that would have mattered much. At least she would have been seen to have had a job!!!!

Posted on: October 30, 2009 - 3:42pm

Louise

Parenting specialist

:lol: :lol:

Posted on: October 30, 2009 - 7:48pm

Sally C

WOW! lindsaygii that is quite incredible! What an outrage! I too can see the headlines... how ridiculous. :o

And Ali D - sorry to hear about the rejection letter, but hope something comes through for you soon. Good luck with the volunteering opportunity - that would be great if it could get turned into a paid job for you, as then you already know everyone etc. Let us know how it goes! And regarding the JCP, it's unbelievable that the right information just still isn't getting out there. Good on you for doing the research yourself and finding out the facts - it's worrying however to think that there'll be many single parents out there who are unable to get to the facts, and who are panicked into taking a job that's unmanageable.

I'll be keeping my fingers crossed for you anyway! :D

Sally C

Posted on: November 3, 2009 - 10:54am

harissa

I've just read this and am absolutely horrified!How desparate that mother must have felt to have seen this as the only way out - not that she seemed to have many options.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1232911/Mother-leaps-death-baby-arms-benefits-stopped.html

Posted on: December 3, 2009 - 3:55pm

Louise

Parenting specialist

That's absolutely dreadful, that poor woman and little boy.

Posted on: December 3, 2009 - 6:38pm

harissa

That article is attracting some very interesting comments. The majority seem sympathetic to the woman's plight. Some even admit they found themselves in exactly the same boat when they were lone parents.

I fear that the new legislation will end up driving more lone parents into the same desparate situation, though hopefully they will not take their own lives like the unfortunate woman in the article. One death is one death too many!

I am wondering whether One-Space could use its clout to really raise hell over this. There but for the grace of god, go we.

Posted on: December 3, 2009 - 8:52pm

Sally C

Harissa, I have only just seen that article. That is so terrible. Poor woman, and poor little boy. I am about to create a new topic as there is lots of press coverage right now about families, single parents and what the Conservative and Labour parties are making of it all. If you want to express an opinion/experience about Welfare, then post up, as we can use it in our lobbying work and take direct (but confidential) quotes from One Space (if people are happy for us to use them that is) to MPs etc.
Thanks,
Sally

Posted on: December 4, 2009 - 11:19am