income support or esa for lone parent

krisskross

tom9980 wrote: »

Yes the person has a disability which makes getting any job not appropriate however they would get help finding something suitable for their disability or illness. Remember with JSA you are after awhile expected to take any job that is offered to you.

This is of course in theory and the thing that worries me and a lot of charities most about ESA is how an advisor with no medical training is able to decide what is and is not appropriate for someone especially when often doctors can disagree with each other.

I think in this case it is up to the claimant to be proactive in looking for work that suits them. If that chap with cerebral palsy in 'On the fiddle' could find himself paid work then surely someone with arthritis will find something they can do.

I think it will be mental health issues that disagreements will arise over.

krisskross

sleepless_saver wrote: »

This - a third of lone parents moving on to incapacity benefit - was such an amazing statistic that I looked up the original speech which it turns out had been misquoted by the BBC in their report. What he actually said was: "Furthermore in the UK, when the youngest child reaches 16, there is evidence that as many as a third of lone parents move almost seamlessly onto Incapacity Benefit or make a further claim for income support within the following 12 months " which is not the same thing at all.

Indeed not. Do you think they had another child in that 12 months?

NASA_2

krisskross wrote: »

So is there any difference in income based JSA and income based ESA?

A huge difference.

Oldernotwiser

ESA wrote: »

Alot of people seem to be on ESA for a short period of time. So far anyway. I'm hoping this continues to be the case.

Surely ESA is so new that it's difficult to say this?

Oldernotwiser

sleepless_saver wrote: »

This - a third of lone parents moving on to incapacity benefit - was such an amazing statistic that I looked up the original speech which it turns out had been misquoted by the BBC in their report. What he actually said was: "Furthermore in the UK, when the youngest child reaches 16, there is evidence that as many as a third of lone parents move almost seamlessly onto Incapacity Benefit or make a further claim for income support within the following 12 months " which is not the same thing at all.

Thanks for the correction; I'd only seen the BBC report. However, from what you've quoted, it seems that a third of lone parents (when their children came to 16) were going on IB or having another child! I'm not sure that this is any more encouraging than the BBC's misquotation.

Having said that, it doesn't surprise me one bit. I've done a lot of work with lone parents going onto JSA and it was a very common pattern for older women to have 2 grown up children and one coming up to 16. I was never intrusive enough to ask the ages of their grown up children but it often came out that the gap between the oldest "grown up" and the 15/16 year old was (surprise surprise!) about 16 years. (I suppose from now on it'll be 12!)

healy

krisskross wrote: »

So is there any difference in income based JSA and income based ESA?

I think Tom has covered it in his post but I will add that on JSA people are expected to get a job, whereas on ESA people are expected "to become job ready".

NASA_2

Oldernotwiser wrote: »

Surely ESA is so new that it's difficult to say this?

The trend is far from scientific, and its very early stages, but from what I have seen and been told people that previously would have passed the IB medical have failed the ESA medical.

This is my experience of ESA in northern Ireland BTW - despite the fact its meant to be the same system as in the DWP things generally get applied differently here. I'd be interested in what the early trend is in DWP.

krisskross

ESA wrote: »

A huge difference.

Is there any financial difference?

NASA_2

Oldernotwiser wrote: »

Thanks for the correction; I'd only seen the BBC report. However, from what you've quoted, it seems that a third of lone parents (when their children came to 16) were going on IB or having another child! I'm not sure that this is any more encouraging than the BBC's misquotation.

Having said that, it doesn't surprise me one bit. I've done a lot of work with lone parents going onto JSA and it was a very common pattern for older women to have 2 grown up children and one coming up to 16. I was never intrusive enough to ask the ages of their grown up children but it often came out that the gap between the oldest "grown up" and the 15/16 year old was (surprise surprise!) about 16 years. (I suppose from now on it'll be 12!)

I saw a case where an IS claimants case was due to close as her youngest was just turning 16, that 15 year old had a child, the now grandmother continued her entitlement with a day to spare by claiming for the grandchild.

They must have had the calendars out.:rolleyes:

Oldernotwiser

ESA wrote: »

They must have had the calendars out.:rolleyes:

Perhaps they were using the rhythm method?;)