Son not entitled to Jobseekers- has no income - Help

dookar

shellsmithcat wrote: »

However the thing is he claimed for Jobseekers after losing his last job - in December - he started to receive money then stopped it for 1 week - due to his reasons for leaving - then reinstated his claim after just a 1 week penalty - he moved into the hostel on the 3rd of August. Last JSA was paid about 2 months ago - and his claim was abruptly cancelled with no explanation - they are telling him they can't tell him why it was cancelled - and they would not allow him to make another claim

There's something not right here.

1. If his claim has been terminated, the JC have a legal obligation to inform him of the reason and issue a fully appealable decision notification.

2. Everyone has a legal right to claim benefit, nobody can 'not allow him to make another claim'

So, taking into account the above either the JC staff are acting unlawfully or your son is not being entirely honest with you. You really need to find out which it is.

Phone them with your son present, he can give verbal consent for them to anwer your questions.

thorsoak

If he hhas mental health issues, his Social Worker should be able to help him - it might with worth getting in touch the the local MIND group - they may be able to help.

This must be so difficult for you as his parent!

bestpud

I second asking Mind if you get no joy with his social worker.

I also think it may be helpful to get him some shopping in, either delivered or you taking it to him. Well, I know it's what I would need to do if it were my son and he was turning to skin and bone.

I know it can be a fine line between helping and reducing his independence, and I also know helping out too much can mean he is deserted by the agencies who are supposed to care for him, but that said, I do think you need to step in at this point.

Once he is back on track with benefits, perhaps you could help him set up a calendar so he knows when he is meant to receive his money and/or sign on?

shellsmithcat

I had thought about the Tesco delivery thingy - and that is already in hand anyway - just also need to think long term as I am not able to support him long term financially- thank you everyone very much

Rob_Wills

shellsmithcat wrote: »

...he has a social worker who seems to be next to useless at offering any help

The purpose of local authority Social Services is the same as any other "civil service" department - When dealing with any statutory authority you need a lawyer as the official response is always non cooperative, often criminal, as they lie in their attempts to minimise the expenditure irrespective of your entitlement.

bestpud

Rob_Wills wrote: »

The purpose of local authority Social Services is the same as any other "civil service" department - When dealing with any statutory authority you need a lawyer as the official response is always non cooperative, often criminal, as they lie in their attempts to minimise the expenditure irrespective of your entitlement.

That's a bit strong!

They are very stretched and as a result, they can often only help those in dire need, but I am sure that is as frustrating for most SWs as it is for those who need the service...

Oldernotwiser

Rob_Wills wrote: »

The purpose of local authority Social Services is the same as any other "civil service" department - When dealing with any statutory authority you need a lawyer as the official response is always non cooperative, often criminal, as they lie in their attempts to minimise the expenditure irrespective of your entitlement.

I can see we've gained another conspiracy theorist - I know a couple of people you can chat to on here!

dogcat_2

Just wanted to say....Best of Luck with your son...hope things get sorted for you both. It must be a worrying time for you. I have six children, and it is not always easy or 'cut and dried' when they become adults in their own rights. At least you are looking out for him...he has a caring Mum. Well Done.

Smudgeboy

shellsmithcat wrote: »

I had thought about the Tesco delivery thingy - and that is already in hand anyway - just also need to think long term as I am not able to support him long term financially- thank you everyone very much

With the delivery, if he's in a hostel, you might want to make sure he's actually there for the delivery, as, with all the best will in the world, there might be other people there who aren't totally honest and maybe wouldn't think twice about swiping an un-attended box of free food.

Having observed how some people - especially, it seems, the young and vulnerable - can easily fall through the cracks at the Job Centre, it's usually from a combination of overworked advisors who lack experience (and often patience) dealing with claimants who display a total lack of understanding of the system and also a distinct lack of confidence and ability in meetings and negotiations.

Rather than assume that either a) your son is lying to them/you; or b) the advisors are cheating him - it's probably much more likely that there's been a breakdown in communications exacerbated by the fact that your son doesn't know his entitlements (and responsibilities) while the advisors don't have the time (or sometimes the experience) to hand-hold him through the whole process.

Unfortunately, in my experience, there does seem to be an attitude thoughout the system of "if you don't know what you're entitled to, it's not our job to tell you". With your son's issues, this puts him at a great disadvantage.

I definitely think you should accompany him to his next Job Centre appointment and then, maybe, take him along to the CAB and get some help around finding out exactly what he's entitled to, exactly how he goes about claiming/getting it and, just as importantly, exactly what his responsibilities are to ensure he gets it all and keeps on getting it!

After this, you may have to 'keep on top of him' to a degree in making sure he continues to fulfil those responsibilities - turning up to appointments, fulfilling his job-seeking quotas etc etc. It's a commitment for you - and he might find it an imposition - but it might be the only way to ensure he doesn't continue on this downward trend. You may already have come to this conclusion, of course.

I wish you all the luck with it.

lynzpower

Great advice from Smudgeboy.

Also OP, I dont know if this can still happen I certainly hope it doesnt - as this was one of the worst aspects I ever saw- and its only sometihng smudgeboy alluded to that reminded me.

Many moons ago I worked in C&F social work and a number of my clients were housed in hostels. If they did not show for breakfast in the hostel ( breakfast was provided, some plastic bowls, cheap value cereal and UHT milk) and were signed by staff as attended then

THEY WERE MARKED AS NOT STAYING THERE OVERNIGHT & THE HOSTEL ADVISED HB ( as it was then) THAT THE SERVICE USER DID NOT STAY THERE.

I had a few clients of mine that were threatened to be removed from the hostel, in fact IIRC 3 seperate families were "kicked out" from one hostel as they were reported not to have stayed there as they hadnt had breakfast there.

OF COURSE this was totally ludicous, and imagine what it must be like for a vulnerable new mum ( with a range of socail needs) to be turfed out of the hostel for not showing for breakfast. I managed to avert one family being thrown out on the road, as they were actually with us, for a child protection conference.

I do hope that this does not happen any more. I expect with LHA fewer families have to live in hostels, but im not an expert as LHA came in after Id left the job.

Does he have his own fridge in the hostel, if not and hes sharing, Ill be honest I wouldnt
buy anything fridge wise or that cant be stored in the room as it will be stolen.