Got a question about income support changes for lone parents?

ladyfromthe_north

I am all in favour of mums working with school age children but have had some "problems" myself with just a single child to manage and a live in partner as well as a close family support network.
Schools round here won't have your child in for 48 hours after vomiting or upset stomach. You know kids sometimes they are ill for a moment then bouncing off the walls. Also I take a pain killer if I have a headache and get on with life. Kids are not allowed (at primary anyway) to have any non prescribed medicine, and you have to administer it. How supportive will employers be in this climate if this new mums army of workers keep letting them down to look after kids the schools and childminders won't have in (for good reasons I know)
When everything is going fine and kids are well work is very possible, in areas of high travelling kids getting sick are terrifing to working mums, more so if you are on your own. What do working parents do with really sick kids, with chicken pox or stuff like that. Stay at home with no pay? I used my mum but at 70 she really doesn't need to be round that kind of illness.
Also how much provision for holiday supervision is there once they reach secondary school. I shudder to think what could be happening if my teenage child was left alone for the 6 week break for hours on end. There is no work friendly care unless I use relatives and (non working) friends

DaisyFlower

The budget earlier in the year has reduced it from 7 to age 5 so more changes to come. I'd have liked to have seen a clause to say if they had more children whilst on IS there would be no extension to IS - it amazes me how many "single" people on IS go on to have more children and yet still claim.

Even at 5 its still 4 more years than maternity so still penalises those who had children knowing that they could support them yet those claiming seem to still want more.

Not sure why people seem to think the job should fit in school hours - most jobs dont and that is why childcare is readily available.

FBaby

Sick children is a problem but surely the potential of a few 48 hours not being able to work isn't enough justification to say you can't work. Also, this is not specific to single parent. When I started my current job, my children were 3 and 5 months old, my partner then worked 2 hours away and it was unspoken fact that it would be my responsibility to take time off if required. I did tell that I had young children when I went to the interview, I thought no point in lying about it if it going to cause me problems later. I still got the job even though I was the only one without previous experience in the field, so this doesn't systematically goes against you if you interview well. Rather than letting things happen and then moaning about having to take time off if kids were sick, I went to talk to him right away about it, suggesting that I would be happy to make up the hours, by working at home in the evenings or week-ends to make up the time, or taking these days as time off. Each time there was a spread of chickenpox at nursery, I warned him about it and planned the possibility of having to take time off in the near futur. I think he appreciated my flexibility and it has never been an issue. At least he could rely on me on Monday morning knowing that I never suffered from this sudden Monday sickness bug that seems to affect young single people!!!

FBaby

ladyfromthe_north wrote: »

Also how much provision for holiday supervision is there once they reach secondary school. I shudder to think what could be happening if my teenage child was left alone for the 6 week break for hours on end. There is no work friendly care unless I use relatives and (non working) friends

My daughter will be starting secondary school next September and it didn't cross my mind a second that she would still need childcare. I will take 2 weeks off during that period, and the rest of the 4 weeks, we will organise so she is not home alone all day long. There will be days at friends, with her dad, with grand-parents, school activities, local clubs and yes, maybe some days at home alone. I consider that at 11+, she is certainly mature enough not to rely on childcare.

loobylou2

I don't think its a case of having an axe to grind against all single parents more a sense of frustration caused by the fact that there are so many out there who could work but won't. However I agree that it is wrong to view everybody in the same light as different people have different circumstances.

In the case of my single parent friend however who has an 11 year old and 16 year old she has family living nearby who could look after her children but don't, I offered to help her find a job to the point of helping her complete the application form for a job at the company I work for as they are very flexible with their hours and working requirements and she could have even requested a term time contract where she would only have to work when the children were at school ( I am on one of these myself and it has worked very successfully for me for over 3 years as I don't have family nearby to help with my children!!!) but she just wasn't interested because she would have had an hours journey to and from work, I suggested that she could do what I do and car share but she just didn't want to know. She started doing a round as an Avon lady but gave that up because she couldn't be bothered with it and even stopped doing the work she was doing voluntarily because it was too much for her yet she claimed she wanted to work!!!

Its an awful thing to say but for every single parent out there who desperately wants a job and to get off benefits and will do whatever it takes to obtain employment, there are many more who simply couldn't care less and would be happy to remain on benefits for the rest of their lives. These are the people who really need to have their benefits reduced or stopped as the way they behave is simply an insult to those who regardless of their status are willing to work and prepared to make sacrifices in order that they can do so. Lets hope that the Government do something about people like this once and for all as they truly are the ones they should be targetting.

DX2

DaisyFlower wrote: »

Not sure why people seem to think the job should fit in school hours - most jobs dont and that is why childcare is readily available.

:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:Post of the month. Really there isn't enough childcare readily available.

DX2

loobylou2 wrote: »

Its an awful thing to say but for every single parent out there who desperately wants a job and to get off benefits and will do whatever it takes to obtain employment, there are many more who simply couldn't care less and would be happy to remain on benefits for the rest of their lives. These are the people who really need to have their benefits reduced or stopped as the way they behave is simply an insult to those who regardless of their status are willing to work and prepared to make sacrifices in order that they can do so. Lets hope that the Government do something about people like this once and for all as they truly are the ones they should be targetting.

You could say exactly the same for evey other benefit the state give out. There is always going to be people who take the mick.

FBaby

DX2 wrote: »

:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:Post of the month. Really there isn't enough childcare readily available.

If that's the case, isn't it the perfect opportunity to train as childminder and provide childcare to others in the same position?

DX2

FBaby wrote: »

If that's the case, isn't it the perfect opportunity to train as childminder and provide childcare to others in the same position?

As much as I love my own children I can't stand other people's brats. Do you think I would be a good childminder Do you think having a disabled child to look after would hinder my child minding career? Can you tell the above "solution" has been done before

FBaby

No, I certainly would't leave my kids with anyone who refers to other children as brats. having a disabled child does make you different from the 'average' single parent though, although of course, it depends on the disability, my children shared their nursery days with a number of disabled children,some with physical disabilities, health issues or with learning difficulties.