Got a question about income support changes for lone parents?

joolez_2

I'd like to ask.. Why are courses that single mums could do run in the evenings and weekends with no childcare facilities available? And does the drive to get single parents back to work mean single parents have to give up the right to want a career and a future for them and their kids so the governemnt can rake back some of the debt which is really down to the banks being bailed out?

attemptingmoneysaving

How much is this expected to save?
Given that -'lone parents with children under 12 can specify school hours only jobs without their benefits being affected' (how many school hours only jobs are there out there?) and 'childcare responsibilities will always be taken into account'.

Jester12

I should like an explanation of the thinking behind cutting the state benefits available to Parents of Children under 10. Surely it is better to INVEST in our Children, rather than TAKING from them. We are in danger of raising a whole generation of Children with-out care, morals or respect. What does a Child whose Mother and Father are never present (because they are out chasing money) teach that child?

We already have severe behavioural issues with our young in this Country, has ANYONE bothered to track the rise in these VERY EXPENSIVE problems along side the fall in the number of stay at home Parents.

Are these MAJOR changes researched properly or are they just a knee jerk reaction to save money in the short term, regardless of the long term cost to the Country?

SingleSue

joolez wrote: »

I'd like to ask.. Why are courses that single mums could do run in the evenings and weekends with no childcare facilities available? And does the drive to get single parents back to work mean single parents have to give up the right to want a career and a future for them and their kids so the governemnt can rake back some of the debt which is really down to the banks being bailed out?

I did my ECDL during school time (this was flexible and I could pick my own times to fit in with appointments)

I did my counselling course during school time (although I did have to miss one or two classes due to the boys) a creche was available for those with under school age children.

I am doing my degree in the spare time I have...usually very late at night when the boys are in bed and settled.

seven-day-weekend

I was wondering when someone was going to ask a question.!

Jester12

I don't know what it is like elsewhere in the Country, but here it seems not a day goes by with-out some other long standing business goes to the wall putting yet more people out of work.

I see no new businesses, big, medium or small coming into replace them! It is said that for every job that comes available here (in any market), there are said to be 12 people going for it! This understood, why is the Government trying to find yet more people to throw at the job market? Benefit claimers, Mothers, the Disabled, the sick, the ill and the infirm all being thrown into a market with many many times more people than jobs!

Where are the Jobs going to come from?

When are the Jobs going to start coming?

FBaby

flight747 wrote: »

Got to ask you a question MP: Have you ever experience of upbring as a lone parent yourself and expect you to go to work when your child is 5 soon, can you do it ? My answer is: no, no, NO, NO, NO, I shall say it louder NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO ! AND GROW UP GOVERNMENT, YOU ARE DOING THIS BECAUSE OF SOME SINGLE MOTHER ARE STUPID TO GET 7, 8 or 9 KIDS with different FATHERS and staying on benefits. But some lone parent with a single child SHOULDN'T FORCE BACK TO WORK!!!!

GROW UP WILL YOU MP! You are making me very very very ANGRY !!!!

The MP might not have, but I have and am managing fine. When I became a single parent, my children were 3 years and 18 months. I have no family in this country and the father wasn't willing to have them more than a few hours on Saturdays. Yes it was hard, but no it wasn't impossible.

Being a single parent, I have made friends with a number of others who are ALL working. Of course it is hard, of course we had to battle against the odds to get a job that suited our needs (or keep it), and despite this, it is still a constant battle to insure we can balance being a single parent with being a good employee, but if there are quite a few of us managing it, it means that it isn't possible.

What angries me is that defeated attitude that because it is hard, people shouldn't even have to try. Life is hard for everyone, single parents, people with disabilities, people with health issues, people who need to care for elderly parents... How many people around have no limitation in their lives? Still you have to get on with it rather than building a long list of all the reasons why you are wasting your time trying to better yourself.

Indie_Kid

joolez wrote: »

I'd like to ask.. Why are courses that single mums could do run in the evenings and weekends with no childcare facilities available? And does the drive to get single parents back to work mean single parents have to give up the right to want a career and a future for them and their kids so the governemnt can rake back some of the debt which is really down to the banks being bailed out?

I went to college the year before last and did an access course. This was run during school time.

nadia196

I have a disabled child, however, I only receive the lower rate so do not qualify for carers (which in itself is ridiculous as all levels should qualify). I worked full time from the age of 18 until I had my child at 32. I then got divorced when my son was 1 1/2. At the moment I'm on Income Support and have been told that I will be going onto Job Seekers - I would love to get a full time job but as I own my own property and get help with my mortgage (about a third of what people who are renting get) and I have to make up the other 2/3 - if I get a job even part time to fit in around school and his visits to hospital I will no longer get help with my mortgage - but if I were renting I would still qualify for housing benefit to pay rent. Why should it be any different?

I'm stuck in a position where I can't get a full time job that will pay enough to support myself and my child (unless anyone knows of any jobs other than illegal ones that pay at least £25k p.a working school hours!!) and I can't work part-time to fit in around my child as I will no longer qualify for help with my mortgage. Because of his disability it will also be very difficult to find childcare.

Not everyone on Income Support is there because they don't want to work - some of us have no choice!!!!!!

FBaby

I understand your dilemma and of course, in that situation, everyone would think of doing the same not wanting to go back to work, but it still makes the system unfair. Why do many people who work hard are unable to get a mortgage to buy their house and have no choice but to rent, whilst others, because they are single mothers, should be able to have their mortgage paid without working?