JSA for Singl Parents - Quick Question

3guesses

I won't go into details, but a friend of mine is a single mother with an 11-year old child. She was switched from Income Support to JSA when he tuned 11 in the summer, and she was forced to sign a JS agreement stating she was available 9-5pm Mon-Sat (excluding Tuesday when she's not available). I heard on Andrew Marr this Sunday someone say that single parents only have to be available during school hours, and on the recent thread about Lone Parent rules for IS it said:

"Lone parents with children of 12 or under can specify school hours-only jobs without it affecting their benefits."

Can anyone tell me where I can find this on an official Government website so that I can quote it when writing a strong letter of complaint to the JobCente manager?

Thank very much.

p00hsticks

On this page of DirectGov
http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/MoneyTaxAndBenefits/BenefitsTaxCreditsAndOtherSupport/On_a_low_income/DG_175842

under the heading 'Other benefits which you may be entitled to' it says the following;

"Jobseeker's Allowance is the main benefit for people who are out of work. To receive it, you must be available for and actively looking for work. As a lone parent with a youngest child aged 12 or under, you have the right to restrict the hours you are available to work. This means that you will not be expected to work outside your child’s normal school hours. Your adviser will be able to provide you with more information".

dmg24

Why would you be writing a letter of complaint?

Yes, she can limit her hours to school hours. However, it *may* be argued that restricting her availability on a Tuesday also could mean that she does not have a reasonable chance of securing work, so they may stop this restriction. Could I ask why she is not available on a Tuesday?

Vader123

She will be able to look for work in school hours (though only to the summer when the child turns 12), though I don't think she can pick a day (like tuesdays) without a good reason and this would goto a decision maker.

From the summer she is going to have to be available in the usual JSA fashion so all this for 6 months?

Also, can I suggest she writes a letter if she feels she needs to? These type of letter writing skills and standing up for yourself are transferable to employment.

Vader

Hammyman

3guesses wrote: »

Can anyone tell me where I can find this on an official Government website so that I can quote it when writing a strong letter of complaint to the JobCente manager?

Its none of your business, its hers. She should be writing the letter assuming she has a problem. You don't have the right to complain just because you've got your knickers in a twist about a woman with a child at school being quite rightly required to look for suitable work.

Vader123

Ignore this post......

gordikin

Vader, Hammyman quoted 3guesses not dmg24.

Vader123

gordikin wrote: »

Vader, Hammyman quoted 3guesses not dmg24.

Oops, my bad.

Edited post to reflect.

Vader

DX2

Type of work
You can discuss what type of work is suitable with
your Jobcentre Plus personal adviser.
You can place some restrictions on the type of work
that you will accept:

��

If you are caring for a child under the age of 16,

you can limit the hours you work to 16 a week;
��

If you have a child under the age of 13, you can

limit your working hours to your child’s usual
school hours. You must still be available to work
at least 16 hours a week and you must be willing
to take up any employment that fits within these
hours.
Availability for work
There are some situations in which Jobcentre Plus
should accept that you are not available to take up
work. During these periods you can continue to
receive Jobseeker’s Allowance, even if you are not
in a position to look for work.
These periods include:
��

during school holidays if you cannot find

affordable, appropriate childcare. There is no set
definition of what is affordable and appropriate
but may involve a consideration of what
proportion of your wages would be spent on
childcare;
��

if your child has been excluded from school and

it is not reasonably possible for you to make
alternative care arrangements;
��

if you have received either a Parenting Order or

have entered into a Parenting Contract under the
Anti-Social Behaviour Act 2003;
��

if you are dealing with a death, serious illness or

other domestic emergency involving a close
friend or relative. This exemption can apply for
between one and eight weeks depending on how
long it takes you to deal with the emergency.

http://www.gingerbread.org.uk/uploads/media/17/7034.pdf

Lip_Stick

Hammyman wrote: »

Its none of your business, its hers. She should be writing the letter assuming she has a problem. You don't have the right to complain just because you've got your knickers in a twist about a woman with a child at school being quite rightly required to look for suitable work.

I'd say it's none of your business if she writes the letter for her friend. She's helping her friend out. Who is to say the woman in question is any good at letter writing herself? And the woman hasn't been 'rightly' asked to work the hours she is entitled to. She has been wrongly asked to sign an agreement that she shouldn't have.

3guesses

p00hsticks wrote: »

On this page of DirectGov
http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/MoneyTaxAndBenefits/BenefitsTaxCreditsAndOtherSupport/On_a_low_income/DG_175842

under the heading 'Other benefits which you may be entitled to' it says the following;

"Jobseeker's Allowance is the main benefit for people who are out of work. To receive it, you must be available for and actively looking for work. As a lone parent with a youngest child aged 12 or under, you have the right to restrict the hours you are available to work. This means that you will not be expected to work outside your child’s normal school hours. Your adviser will be able to provide you with more information".

Thank you very much.