MSE News: Minister answers concerns on lone parent benefits

looby75

Oldernotwiser wrote: »

OK, now we've established that all lone parents are the salt of the earth, have all been deserted by f eckless fathers and should be allowed to continue receiving benefits unquestioningly until their youngest is 25, can we please come back down to earth and rejoin reality?

by all means

Minister answers concerns on lone parent benefits......err nope not a single one of my concerns.

on 18th November I had to switch from IS to JSA, I was already looking for a job and have been for some considerable time now so knew what to expect.

At my first signing on appointment the advisor looked at the age of my son and sighed. The first words out of her mouth were.....so childcare, don't suppose you have managed to find any have you.

She almost jummped for joy when I told her that I could work past 2pm as my daughter gets him from school before my son and is old enough to look after him (for now she goes to uni in October) and that weekend work also wasn't a problem for the time being. Pre school is a huge problem as dd starts school earlier and has to travel so leaves the house at 7.20am but ds can't go into the school yard until 8.50am, no breakfast clubs in the area, no wrap around care at all.

Even so all these part time jobs "When you look at the sort of positions coming up, they are part time that offer flexibility that lone parents need. The latest employment figures show 85% of vacancies are part time jobs. Part time working is becoming more prevalent."
are no where near as flexible or prevalent as the minister seems to think.

The vast majority of job ads demand that you are "fully flexible and able to work overtime as needed and cover holiday and sickness" Now if you have another parent or a extended family to help with childcare that's all well and good....unfortunately lone parents aren't magicians and can't be in two places at once. The other issue that I've seen becoming more and more common is 0 hours contracts. As a lone parent you are going to have to claim tax credits unless you are skilled and able to work full time. You have to have a minimum of 16 hours to claim WTC, and you can't do that on a 0-15 hour contract. Maybe the minister should have addressed these problem rather than singing the praises of part time vacancies.

For those who say that lack of childcare is just an excuse because there is plenty where they live, well great....care to send some of your childminders and nurseries to where I live please because we haven't got enough and it's unfair of you to keep them all to yourselves

Just a little example of how scarce childcare places are up here, my daughters boyfriends dad lost his job last year and despite applying for every job going he's still unemployed.....his wife has a daughter from her first marriage who has a place in the nursery she's been going to since she was 6 months old (she's now 7) despite it being financially crippling (contributions based JSA has now run out) they daren't take her out of the nursery because if she loses her afterschool/holiday space they know that when they are both working again they won't be able to find childcare for her anywhere else.

But of course lack of childcare is just and excuse not to work isn't it.

Oldernotwiser

sh1305 wrote: »

In some cases, I think it's the child leaving education but choosing to live at home.

But the same point is often made when the child leaves home, particularly to go to university.

Oldernotwiser

looby75 wrote: »

..care to send some of your childminders and nurseries to where I live please because we haven't got enough and it's unfair of you to keep them all to yourselves

There is, of course, a more sensible alternative.;)

looby75

Oldernotwiser wrote: »

There is, of course, a more sensible alternative.;)

which is?

(no I can't become a childminder as I wouldn't pass the medical never mind all the other problems that have already been outlined in this and every other lone parent thread )

DX2

Oldernotwiser wrote: »

There is, of course, a more sensible alternative.;)

She moves to the childminder, but there is not point moving to the childminder if there isn't a job to pay the childminder

janninew

I think that a lot of people (mainly the younger generation) think being a parent is an easy option. I work in a secondary school and last year had a lot of trouble from a troubled young girl, poor attendance, fighting, abuse to teachers etc. I remember having a chat and telling her she was throwing her life away, her response was along the lines of "exam results don't matter, I'm having a baby and getting my own place when I leave school."

Now we as parents know its the hardest job in the world (doesn't matter if your a single parent, married, work etc) we all doubt ourselves and the job we are trying to do. These girls who see having a baby as the "easy life" have no idea how tough it is, and won't find out until the baby is here.

This girl is question is pregnant now, and is due in 2 months. The school I work at has many girls every year getting pregnant. Something needs to be done to make them realise having a baby isn't the easy option just so they don't have to work. People may think this doesn't really happen, but it actually does, what can be done to stop it happening though? I think stopping benefits be given until the child reaches 16 years is a good start, but it doesn't stop these girls having another baby when their youngest reaches 5 years old.

I think there might be an element of fear in going back to work, I know i was dreading it after 6 months maternity leave, I can't imagine what it must be like after years and years.

DX2

SingleSue wrote: »

It is the assumption which really gets my goat, the assumption that all single parents or those claiming unemployment benefits, waste their money on booze or have enough for plasma televisions. The assumption that those on benefits will care little for their children, that the children come second best and the parent first, the assumption that all those on benefits need to be mothered because they couldn't possibly know which need has priority.

innit

DX2

janninew wrote: »

This girl is question is pregnant now, and is due in 2 months. The school I work at has many girls every year getting pregnant. Something needs to be done to make them realise having a baby isn't the easy option just so they don't have to work. People may think this doesn't really happen, but it actually does, what can be done to stop it happening though? I think stopping benefits be given until the child reaches 16 years is a good start, but it doesn't stop these girls having another baby when their youngest reaches 5 years old.

That's the thing I don't think for one second anyone is disputing that it doesn't happen, it does and has done for generations. Even before all these fantastic child related benefits were introduced teenagers still got pregnant, over the decades nothing along those lines have changed. Single parents are still scorned upon as much as they were in the good old days, and if you don't believe that just re read this thread.

As I have stated already if people are hell bent on staying on benefits forever more they will always find a way.

looby75

DX2 wrote: »

She moves to the childminder, but there is not point moving to the childminder if there isn't a job to pay the childminder

I actually tried that. When ex left I tried to move back to Liverpool where I grew up and where some of my family still are.

It was a none starter....I couldn't get a council house, private landlords wanted over £1000 in deposit and advance rent, and the majority of private landlords wouldn't accept "DSS" they only wanted people who were working (and a fair few said no kids too :eek:)

It was a catch 22 situation, I couldn't get a job until I was was living in the area (too far, too complicated and too expensive to attend interviews on the other side of the country when you have children) and I couldn't move the the area until I had a job.

DX2

looby75 wrote: »

It was a catch 22 situation,.

Then you would have father's for justice jumping off buildings because you took your ex husbands kids away from him.
What to do, to do!