Housing benefit Advice please

xsmilesalot1969x

hi all im hoping someone can help me with my dilemma. im currently working in a care home and have been for 14 months now. recently a serious situation occurred and i had to blow the whistle on two superiors which resulted in them being suspended. they are now back at work god knows how and i am supposed to be protected by the no secrets policy which allows potential abuse to be reported without fear of reprisal. this has not happened and these two people and everyone else at work knows i blew the whistle on them and the situation at work is unbearable. ive applied for loads of jobs to get out of there but no luck and i really want to quit however my daughter rang jc for me and they told her i cannot claim housing benefit or council tax if i give up my job. im not interested in js or is just housing. can anyone advise me please its making me ill

Mikazaru

I'm sure you can claim housing benefit and council tax benefit if you leave your job voluntarily, it's only JSA that would possibly be sanctioned for up to 26 weeks, but they would investigate it and you could show good cause.

dreavi

Firstly dont worry about benefits for now, start logging everything that is making work unbearable, everything said done and so on. Find out what procedures havent been followed that has allowed them to know that you were the whistleblower and also if correct procedure was followed in letting them resume their duties (if you can).

Then sue their !!!

xsmilesalot1969x

thankyou guys. i'll ring housing tomorrow. @Dreavi trust me im logging everything and oh boy am i watching for the slightest sign of anything wrong again. i know i did the right thing its my job to protect people who cant protect themselves but trying to work there is awful im not sleeping and stressed to death i know as part of the investigation they have the right to read statements levelled against them so thats how they know it was me

bestpud

I am in a similar situation myself and it's horrible - believe it or not, I had to attend a disciplinary hearing after whistle-blowing!

Would I do it again? Yes, of course, as the clients are my priority.

That said, do I understand why people keep quiet? Yes I bloody well do!!!

It's grossly unfair to have good intentions turned on you and I fully understand why you want to leave!

But, you need to go about it properly if that is your intention.

Record everything and raise a grievance with your employer.

I also recommend you contact 'Public Concern at Work' for advice- its free and they kept me sane!! I can't praise them enough. They have a website if you google them.

Mine has settled down now, thank goodness, but my employer has lost my respect. I still enjoy my job but it's difficult when you lose all trust in your employer.

Fingers crossed you can either sort things at work or move on.

ETA: Sorry for going on about me - as you can probably see, it's all a bit raw for me!

bestpud

BTW, you can still claim Housing and Council Tax Benefit.

You may be sanctioned if you apply for JSA, but that has no bearing on housing benefits.

They may want to know how you are supporting yourself without JSA and you may need to inform them you are not claiming it but still want to claim the other benefits.

Also, claim JSA anyway, if it comes to it, as any sanction will start from the time you claim.

xsmilesalot1969x

thankyou bestpud i dont mind you talking about your situation im glad to hear from someone else who has gone through it. my actual employer is fine theyre saying i did the right thing but that the investigation proved unfounded. i have no idea how because the situation is shocking but it means the two supervisors are now back and the higher bosses arent there to see what goes on. they claim im victimising them if i say anything about them so they get away with treating me like !!!!
As for jsa i dont claim it i have 2 kids and get child tax and child benefit so i'll live off that i have no intention of claiming jsa or is i just need a roof over my head till i get another job

bestpud

I'd say your employer needs to step in as you are being victimised and the law is on your side!

They've failed to protect your right to anonymity and now leaving you in a situation where you are open to being bullied.

I really think you should start making this official.

If your employer agreed they are in the wrong, they may be more supportive than you think.