Handing in your notice

Pixie53

Hi I am wondering if anybody can answer the following:
My single-parent niece has child-care problems and cannot continue in her current job. She has asked her current employment to see if there is anything they can do to help. If they cannot and has no alternative but to leave before finding a new job - will she be able to get support?

She could not survive on JSA alone because she has her daughter - assuming that she would not have to wait to be eligible.

I suspect that the JOb Centre will not be very sympathetic but she thinks that they will have no choice.

Does anybody know have have experience?

Thanks.

Mikazaru

How old is her daughter?
She wouldn't just have JSA alone, she would get CTC, and still get her Child benefit.
The job centre will ask why she left her job, depending on what the child-care problems are they may not sanction her.

Pixie53

Her daughter is 11 years old.

She works shifts as a nurse (7am start - 3 times per week). This means her daughter has to stay overnight with grandparents. This is very disruptive for my niece and her daughter so she wants to find a job that will mean her daughter can 'live' at home all the time. I dont think that is unreasonable.

The question is, if she leaves her current job without another job to go to - will she lose JSA.

[Deleted User]

seems she doesnt have childcare problems but just that she doesnt see them as ideal,what she should do is look for another job with different hours before quitting this one,assuming that her current employer cant offer different shift patterns

HappyMJ

Pixie53 wrote: »

Her daughter is 11 years old.

She works shifts as a nurse (7am start - 3 times per week). This means her daughter has to stay overnight with grandparents. This is very disruptive for my niece and her daughter so she wants to find a job that will mean her daughter can 'live' at home all the time. I dont think that is unreasonable.

The question is, if she leaves her current job without another job to go to - will she lose JSA.

She doesn't have childcare problems. It's just she feels it's unreasonable which it isn't really. What has she been doing for the last 11 years? Has this shift change just occured?

If she quits work she will probably be sanctioned and lose JSA for up to 26 weeks.

whitewing

What time does she have to leave for work?

Could the daughter not be left home alone at some point (not school hols) and would depend on maturity etc. She could take herself off to school. I am not sure of the legal situation. And maybe part of it would be ringing grandparents to confirm she's up. It is not every day.

grummps

Pixie53 wrote: »

Hi I am wondering if anybody can answer the following:
My single-parent niece has child-care problems and cannot continue in her current job. She has asked her current employment to see if there is anything they can do to help. If they cannot and has no alternative but to leave before finding a new job - will she be able to get support?

She could not survive on JSA alone because she has her daughter - assuming that she would not have to wait to be eligible.

The childrens dad isn't on the scene, has moved away and does not work - so no chance of any maintenance.

I suspect that the JOb Centre will not be very sympathetic but she thinks that they will have no choice.

Does anybody know have have experience?

Thanks.

My daughter has a similar problem. She has three children 11, 6 and 2.

For the past 12 months my wife and I have looked after the children, taken them to school, picked them up, fed them and even put them to bed as well as to get them up in a morning.

My daughter worked mixed shifts, some early evenings, some nights and some days.

My daughter gave her job up as she didn't think that it was right that we had that responsibility considering that we are getting on now 68 & 63 and neither of us is in good health.

When she claimed JSA, she told them why she had packed in her job and was duly sanctioned for 13 weeks!

We had to support her for that period as she had very little money coming in. She didn't know she could claim HB or CTB whilst serving her sanction.

So yes if child care is still there but you chose to disregard it for personal reasons, you will be sanctioned for at least 3 months!

kingfisherblue

As the child is 11 years old, could she get up at 6am with her mum and be dropped off at grandparents to get ready for school from there? Or could grandparents go to their grandaughter's house on the mornings that mum has a 7am start?

It is a bit different for Grummps, as there are three children, including one very young child, and both grandparents are in ill health. I don't think a sanction should have been put in place over childcare problems in that case, as clearly it would be difficult to work without appropriate childcare in place.

Caz3121

grummps wrote: »

When she claimed JSA, she told them why she had packed in her job and was duly sanctioned for 13 weeks!

If your daughter is a single parent, she could have claimed Income Support instead of JSA as she has a child under 5. This means she does not have to sign on and there would have been no sanction

princessdon

She is starting high school - Is she going to the local ones?

Many have breakfast clubs etc (I know mine opens from 7.30 am). I have several girls round at mine from 6.30 am every day ready for school, can she not talk to a mum of one of her friends?

I mean it's not every day (mon-fri) - it's 3 days a week - I am pretty sure that not one of the other mums would mind at all.

grummps

Caz3121 wrote: »

If your daughter is a single parent, she could have claimed Income Support instead of JSA as she has a child under 5. This means she does not have to sign on and there would have been no sanction

Yes she is a MWLA. Nobody told her that she could have done that!

She wants to work, but finding a job at the moment that will fit into her childcare issues is very difficult. That is why she was told by the JC to claim Income based JSA.

So what you are saying is that she need not have lost 13 weeks of benefit?

Why don't the JC or the helplines advise people as to what their options are?