Income support unfairly treated?

pinkhouse95

I have been going back and forth so much the past few days regarding my claim for income support I made and started claiming in (I think) July 2014, Just before my daughter was born in September 2014. I Generally think that I'm being treated unfairly as all my friends or people I have spoken to have said they go in to the jobcentre every 6 months or so or that I am attending to regularly, this has also been said from a benefits officer I have spoken to over the phone....

Basically when I went to my first meeting to confirm details show proof of ID extra, my benefits advisor said that she'll want to see me for a follow up appointment for when my baby is 6 months old, I agreed to this as I thought these meetings were compulsory however over the past couple of days I have found out the meetings for the first year are voluntary therefor they don't actually need to see you.

Since my review meeting she has called me back in once a month and to be honest its costing me quiet a bit to travel back and forth from the jobcentre every month. I have explained my situation and there is no possible way I can get anyone to look after my daughter to work as my mum is self employed 7-7 7 days a week and two of them days she works down by the coast.
Every time I have attended Jobcentre my advisor has seriously been asking for the impossible and being very rude along of the lines of I NEED to go back to work. My Daughter is 8 months and the other reason to why I feel I'm not being treated fairly is because if I was a working mother I would be entitled to a years maternity leave anyway.

I have gone back and forth through so many people and when I did get through to someone who could help she sent an email over to the jobcentre with my situation and asked someone to call me but not my benefits advisor as I didn't want to speak to her. This morning I got a phone call from my jobcentre and guess who...my benefits advisor! She said the meetings aren't compulsory however I've agreed to attended them and the first year there meant to see me every 1 - 2 weeks on income support anyway....this has got to be rubbish, im not signing on income support is claimed for people who can't work eg. Lone parents...me?

What can I do about my situation as ideally I would like to solve this issue without a complaint, who can I go to or call who can help me out because I'm getting fed up of being passed around and given managers numbers who don't ever answer? Would you describe my situation as being treated unfairly or is this the norm for Lone parents on I.S

Transformers

How terribly inconvenient for you.


I mean, it must be so difficult to make one trip, once a month to get paid to be a mum.

pinkhouse95

Don't comment unless your reply has something to do with answering my post. I'm not complaining I'm asking if this is a case of being treated unfairly as I have been told by so many people it's out of the norm. If it isn't I have no problem with continuing to do so...

Teahfc

Maybe get the father of the child to pay for his child ?
I am sure that it's not out of the norm, I would go with their requests or risk being left with no money.
Will not get any easier now the Tories are in for 5 more years, so make the most of the generous tax payers money while you can.

merlin68

This board is a joke, your supposed to be seen every 3 years. Well i was told this last year. Unless they have changed it since then.
There supposed to be bringing the age of going to work so claiming jsa from 5 to 3.

Londonsu

pinkhouse95 wrote: »

I have been going back and forth so much the past few days regarding my claim for income support I made and started claiming in (I think) July 2014, Just before my daughter was born in September 2014. I Generally think that I'm being treated unfairly as all my friends or people I have spoken to have said they go in to the jobcentre every 6 months or so or that I am attending to regularly, this has also been said from a benefits officer I have spoken to over the phone....

Basically when I went to my first meeting to confirm details show proof of ID extra, my benefits advisor said that she'll want to see me for a follow up appointment for when my baby is 6 months old, I agreed to this as I thought these meetings were compulsory however over the past couple of days I have found out the meetings for the first year are voluntary therefor they don't actually need to see you.

Since my review meeting she has called me back in once a month and to be honest its costing me quiet a bit to travel back and forth from the jobcentre every month. I have explained my situation and there is no possible way I can get anyone to look after my daughter to work as my mum is self employed 7-7 7 days a week and two of them days she works down by the coast.
Every time I have attended Jobcentre my advisor has seriously been asking for the impossible and being very rude along of the lines of I NEED to go back to work. My Daughter is 8 months and the other reason to why I feel I'm not being treated fairly is because if I was a working mother I would be entitled to a years maternity leave anyway.

I have gone back and forth through so many people and when I did get through to someone who could help she sent an email over to the jobcentre with my situation and asked someone to call me but not my benefits advisor as I didn't want to speak to her. This morning I got a phone call from my jobcentre and guess who...my benefits advisor! She said the meetings aren't compulsory however I've agreed to attended them and the first year there meant to see me every 1 - 2 weeks on income support anyway....this has got to be rubbish, im not signing on income support is claimed for people who can't work eg. Lone parents...me?

What can I do about my situation as ideally I would like to solve this issue without a complaint, who can I go to or call who can help me out because I'm getting fed up of being passed around and given managers numbers who don't ever answer? Would you describe my situation as being treated unfairly or is this the norm for Lone parents on I.S

Instead of coming onto a generic benefit site I would suggest you seek advise from sites like Gingerbread who are an organisation for single parents who have a benefits advise section, or parenting sites like Mumsnet or Netmums.


By posting on the above sites you will have access to the support and advise from people who have gone through the benefit system as single parents but more importantly single parents who are working who can advise you how to claim in work benefits and how to access childcare so you can work.


But word of warning, your statement that you are being treated unfairly because you as an unemployed single mother don't get the same maternity leave as working mothers will NOT go down well and I don't suggest you mention that unless you want some very harsh replies, ML ensures that working mothers are not discriminated against in the work place, its to ensure working mothers have continuity of employment so they have the same rights in regards to promotion opportunities, pay increases, pensions and, bonuses as men and women without children.


You are unemployed so sorry you have to accept that employed Mums have different entitlements to you, its not unfair no matter how much you want it to be.

mother_of_six

Could you not get a job or have a look at further education to gain some qualifications for when you do go back to work.
Do you not get travel expenses to attend these interviews ?

merlin68

You can claim travel expenses back, just remembered we did. Googled it and from the age of one they can see you when they like.
So your going to have to go when they ask, or your money will be stopped.

tomtontom

With "all your friends" on benefits could you not share childcare arrangements with them?

pmlindyloo

Instead of all this back biting lets look at the legislation shall we?

http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukdsi/2014/9780111108499/pdfs/ukdsiem_9780111108499_en.pdf

The new legislation does not apply to those with children under the age of one.

TELLIT01

The OP has raised some valid questions as her child is under 1 year of age. However I would say that parts of the post do come across as whingeing even if that is not the intent. The suggestion of contacting Gingerbread is certainly one which she should investigate