single mother JSA sanction

starlord84

I need advise on behalf of my friend guys, as i want to give her some advice but i don't know what to say to her. I only have a few details right now, so i can't put everything into its full context just yet until i get the full story, but i will state what i currently have been told, and hopefully you guys can tell me if there is anything my friend can do to reverse the dwp's decision.

My friend from birmingham and attended her local jobcentre and also attended the "peopleplus" mandatory job scheme until she moved miles away to halesowen and informed the jobcentre of this, and requested to be assigned to a jobcentre nearer to her current location which was granted, but her request to have a work training placement close to home was denied, and she was informed she must attend "peopleplus" otherwise who money would be stopped.

Now my friend has 3 children under 16, one in primary school. And it takes one and a half hours to get from her home to the Peopleplus office in low traffic using four busses, and over two hours to get home during peak period when she would have to pick up her youngest child.

Her assigned appointments are always at various time after 12 noon, and last over an hour, so she keeps informing them that she has to pick up her kids, and she may not get back in time. Not to mention she's one of those people that gets very anxious if she is too far away from her children in case there is an emergency, and she's not there (these things play on her mind)

Well, she did not go to this mandatory place thats too far out for her peace of mind, and the jobcentre have sent a single mother of 3 a letter today telling her she will not get any money now until the end of july because of sanction.

I have advised her to try and get a hardship payment, but is there anything she can do to try and get this decision reversed? And how would she go about it.

Personally i believe she is capable of doing training to prepare herself for work, and don't blame the government for trying to get her back into work. But i do not agree with trying force her to travel all that way to a pointless place that doesn't help her, and then threaten and then punish her for being a mother aware of the logistics of being far from her children, and not being willing to give in to the jobcentres bullying.

I do not know what to advise, so anyone who knows anything that may help her, your comments would be greatly appreciated, thank you.

paragon909

Sadly that is the rules of being on JSA. And it seems like you already answered your own question. She could try appealing the sanction on the basis no one could look after her children etc...

kingfisherblue

I'm not certain, but I think that they could argue that if she gets a job, she won't necessarily always be there to pick her child up from school. However, presumably if she was working, she would have regular childcare in place. Is childcare available for the times she can't pick her child up, such as after school club?

Also, has she asked verbally or in writing for the transfer to be made? I think that a written letter is likely to have more impact. She could enclose evidence of bus timetables to support her claim on the length of each journey.

NYM

....she will not get any money now until the end of july because of sanction.

:eek: that's an awfully long sanction!

Can they do that?

Confuseddot

Has she been sanctioned before ? Normally 4 weeks for first offence.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/jobseekers-allowance-sanctions-leaflet/jobseekers-allowance-sanctions-how-to-keep-your-benefit-payment

konark

If she has moved house they surely cannot expect her to keep attending a course where she no longer lives.

You say it takes her 2 hours to get to the peopleplus thing, that is more than the 1 and a half hour maximum for applying for jobs.

She shouldn't be sanctioned for 3 months for a first offence.

She can claim hardship if she can prove that having no money would cause her hardship!

Meanwhile ask for a 'mandatory reconsideration' of the decision staing all mitigating circumstances..

CAB might help, also her MP

Londonsu

starlord84 wrote: »

I need advise on behalf of my friend guys, as i want to give her some advice but i don't know what to say to her. I only have a few details right now, so i can't put everything into its full context just yet until i get the full story, but i will state what i currently have been told, and hopefully you guys can tell me if there is anything my friend can do to reverse the dwp's decision.

My friend from birmingham and attended her local jobcentre and also attended the "peopleplus" mandatory job scheme until she moved miles away to halesowen and informed the jobcentre of this, and requested to be assigned to a jobcentre nearer to her current location which was granted, but her request to have a work training placement close to home was denied, and she was informed she must attend "peopleplus" otherwise who money would be stopped.

Now my friend has 3 children under 16, one in primary school. And it takes one and a half hours to get from her home to the Peopleplus office in low traffic using four busses, and over two hours to get home during peak period when she would have to pick up her youngest child.

Her assigned appointments are always at various time after 12 noon, and last over an hour, so she keeps informing them that she has to pick up her kids, and she may not get back in time. Not to mention she's one of those people that gets very anxious if she is too far away from her children in case there is an emergency, and she's not there (these things play on her mind)

Well, she did not go to this mandatory place thats too far out for her peace of mind, and the jobcentre have sent a single mother of 3 a letter today telling her she will not get any money now until the end of july because of sanction.

I have advised her to try and get a hardship payment, but is there anything she can do to try and get this decision reversed? And how would she go about it.

Personally i believe she is capable of doing training to prepare herself for work, and don't blame the government for trying to get her back into work. But i do not agree with trying force her to travel all that way to a pointless place that doesn't help her, and then threaten and then punish her for being a mother aware of the logistics of being far from her children, and not being willing to give in to the jobcentres bullying.

I do not know what to advise, so anyone who knows anything that may help her, your comments would be greatly appreciated, thank you.

How old is the oldest you say 'under 16' but is that 15 years old??? if 14 or 15 why cant the oldest pick the younger children up after school.


15 is certainly not too young to do that I was working at age 15

Darksparkle

Londonsu wrote: »

How old is the oldest you say 'under 16' but is that 15 years old??? if 14 or 15 why cant the oldest pick the younger children up after school.


15 is certainly not too young to do that I was working at age 15

Might not be an option with school finishing times. Where I am, high schools close an hour after primary schools plus travel time to get there.