Urgent - No employment and no child care

[Deleted User]

I’m writing on behalf of my friend. 

He lost his job due to Covid last year and has been working a zero hours contract job at a local hospital. Unfortunately he suddenly became ill last week (not Covid related) and has been forced to take two weeks off work and they won’t give him any shifts. 

Because of this, his son’s nursery fees can’t be paid so now he has no money and no chance of finding other work as he needs to look after his son. A complete vicious circle. 

He is heavily in debt and I’m very concerned about his mental health. Also the medical condition is heart related which I think is probably due to stress. 

What help is there available? 

Thank you x

poppy12345

Does he qualify for SSP from his employer? See link. https://www.gov.uk/statutory-sick-pay/eligibility

Universal Credit may also be possible but this will depend on his circumstances, if he lives with a partner they would need to claim as a couple. A claim for UC will end any tax credits he may already be claiming. To check entitlement then he should use a benefits calculator before he claims.

UC also pays up to 85% of childcare BUT you need to pay it first and then claim it back. There's also a 5 week wait for your first UC payment but you can ask for an advance payment, although this does need to be repaid back from future payments.

calcotti

If he is having difficulty managing debt he should contact a debt charity for advice, for example
https://www.nationaldebtline.org/
https://www.stepchange.org/