JSA Flexible support fund

koops

Hello. I believe the flexible support fund is there to help people receiving JSA with work wear, travel etc in their pursuit of returning to work. My wife recently signed with an employment agency and is getting a few hours a week but needed safety boots, which she bought from the agency. Her JSA support coach says flexible support is not available for PPE, but is available for work boots. Surely PPE boots are work boots! Can anyone clarify? Regards 

NedS

By law, the employer has to provide PPE for all employees, and as such, PPE cannot be claimed on FSF. If the boots are part of required PPE (and I would imagine they are), then the employer must provide them by law.

koops

Thanks NedS. I appreciate a full time employer should provide PPE, but my wife is signed to an agency who are sending her to various employers/jobs. Should these employers supply PPE including boots for occasional agency workers. 

tomtom256

koops said:

Thanks NedS. I appreciate a full time employer should provide PPE, but my wife is signed to an agency who are sending her to various employers/jobs. Should these employers supply PPE including boots for occasional agency workers. 

By that very same argument, should the tax payer.

However, the agency would only have to provide it once and it can be used at all employers she is sent to.

FSF cannot be used to pay for safety boots/PPE, they can buy work boots, but these aren't always specced to steel toe cap/safety sepcifications.

NedS

koops said:

Thanks NedS. I appreciate a full time employer should provide PPE, but my wife is signed to an agency who are sending her to various employers/jobs. Should these employers supply PPE including boots for occasional agency workers. 

The law states the employer is responsible for providing adequate PPE. So it depends who the employer is. If the contract of employment is with the agency, then clearly it is their responsibility. If the contract of employment is with the company the agency are placing them with, then the responsibility falls with the company.

It is never the tax payers legal responsibility, hence cannot be funded by FSF.

srpsrp

My job coach paid for some safety boots for a course I did did in general it's like getting blood out of a stone.

I also claim for all travel when they send me on the stupid courses and occasionally they fork out 10 quid for a pair of cheap and nasty trousers lol

Possibly one of the advantages of being on JSA still since there is no obvious way I've heard of to claim these expenses online you take up your entire 'coaching' session with filling in a form instead 😴

tomtom256

srpsrp said:

My job coach paid for some safety boots for a course I did did in general it's like getting blood out of a stone.

I also claim for all travel when they send me on the stupid courses and occasionally they fork out 10 quid for a pair of cheap and nasty trousers lol

Possibly one of the advantages of being on JSA still since there is no obvious way I've heard of to claim these expenses online you take up your entire 'coaching' session with filling in a form instead 😴

If they paid for safety boots via FSF, then they will get a warning when the audit checks are carried out.