Single parents, income support changes

paisley_lass

you should try not to worry about it...when the time comes like someone else has already mentioned if you still feel unable to cope with going back to work try claiming IB and see your gp for sick notes, you dont mention if you see your gp due to your problems just now but i hope you do.

also if you are thinking about further education there is grants/burseries or student loans depending on your course, and you would still get CTC, CB and probably some sort of HB, not sure if its still the case but i think being a student also makes you exempt from council tax.

rachnbri

Maisie - what course are you planning to do?

looby-loo_2

Get a voluntary job in a charity shop for a few mornings a week.

MRS_TO_BE_2

To the OP- Make sure you check out if Incapacity Benefit are happy with your doing college course if that is the route you decide to go down.

As for the debate about the age being lowered I fully support it. It is not good for a lone parent to be absence from the work market for so long. Its affects earning capacity, pensions etc as well so means very often a lone parent will require more financial assistance as they retire.

Call me cynicial though but they are some people who won't be on JSA long before reverting back to I.S as another baby makes an apperance......

emsywoo123

MRS_TO_BE wrote: »

To the OP- Make sure you check out if Incapacity Benefit are happy with your doing college course if that is the route you decide to go down.

As for the debate about the age being lowered I fully support it. It is not good for a lone parent to be absence from the work market for so long. Its affects earning capacity, pensions etc as well so means very often a lone parent will require more financial assistance as they retire.

Call me cynicial though but they are some people who won't be on JSA long before reverting back to I.S as another baby makes an apperance......

Steady on, rein it in, hold your horses lady, this is neither the time nor the place! :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl:

Oldernotwiser

pipkin71 wrote: »

That wont be the case unfortunately Oldernotwiser.

Once the new regulations come into force, studying will not be a reason to stay on benefits.



Pipkin xxxx

Thanks for that; sometimes things do work on a "I've started so I'll finish basis". However, many people do manage to do year long courses whilst on JSA as long as they go through the motions and play by the rules. Obviously you have to be seen to be looking for work and being available but it's not difficult to do. In the case we're discussing, the OP would only need to be doing this for 6 months or so and with the difficulties in finding part time work and arranging childcare, this shouldn't be difficult.

I'm certainly not advocating benefit fraud, but , in my experiece, most JCP advisers are reasonable people who will not be too heavy handed when clients are genuinely preparing themselves for work and going about things in an acceptable way.

mouseymousey99

Good point Older - when I hear of these 'schemes' to get people back into work, you do have to wonder where they are all going to find work? With a huge surge of people suddenly available on the market where are the vacancies? At the start of an economic recession a large number of people who have been out of the market for some time? Same thing happens with people on IB; every now and again someone has a bright idea, no one says what happens when things go wrong.

shell131

What course were you thinking of studying at college?

One way around it might be to find a company who do what you want to do even if it's just at the bottom of the company, if the company is good you should find that they will pay for your qualifications/training to help you do the job that you want.

Ultimately it will be good for your self-esteem to get back out there and do something just for you, am I right in thinking that for the last 14 years you have been raising the family and doing whats best for them rather than thinking of yourself.

As for your eldest son if he is going to behave badly then he should deal with the consequences of his actions, easier said than done right! But maybe if you show him that you are trying to better yourself, he might start thinking about how to make his life better

You definintely see your doctor though, they might be able to help.xx

fraz_babe

Id say sitting at home looking after children is more stressful then work. If your just going claim benefits all your life, you will think you cannot get over the depression. Every job can be stressful, but it makes you more determined to do well in that job. By the sounds of it you have not recently tried to get a job, try it - you might like it!