Active discussions

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To apply for night jobs?

59 replies

TheLovelinessOfDemons · 13/03/2026 13:10

DS 14 is in a children's home, but his social worker is starting the process of him coming home. I'm looking for a second job because my current one can't give me anywhere near enough hours. I'm on Universal Credit, but they expect me to earn upwards of £952 a month. Would it be unreasonable for me to go for night jobs even though when he comes home I'd have to switch to days? I'm widowed and DS has ADHD and a history of not going to school and going missing. How long does the parenting assessment process take?

TIA.

OP posts:
Blondeshavemorefun · 13/03/2026 16:41

£952 ?? That’s low to me and That seems easily achieved of 18hrs x nmw

I have to earn £1446 as a single parent of an 8yr

Original poster
TheLovelinessOfDemons · 13/03/2026 16:33

shellyleppard · 13/03/2026 16:32

@TheLovelinessOfDemons good luck x

Thanks.

OP posts:
shellyleppard · 13/03/2026 16:32

@TheLovelinessOfDemons good luck x

Original poster
TheLovelinessOfDemons · 13/03/2026 16:25

shellyleppard · 13/03/2026 13:17

Why are universal credit expecting you to earn that much?? Also if you work nights you will need to catch up on your sleep.
Can you say to UC you need to be the carer for your son and can't work because of it?

That's why I'll need to switch to days if he comes home. That's what you're expected to earn if you claim Universal Credit. It's 18 hours on NMW. The plan is to claim DLA for him and get carer's allowance, then I won't be required to work at all.

OP posts:
Original poster
TheLovelinessOfDemons · 13/03/2026 16:23

Morepositivemum · 13/03/2026 13:13

How would you switch to days? To be honest if he has a history of going missing you need to be home as much as possible. Is there an option of a wfh job?

Well, I'd still have the job I'm currently in but just don't have enough hours. He knows that if he goes missing again he'll go straight back into care. Tomorrow will be a test as we're meeting near the train station where he lives, and the last time we did that he said he was going to the toilet, jumped a train and came back here. I think he has better impulse control now, and obviously so do the practitioners and the social worker. I'll be applying for DLA for him when he comes back, so hopefully I'll get carer's allowance, and won't be pressured by Universal Credit to look for other jobs.

OP posts:
shellyleppard · 13/03/2026 13:56

@LovedFedAndNoonesDead thank you

LovedFedAndNoonesDead · 13/03/2026 13:54

shellyleppard · 13/03/2026 13:17

Why are universal credit expecting you to earn that much?? Also if you work nights you will need to catch up on your sleep.
Can you say to UC you need to be the carer for your son and can't work because of it?

UC will expect the OP to earn that amount as its the standard single person AET (administrative earnings threshold)) if they don’t have carers activity or a disability recorded on their account. If the AET is not reached then they would be expected to attend weekly intensive work search meetings at the job centre, or be put on work prospect improvement courses, until they do reach that threshold.

shellyleppard · 13/03/2026 13:17

Why are universal credit expecting you to earn that much?? Also if you work nights you will need to catch up on your sleep.
Can you say to UC you need to be the carer for your son and can't work because of it?

Morepositivemum · 13/03/2026 13:13

How would you switch to days? To be honest if he has a history of going missing you need to be home as much as possible. Is there an option of a wfh job?