Are other full-time working families finding there is nothing left?

Well they aren't doing their job very well either! I read above that you are in Scotland, must be different there as people in England are hounded until they work and have to prove they are looking, sent on training courses etc

She isn’t work exempt. She just isn’t looking for a job. She tells the people at the job center that she is though.

Id love to know how your friend is doing this. You have to earn a minimum amount to claim UC, £980 approx as a single person, £1600 if in a couple. You are only work exempt if u have a child under 3 or you are caring for someone, have a classed disability or very poorly. You cant just choose to sit at home and do nothing for no reason and get 24k.
Your friend either has needs you dont know about or is committing fraud.

@hattie43 I think your way of looking at things is very simplistic. And definitely shows what you’ve said - ie you’ve never lived any of the life you are so quick to dismiss as if it’s easy to solve/escape from.
Truth is for most it’s very hard to escape from but for all us…. It’s potentially very easy to end up in such circumstances.

We were lucky enough to get HRC and HRM at the first time of asking but I believe that is only because my son was in hospital at the time and the hospital social workers who deal with DLA forms daily helped me fill it in. I feel like your experience is far too uncommon, unfortunately which shouldn't be the case with clear evidence.

Yes its infuriating that.posters seem to think a quick mum says letter from the GP is enough
I had to go to Tribunal to get HRC and,HRM under SMi results initially for my son despite lots of very clear professional evidence

Benefits have changed significantly in recent years you can't just sit on benefits without a good reason anymore. It isn't like years ago when people didn't have to start looking for work until their child was 16

You keep ignoring the fact that evidence is required and far more than just the GP stating ''mum says the impact on Johnny is severe''.

That is all very true but none of it accounts for people who haven’t worked in decades . AI is a relatively new phenomenon on the jobs market . I think one of the biggest problems was the loss of manufacturing industries and no alternative for those people to go to . The industrial north is just a wasteland now and needs huge investment.

Quoting myself to add:

After the last massive benefits overhaul - coalition government, post 2010 - long term sickness/disability claims shot up. Prior to this it appeared people had been moving into and out of work as their conditions (or perhaps wider supportive circumstances) fluctuted. But unemployment had soared in that time, so finding work was much harder. Plus disability benefits became harder to claim and thus more precarious, so apparently people didn't want to stop them in case they couldn't get them back when they needed them.

Just as an example of what I meant about the wider economic climate meaning more disabled people (and others with more difficult circumstances) are unemployed. Essentially they're the first to go.

There are 2.6 jobseekers to every vacancy.
There are not enough jobs for people who are looking for work. And a vacancy does not necessarily mean a job that is going to have enough hours and pay to get someone off benefits either.

https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/employmentandemployeetypes/bulletins/jobsandvacanciesintheuk/march2026

@hattie43
I’d say it’s definitely easier for some because if it wasn’t they’d all be working

Where would all the jobs come from?

This seems to be the biggest issue. In the past you could walk into a job. Now jobs expect more of you (in terms of full availability for a part time contract, and other things) and have hundreds of applicants per job! I read recently that the main driver of social mobility in the last century was apparently a labour shortage, meaning people were given a chance and could work their way up. It's just not the same nowadays (and even in my lifetime I saw the difference post 2008 crash).

You seem to think the problem is people choosing not to work. Yet even if we waved a magic wand and made every unemployed person the most motivated, capable (ie. not sick or disabled) person ... where would the jobs come from? (Plus issues to do with childcare, or needing top up benefits because of 0 hour contracts and so on!)

This is the actual, worrying problem. There aren't the jobs. This is what needs solving.

Exactly this .

There is no appetite to enforce child support. I genuinely cannot for the life of me thinking of a good reason why they wouldn’t.
But millions of children could be lifted out of poverty if they even enforced the bare minimum.

I (obviously) can't comfirm why this is. If it's true, it would be very interesting to do the research and find out why.

I strongly suspect it is to do with high unemployment combined with the demands of the modern workplace - essentially, those struggling the most are finding themselves losing their jobs, or burning out due to increased demands (and then losing their jobs). So they claim becauae they need some income, but qualify for sickness/disability related benefits rather than just job-seeking benefits.

In a healthier economic climate with plenty of jobs at all levels, these same people would find it easier to stay in work. And if they burnt out, they could find a new job easily once recovered (pre 2008 this is what I used to do, crash and burn then pick myself up after a break and walk into another job).

Essentially, someone has to be unemployed right now, and it makes sense that's the people who most struggle in work.

(I feel I could have said this in a less long winded way, tired brain, sorry! 😆)

I don’t think the man should be allowed to not pay for his kids , unless he vanishes he should be forced to pay a decent contribution. Clearly it’s different if he passed away but then you’d hope life insurance would be in place .

So you would punish the mothers and children for the men’s absence?

Well they can say what they want but
If they say their child is non verbal, etc the assessors will need proof of that
And when you have a child with severe and complex needs ime you tend to have tons of proof
For my sons last renewal i sent a copy of his EHCP,a copy of his IEP
Restraint plans from school transport
Letter from the learning disabilities nurse and a letter from his paediatrician
And his class teacher ( special school ) wrote in the section as somone who knew him
I wasent scratching around for evidence and have plenty more if needed.

I’d say it’s definitely easier for some because if it wasn’t they’d all be working . No one has ever complained about people genuinely disabled being helped but we can rightfully complain about able bodied adults who make a lifestyle choice not to work and expect everyone to pay for them . What’s that about for goodness sake . When did we start allowing people not to work and provide for their own families .

I think we would all support those on your list but not the single parent with 5 kids with different dads all absent and none ever worked .
Why does the state allow fathers to not pay for their kids , I’ve read recently of someone whose ex pays £7 a week . Kids cost far more than that .

Finding out I'm autistic actually helped me finally get to the bottom of mental health issues, and get back to work after many years. You can't solve the problems or find a way around them without knowing what you're dealing with.

It's possible there is an increase in autism, not just better diagnosis. In this case we need to look at how to help autistic people work, including adapting workplaces, not just blame them for being unable to.

What is required to get a job/stay in work has become harder and more autism unfriendly over the years. Things like having to sell yourself in interviews, be a "people person", expected to work ever changing random shifts, cover various roles at work rather than fitting into your niche, etc. It's also extremely hard to start at min wage and work your way up to a more suitable role, as the crappy jobs are often the hardest for things autistic people find hard (eg. fast paced ever changing as a barista). If we want autistic people to train to reach the level of a job they can do they need benefits in the meantime.

I can't remember the stat offhand, but far more autistic people want to work than are actually employed. They don't need kicking off benefits, they need help to find suitable, sustainable jobs.

That's not to say it's impossible there's anyone who could work who isn't motivated to. But the main problem is not autistic people choosing not to work - help those who want to work and are able to, to find suitable employment!

You still need evidence from someone else including from school or nursery. I have applied for DLA. Quite happy to show all the wallpaper my child has ripped off or the kitchen cabinets he has broken?

Being on benefit is in my experience very stressful. I’m thankful I’m not anymore. Some people take advantage for sure but for many it’s not at all a choice or “expecting others to pay” A daily worry about finding enough pennies to buy food, essentials and pay the bills.
Given how little you seem to know about what being on benefit is actually like you’d do better not to share your assumptions about it. It’s not easier in any way.

But dla/pip are not going to take a parents word for it. I don't know anything about dla but I know with pip the amount of medical evidence needed they don't just give it to you because you tell them you need it and I assume dla is the same. They are not easy benefits to get

That needs to be backed up with evidence.