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Original poster

Job Centre, worried I’ll be sanctioned

46 replies

MyCatLovesWarms · 08/01/2022 13:45

Situation: I’m a single parent to a 6 year old. I’m on a 0 hours contract but usually work 25 hours a week February to November.

December and January are very quiet months for work so I usually get 2-3 weeks of work totalling 25 hours if I’m lucky, sometimes I get nothing at all. We shut down completely from 17th December until 17th January, there’s no work for anyone. We’re not made redudent or let go we’re just not given any work or paid anything.

I get a top up on my wages from UC but usually January and February I receive full UC with no deductions due to not having any work. I have previously taken on temporary contracts with the supermarkets or similar (which is still less than I usually earn) but due to the way the bank holidays fell it wasn’t worth it as childcare would have taken away any extra I’d earn as bank holiday childcare costs double (I only get 85% back the month after I’ve used the childcare so wouldn’t get it back until January).

Wednesday I had a journal message saying I needed to go into the job centre Thursday at 3.30pm. It was too short notice to get childcare for my DD (ASC need at least a half terms notice, my family who help me need at least a weeks’ notice so they can rearrange things). DD finishes school at 3.20pm, the job centre is 25 miles away and I don’t own a car (I can borrow one if needed but again need at least a weeks notice), the buses are once an hour, the train every 2 hours so it would have meant taking DD out of school at 1.15pm to make the 2.15pm bus (bus stop over a mile from school and DD has a mobility issue that means she’s slow to walk, can take her 45 minutes to walk a mile) which school wouldn’t let me do without it being for her appointment. So I put a journal message on.

Got no reply at all, but just had another message to say it’s been cancelled but I now have to go in on Monday at 3pm which again is too short notice for childcare, and I wont get back from where the job centre is until 2 hoursish after school ends. I’d have to take DD out of school at 1.15 again to get the 2.15 bus.

I’ve always attended appointments before I got my job, my previous work coach was lovely and always planned appointments with enough notice that I could borrow the car and arrange childcare or it would be after school so I could take DD with me.

Am I going to be sanctioned for not attending appointments? I’m so scared I will be. I’ve not had to go in at all for over 18 months since I got my job.

OP posts:

Original poster

MyCatLovesWarms · 08/01/2022 15:22

I have put another message on asking for it to either be phone or video call if I have to attend next week.

Like I said my work coach before I got my job was great, would make an appointment with me while I was sat in front of her and it would be no less than a week ahead so I could plan childcare often she'd do 2-3 weeks ahead so my mum had plenty of notice to change her shifts.

OP posts:

Original poster

MyCatLovesWarms · 10/01/2022 09:12

Update they're going to call me today but have said the next one I have to go into the job centre but they should be able to organise that at the end of our call today.

OP posts:

Copasetic · 10/01/2022 09:18

I don’t know anything about claiming benefits but if there is a chance you would lose benefits I would take it seriously. Say your daughter has a hospital appointment. They won’t say no to that. I pick my son up several times a year for various music/dance/singing exams and have never had an issue.

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Families

MrMistoffee · 10/01/2022 09:29

Just tell school your daughter has doctors or dentist appointments in the future.

Original poster

MyCatLovesWarms · 10/01/2022 09:41

@Copasetic

@Copasetic it#s sorted now they're going to call me instead but school would ask for proof of an appointment for DD, either a letter with her name, DOB and address on or a phone call from the department to school.

I've tried it with dentists before and they refused to let her go unless they had proof of an appointment.

OP posts:

Original poster

MyCatLovesWarms · 10/01/2022 09:41

@MrMistoffee

Just tell school your daughter has doctors or dentist appointments in the future.

@MrMistoffee They ask for proof, no proof they won't release her to you early.

OP posts:

Copasetic · 10/01/2022 09:45

I'm glad it's sorted. Our school has never asked for any proof! I just assumed all schools were the same!

MrMistoffee · 10/01/2022 10:27

@MyCatLovesWarms enter your phone number as a contact on your phone and put name as GPSurgery or similar. Then send yourself a text confirming name/time/date then delete the sent text and just keep the received text on your message thread. Then show them that.

Pugroll · 10/01/2022 10:31

Wow that's weird that the school won't release someone's child to them . Glad you managed to have it over the phone.

Original poster

MyCatLovesWarms · 10/01/2022 11:02

@Pugroll

Wow that's weird that the school won't release someone's child to them

. Glad you managed to have it over the phone.

@Pugroll they've got worse since Covid, they ask for proof of everything, appointments, absenses over 3 days, literally everything.

OP posts:

BlueistheNewme · 10/01/2022 11:08

I have also had similar with the universal credit appointments. With me it was trying to fit the appointment around my short shifts (I worked full time hours over 6 days).

It’s disgraceful that 0 hours contracts are acceptable, and that it impacts on people in this way. And that people are expecting a single mother to remove a child from school to attend an appointment!

Write to your MP about this, and how the system works. I had to do this when I was misadvised by the job centre. It ended up with my benefits being stopped (single parent doing a return to healthcare profession course) when I had been told that the payments would continue.

2 weeks before the end of the part time course I was told I would have to leave the course. Despite the fact that in 2 weeks time I would be starting the 30 hour contract with the NHS at Band 5 level.

My MP then ensured I received the back pay. And raised how ridiculous it was what I was being prevented from getting a job!

WoodenReindeer · 10/01/2022 11:11

Has your child had quite a few absences? I think many schools do ask for proof if a child has repeated absences/a parent takes a child out often.

Good luck with the call. I think the system is a nightmare to navigate, especially as a single parent trying to juggle school too.

DropYourSword · 10/01/2022 11:19

Glad you’ve already got this sorted, but I have to say I would be seriously pissed if my child’s school just refused to release my child!!

Original poster

MyCatLovesWarms · 10/01/2022 11:36

@WoodenReindeer

Has your child had quite a few absences? I think many schools do ask for proof if a child has repeated absences/a parent takes a child out often.

Good luck with the call. I think the system is a nightmare to navigate, especially as a single parent trying to juggle school too.

@WoodenReindeer she has a mobility issue so misses school to do physio, the appointments are usually every 6-8 weeks unless she has a course of physio (she's had one since she started but it was during lockdown). Appointments take an hour or so.

OP posts:

Original poster

MyCatLovesWarms · 10/01/2022 11:37

@WoodenReindeer but they ask for proof from everyone, friend of mine has a DS in an older year group and he had his flu vaccine (couldn't have it in school) and they asked for evidence and its only the 4th time since he started he's needed to leave early.

OP posts:

FortunesFave · 10/01/2022 11:58

[quote MyCatLovesWarms]@WoodenReindeer but they ask for proof from everyone, friend of mine has a DS in an older year group and he had his flu vaccine (couldn't have it in school) and they asked for evidence and its only the 4th time since he started he's needed to leave early.[/quote]
So just say she's unwell. If they ask for a doctor's note the next day, say she was better by the afternoon.

BitcherOfBlakiven · 10/01/2022 11:59

Explain the above to them re travel and childcare and ask for a phone call instead.

Original poster

MyCatLovesWarms · 10/01/2022 14:58

Wasn't about work at all!

They're moving the job centre and explaining where it is, and reassigning the work coaches.

Apparently my working pattern is fine and its only if I go 3 months without any work at all then my UC gets reviewed.

OP posts:

StrictlyAFemaleFemale · 10/01/2022 21:49

Oh my goodness! All that stress for a bit of housekeeping!

Krabapple · 10/01/2022 23:21

Please ignore people who are saying take your child out of school. Just put a note explaining you can’t arrange childcare and ask for either a telephone appointment instead. Also mention you are worried about covid as the policy is they have to offer you a telephone appointment for this reason.
On another note have you thought about claiming DLA for your daughter if she has mobility issues (I thought I saw it mentioned somewhere).

Original poster

MyCatLovesWarms · 11/01/2022 07:57

@Krabapple

Please ignore people who are saying take your child out of school. Just put a note explaining you can’t arrange childcare and ask for either a telephone appointment instead. Also mention you are worried about covid as the policy is they have to offer you a telephone appointment for this reason. On another note have you thought about claiming DLA for your daughter if she has mobility issues (I thought I saw it mentioned somewhere).

@Krabapple can't have telephone appointments anymore, this was my last one but going forwards they'll organise them round school/childcare/work.

Can't get DLA as mobility is her only issue, and you can't get mobility component without the care component, I've applied and DLA told me this.

OP posts:

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