To ask for help with universal credit? As a sahm

[CallingPeopleACuntOnFb]

I honestly cannot find the answer to this anywhere 😩

I work in a support role helping parents and i have a service user who’s very worried about UC coming in. She has depression / anxiety anyway and it’s really getting her down.

She’s a SAHM to 3 dc, 3 year old twins and a 6 yo. Her dp earns 26k a year working long and irregular shifts. He works 45-50 hours a week. so being a SAHM is her only option atm as they also both have zero family support.

They have a mortgage so wouldn’t need or be eligible for the “housing benefit” element. She’s in Leicester. At the moment they receive tax credits but will move to UC at some point (no idea when)

She wants to know if she will still be able to be a SAHM as work isn’t an option for her while the DC are so small.

I have no clue, I don’t claim myself, we don’t even get TCs anymore and as I said I can’t find any info online other than the benefits checker on entitledto. Which says she’s eligible for UC at a similar amount to her tax credits. but says nothing about whether she’s going to have to job search as a condition of getting the money.

It’s so bloody complex ! Hope someone can shed some light 💡 x

Although even if they were all in school it’s hard to find a job in just school hours. Which she’d have to as her dp works odd hours that change weekly

unless the children have additional needs for which no childcare is available, I don't understand the need for school hours only. There are plenty of options available in terms of childcare
lots of children go to school clubs or childminders. why is that not possible for her DC?

She would be entitled to a fair amount of TCs on 26k a year, no wonder she's worried about UC. She will be safe for a decent amount of time yet, as long as her household doesn't change she will remain on TC.

We earn 43k a year between us and our income is topped up by £5,200 in DLA and another £2,500 or so in tax credits. We have a tiny mortgage which will be paid off in 10yrs. I don't know why everyone is horrified that she's entitled to tax credits.

Surely as a SAHM she isn’t entitled to 30 hours? My understanding is that both you and your partner (within the qualifying salary brackets) must both be working at least 16 hours per week to qualify? It’s certainly interesting if it’s not the case as I know a number of parents that have been refused in our area for not working enough hours?

I really don’t understand. How does everyone think single parents manage? Throw in zero family support, no dad to whisk them off weekends, mental illness and being homeless. There are jobs that are school hours or even close to it and wrap around care including childminders. If she really doesn’t want to go back to work that’s fine. But I do not see the apparent barriers.

And if UC pay childcare anyway why not just let her look after her own dc cut out the middleman ffs

That's not really the same. If every parent would come up with this argument, then half of the country would be at home.

If you work, you earn money. even if you pay some of it towards childcare and you get help with the childcare element, then you will still be much better off in work than being at home. I understand that some people have barriers to work but reading your OP, this doesn't seem to be the case here.

Are you really a support worker, OP? you don't seem to be very clued up about your job and I think it is also extremely unprofessional to post under these circumstances about a client into a public forum.

wibbly

Can I ask how many children you have and if you pay for childcare? one of mine gets high rate DLA. Joint income under 40k and we don't get tax credits. no childcare though. Tax credits insist our award is correct.

Lakie is probably right in that they will remain on the tax credits system until they have a change in circumstances.

Leicester becomes a full service area in March, so another 4 months to go. After this they have until 2019 until they are migrated over. So a minimum of 13 months from now as long as there are no changes of circumstance for the family during that time.

Leicester job market is ok but of course completely depends on what sort of thing you are qualified for/looking for. If she has been out of the job market for years that is always hard wherever you live.

I haven’t named her have I chocolate I’m sure hundreds of thousands are in similar circs 🙄🙄🙄🙄 and FYI I asked my manager if it was ok to post here for advice as even she doesn’t know!!! And she said ok. and ffs why am I still talking ...like I need to justify myself

So Yes I am “really a support worker” thank you. I’m just really struggling to find info and dealing with a very worried service user.

My husband earns less than that, I'm currently SAHM by way of redundancy, desperately trying to find something that will cover my childcare fees (1yr old, 3 yr old neither eligible for funding as we aren't in England). We get a bit of WTC. I've figured out if I return to work full time and claim CTC I will loose money. I can return part time and earn about £200 max a month, but I can't find any part time jobs within an hours drive. I'm stuffed and getting into debt.

I didn’t mean it in a nasty way at all! Just don’t know anything about the benefits system

Leather bound thank you

Can you just clarify that please? So from what I gather from your post, Leicester will become a “UC area” next March, but existing claimants won’t change till 2019 other than if they have a change of circs?

Oh ok fair enough busybees x (sorry if I jumped down your throat... it’s just there’s a lot of daily mail reading Tory twat benefit bashers on here)

so neither you nor your manager know the answer so you post in mumsnet. I have read it all now.v

With all that said I meant to say I don't understand how she can't get work. There's after school care if that's what she needs.

Here you go. This isn't my actual postcode by they way I just did a random one for Leicester city but it is the same area

ucpostcode.entitledto.co.uk/ucdate

Haven't they all got anxiety and depression

What is the cause of her anxiety and depression? Maybe getting a job and getting out of the house more will make her feel better about herself?

I can only speak for myself but when DCs were little and I stayed at home I felt like the walls were eating me up and a toddler group a day wasn't enough adult interaction for me.

Why would she have to get a job which fits in with school hours? If we all took that attitude the country would be screwed. She can pay a childminder, wraparound care, like other people do. Blimey, even in a minimum wage job she’ll be turning a profit, with 6 hours of school time with no costs, and 30 hours free childcare for the younger kids. If she is absolutely determined to be a SAHM even with those childcare incentives then the family should finance it themselves

Who is 'they' Kath?

So many dickheads, so little time.

“Just pay for wrap around/holiday care” - and if that’s full and there’s no childminders with space for 3 children what does she do?

“Just get a job” - and if she has anxiety, depression and precious little in the way of qualifications, what job can she “just” get?

“Isn’t 26k enough to live off, it’s the same as 2x minimum wage.” Firstly, no it isn’t, as the tax rates are different. Secondly, my husband earns £25k and brings home the lovely amount of £1600. Our rent, for a basic 3 bed semi, is £1250. Please do tell me how £26k is rolling in it? Because we’re so bloody skint it’s untrue.

I wish I lived in the same simple world as MNers I really do. I’d love to work but there is NO childcare here. Trust me I tried to find it when I went back to work last year. We ended up paying more than my salary for a shit nanny. Never again.

What is the cause of her anxiety and depression? Maybe getting a job and getting out of the house more will make her feel better about herself?

That is shit advice. It’s much more likely that the anxieth and depression are making her terrified of leaving the house. Forcing her out won’t help.

Who doesn’t have anxiety and depression...? Pretty much everyone posting on Amanda has one or the other or both.

“Just pay for wrap around/holiday care” - and if that’s full and there’s no childminders with space for 3 children what does she do?

sounds like she is more busy with making excuses rather than looking into this at all. If you don't even seek places, how on earth would you know if there are vacancies???

That is shit advice. It’s much more likely that the anxieth and depression are making her terrified of leaving the house. Forcing her out won’t help.

How do you know? Do you know her? Things are not going to get better unless something change. She could try getting a job to see if that helps. I'm not sure who you are to say that is shit advice and that it won't help?

(And yes, I have also suffered with anxiety and depression.)

So many utter, utter twats on this thread

Knew it would attract them 🤣🤣

Thanks to the posters who made useful comments

I’m seeing her later today and we will go through all the links etc together. We can talk about PIP / esa too. (Personally I hope UC gets scrapped before then so she and people like her can stay on TCs. as then I’ll be having a good laugh at the likes of chocolate and math getting their knickers in a big old knot over it 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🙈)