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

Kath not “math” ffs

‘Support worker’

Oh look there’s another 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣^^

Could she do something from home while the DC are at nursery? Take in ironing, for example?

If you knew this thread would attract ‘twats’ You got what you came for.

We expect a higher level of resilience from our ten year olds in primary school than people in secure housing with a partner and income. I think it makes a mockery out of every single person out there who is genuinely struggling and genuinely fighting through each day.

If you are genuinely a support worker you are just enabling her to carry out not taking initiative to ultimately support herself and improve her own situation mentally and/or financially.

Getting opinions you don’t like doesn’t make them twats.

That’s not a bad idea actually 17cherry.

😔😔 God it all sounds so shit these days, I really do feel for everyone affected by it. Tbh if it was me in her position I’d just fuck the whole thing off once I was on UC and be skint. no way would I be getting forced into work by these twats in charge.

I'm not sure that 'taking in ironing' is the easy solution is seems at first glance. Setting up a service like this, the logistics in starting a business, the marketing required to get enough customers, the variability in income that follows that we are told makes applying for any benefit difficult/ impossible.

I don't have depression or anxiety in case the above reads as defensive.

I knew it would attract twats and it has

I also knew I’d get decent advice from decent posters. And I have so thanks again to them

@cornerstoned I have 3 children. About £30 a week in after school childcare.

@MomToWedThorFriday You've probably already done it, but have you signed up for the marriage allowance? You can give some of your unused personal tax allowance to your spouse each year, it saves a few hundred pound in income tax each year. Link is here: www.gov.uk/marriage-allowance

no way would I be getting forced into work by these twats in charge.

This is what is wrong with society, the entitledness.

Yes, it is her choice to "fuck the whole thing off" if she wants to. And so she should, if she does not want to work, she should not rely on benefits. It is her choice.

If she needs more money than what her partner is currently bringing in, she needs to get a job. Her children are not too little at all. She has no excuses what so ever, other than not wanting to work.

Benefits are not meant for people who choose not to work! We would be utterly fucked as a society if the "twats in charge" handed out benefits willy nilly to people who just can't be arsed to get a job.

Becoming a UC full service area only means that only making NEW claims for legacy benefits (or a change in circumstances altering an existing legacy benefit) forces a UC claim.

If she's still getting TCs and HB, don't make any new claims and try not to have any changes in circumstances!

“Entitledness” 🤣🤣🤣 bingo!!!

Im not entitled thanks I work. As does DH. But it’s My choice and I’m also very fortunate to have a lot of help with childcare.

What’s this obsession with making everyone work their arses off ? It’s unfair and purely ideological as not only has it so far cost more than it’s saved there’s simply not enough well paid ft jobs for everyone!! Not everyone CAN work ft. Not everyone can be a high flyer taking them out of the need for any top ups. We need cleaners shop workers carers TA’s etc these are just a few of the jobs I can think of off the top of my head that would probably require top ups either through TCs or Uc !! Yet under UC they’ll be hounded to earn more money do more hours! It’s bullshit

God help her with the OP as a ‘support worker’ who knows jack shit. Good job it’s a wind up really 🤣🤣🤣

I'm not sure if your "support" should include lots of excuses of why she can't possibly work.

She can work but she doesn't want to. This is her choice and of course she should have this option.

I personally don't think it should be a subsidised choice though.

Benefits should be for people who genuinely can't work, not for people who are masters of making up excuses of why they can't.

I don't normally weigh in on these threads, but this attitude is awful: no way would I be getting forced into work by these twats in charge.

Don't you see any value in work as opposed to encouraging learned helplessness? See this, for example:

Research by The Mental Health Foundation, Oxford Economics and Unum shows that work is a key factor in supporting and protecting mental health – helping make the case that mental health should be viewed as asset1....The research found that many people with mental health problems want to be at work, and they value the role it plays in their lives1. A strong majority (86%) say that their job and being at work was important to protecting and maintaining their mental health1.

I know you want to help, but I don't think you're doing her any favours by reinforcing to her that work is awful and she shouldn't be expected to do any.

Bibliomania got there first, but I want to say that I think it's unhelpful, both on an individual and on a societal level, if we see and accept depression/anxiety as condemning the sufferer to a life of dependence (and being on state benefits is a kind of dependence, unfortunately) and inactivity.

I do think the UK system puts barriers in the way of people engaging in work they feel they can cope with, such as the ridiculous cost of childcare and the murder employers can get away with in some respects (zero hours contracts anyone?) but at the same time I can't say I feel it's unreasonable for someone in the circumstcnaes outlined in the OP to accept that society does have an expectation of her that she'll work and, crucially, to develop that expectation of herself.

FGS, we're talking about a couple of years looking after preschoolers - not spending her life in the lap of luxury, having taxpayers pay for her butler to bring her pina coladas by the pool.

Why must these years be a hellish struggle? Why must we work everyone to the bone and maximise misery? Is it really helping future generations to have their caregivers struggling so much in the early years?

I would rather work PT a few more years in my 60s to make up any difference than run myself down during these very busy, important years of having small children. I'm not in this woman's position and have made different choices but that doesn't give me the right to kick a sad, worried person when they are down.

Could she explore volunteering as a possible step towards working , training or self employment. While you can take away the immediate stress by reassuring her that it won't change yet, it would be more supportive to start that thought process now. Agree working, or at least a regular commitment outside the home, could be beneficial for her mh.

I'm not sure any of the posters who have 'advised' you so far know anything about UC.

Firstly, the UC system can't cope with claimants with 3 children yet, and won't for some time. I'm in a full service area, but have 3 children, and still have to claim separate benefits because I have 3 children.

Secondly, the threshold for earnings will be 2 X 35 hrs at minimum wage, which will be about £27,300. As the lady's DH earns £26000, she would have to be 'ready' for work, but not have to look for work.

LetsSplashMummy

Exactly !!!

LIZ that’s a good idea if she’s able.

no way would I be getting forced into work by these twats in charge.

Are would you be the one to tell that to your landlord, the mortgage company or the electric company when you couldn't afford to pay the bills? I doubt the excuse of "Well, I don't want to at least try and work with the system and try and find a job in order claim UC so we don't have the money to pay the bills, sorry" is going to go down very well!

She doesn't need to work school hours, there's wrap around care for before and after school.

Given she had multiple children and can get them to and from nursery then working obviously isn't out of the realms of possibility for her.

She can stay not working and not claim or realise that the government won't pay her for that choice and she will have to seek work.

Millions have no free childcare from family and still work. It's not an excuse.

Just come back to this

It’s not real is it? Can’t be