To ask how to make this work situation, work?

[Season0fthesticks]

I have 4 children.
My three children go to school at 9am and my youngest has just started nursery and goes at 10am.

I need to be in work at 8am.
My partner starts at 7am.

My mum used to help out with getting the children to school and sitting with my youngest (she's not currently working due to health issues) but the job centre have put on her a required work experience course.

She starts the course at 9.30.

I cannot move my hours of work, all I can do is leave the job and hope for a more understanding job but I'd still only be part time as I need to be back to pick my youngest up at 2. No money to pay for a childminder either

Nursery has no space to take her on full time, it's school Nursery.

Got hauled into the job centre as she's now 3 so they see no reason I can't work more hours, I'm on weekly appointments but they don't seem to be understanding of how difficult this is. And during said weekly appointments, I also can't take any of my children in 🤨

You're putting barriers in the way of every sensible suggestion.

I get that it's difficult. I understand it must be stressful and worrying.

But unless you're prepared to change your current setup or be flexible, you're stuck.

Find out how long mums course is
Look at other childcare options. Childminder, alternative nursery
Investigate breakfast clubs for the older 2
Change jobs to work around each others hours
Claim UC
Understand what benefits you're receiving and check that you're getting everything you're entitled to
Ask for a different appointment time, explaining the school hours issue
Take AL to cover
Get to know other parents who might be able to help
Take advantage of your DP's flexibility at work

But if you are not receiving any benefits then why do they care if you work or not?

I think you should check with your advisor since you're not receiving any benefit if it's necessary, or if you can sign off.

Something has to give. You and DP decide what.

I think because I was working, I have now stopped as of 4 days ago but have managed to secure other employment as of today.
Me and DP together were earning too much to be entitled to anything
But now I've updated to say I'm not in work, combined with my daughter turning 3, it's trigger appointments

I'm really not trying to put in barriers, I'm extremely stressed as I need to work, being at work really helps my mental health. I can't imagine anything worse being stuck at home. I need to work, but I think the smartest thing to do would be to find evening work

I agree with others that there does seem to be a variety of options you’re just not open to them. Childcare from 10-2 is mad and wouldn’t suit a lot of people,
I think you need to explore other childcare options and whether UC will help.

If you aren’t working then yeah you get appointments, I'm not sure what the complaint is? You say you get 0 from UC but your circumstances have now changed so you probably will. How long is your mums course on for?

If you were on UC do you still have access to UC journal? If so report your new job, hours etc.
Check what entitlement you have to free or subsidised nursery hours (unrelated to UC).
Get a benefit check either online or at CAB, both on the basis of the hours you are about to start and if you worked closer to full time.
Sit down with your husband and look at the figures to see how it will work
Be a bit creative in thinking outside the box about what you might do in terms of work to minimise the problem. Term time jobs in school stop you needing childcare in the holidays, day centres tend to work limited middle of the day hours, some wfh jobs allow time to do drop off.
If your Mum disagrees that she is fit for work then CAB should be able to help her to challenge that.

if you are not receiving benefits, then there is no sanction to not going to the meetings, surely? I don’t really understand the UC involvement if you’re not getting UC.

agree with others: you need to find paid childcare that allows you to work the hours you need, or else stop working and claim whatever benefits you are entitled to.

I don't know if it's the same nowadays but it used to be that you still had to attend appointments, fill in the website etc. to get the NI contributions even if you weren't receiving any money.

You need to change childcare. My DC couldn’t attend the school nursery as the hours didn’t fit for my job. Evening work would probably work better for you right now.

Have the work coach meeting and lay it all out for them.

They will either give you workable solutions to the problem, may even have their own contacts for available childcare or other things.

Or if they can't figure it out with you, they may back down and only expect you to work certain hours.

Most likely the first one, be aware you can't just reject a reasonable solution for no real reason. If they suggest a solution and it's not workable, you need to tell them why. If they suggest a solution and it is workable, you need to do it.

But @Season0fthesticks if you don’t get any help from UC or other benefits then there’s no need for the appointments. They don’t care if you’re not working if pure supporting yourself and not claiming benefits. Are you sure you’re not getting anything?

If you are getting benefits however, you will have the work requirement. You will need to sort childcare so you can work the hours required. If this means changing nursery then that’s what you have to do, lots of us don’t have the choice of sending to school nursery as the hours don’t cover working hours.

You have to do what all working parents do and find childcare to cover your working hours

You need to in the nicest way stop being stubborn and find alternative childcare. Many parents, myself included don’t send their children to school based nurseries because of the weird hours.

4 kids, THEN you think about the logistics.

I wouldn't bother going to any job centre appointments if they aren't actually helping you. We've found childcare.couk good for temporary people to help out if a friend can't help you, otherwise what about annual leave? Good luck x

Then he goes,not you

In the past we have received help
Last had a payment in November, as I was earning too much in December to recieve a payment, I had some left over wages in the entitlement period so January statement was also 0
But as I'm now not currently in work, I guess the change has triggered something in the system, as my daughter is in nursery albeit for 16 hours, there's no reason in their eyes as to why I'm not in work

Unfortunately it doesn't work like that. It's my name on the appointments review, not his

9-3 would've been absolutely fine. It's just a shit situation that they find themselves short staffed and cannot offer 30hr at the moment.
Since making this post, I tried to find a childminder (with three days notice, it was always going to be a challenge)
I cannot find anyone who has the space for an extra 4 children

I've always managed to work around the children, in some ways it was easier when my youngest didn't attend nursery as my mum just looked after her.

I already explained in the meeting, my daughter is only in nursery for 16 hours.
She literally went yes, so I've put down your commitments to job search for 30 hours or more
There wasn't an ounce of understanding.
I know UC pay up to 85% of childcare but also finding a childminder who has space for an extra 4 at short notice, was never going to something that happened

Whenever I've had an interview that I can't manage, I've written in my journal, and they've changed it to a telephone interview.

(Images have loaded back to front!)