Lone parents - universal credit / changes to working hours re. budget / Jeremy Hunt?

[catsinwater]

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2023/mar/22/jeremy-hunt-universal-credit-benefits-mothers-30-hour-weeks

Anyone read this yet? Although my child is 10 it could have a massive impact on my life as a working single parent. I feel really sorry for the people with younger children, it's difficult enough for many lone parents to work the 16 hours a week (I struggled with health issues and stress related to the burden of being a LP when my son was younger and it's not even easy now so goodness knows trying to do 30 hours a week).

I am really worried about this!

I am just about getting by and work a lot of hours in my self employed job but am worried that I will be made to take a job for less money to push me up to the difference of 30 hours, which will set my career back massively as well as my mental health and reduce my hourly wage etc (even if I am working more hours).

What do others feel about it?

Isn't 25 hours all you are being asked to work? It's only parents of DC aged 13 years or older asked to work 30 hours. Kids that aged should be able to get themselves to school and home either walk or bus unless physical disability/learning Disability.

Good, get them out working and contributing .

Can tell people haven't read the link.

They want parents of children 3+ to be working 30 hours.

It is CURRENTLY 25 hours for people with children 5-12 and 30 for parents of children 12+.

@PatFussy it's not just hours infact it's how much you earn each month. My child is 8 and my contracted hours are 20. I have another agency job too and UC have never called me to question anything at all since the start of my claim.

They are targeting single parents purely because they are hard working people who are accountable. The target group ought to be single young people who don't work and have no intention of working. This group is still evading work. I work 4 days a week and I'm exhausted much of the time. Variables such as support networks, involvement of both parents are completely overlooked. As is the availability of childcare and Jobs that offer 30 hours that will fit into 7 am to 6pm. There are groups feigning illness also who could work but it's easier to target single parents. It's nothing to do with funding and everything to do with politics. If we are short of money we need to tax the each and stop them evading payment with legal loopholes. Not pick on an exhausted single parent and scrape an extra few hours of paid work on top of an already exhausting week. It's too easy to force this group which is why they are choosing this group. When there are young healthy people sat at home and rich people not paying tax the targets need reviewing. 30 hours if you have four kids for example is too much work for one human being and something will have to be not good enough.... its not like kids are kids forever. Latch key kids, kids dumped in school hall is not a great idea I don't think. That's my opinion.

It would be great if remote flexi jobs were on offer more. But they are thin on the ground. I'd love to be free like you say.

@caringcarer what are you taking about? I DO work. Since you have no idea about my child's needs and educational provision please don't comment on it. This thread is not for you to pass judgment on how many hours parents of disabled children work. Just because you manage doesn't mean everyone else can.

@Kazzykamys I agree how times have changed. Me and my sister went to play scheme for £1. DS camp cost me £40 per day what a difference. I don't remember breakfast clubs or after school clubs in the 90s when I attended primary. Today's teens seem to be in great crisis and its no surprise when mothers are working themselves into the ground! Whilst running the home too.

Because raising children and running a home doesn't generate money for the government It's not valued. Its also not valued primarily because women do it. Its honestly sometimes like a conveyor belt of work in my house. I do paid work all day then unpaid work cooking and pots and bedtime and homework and then collapse on sofa only to start same again the next day. All weekend homework uniform prep and housework and my quality of life is poor with no support network. I could slap anyone who dares to infer I do not work hard enough. Everything is down to me. I get no help. And they now want to suggest I could do another day of paid work on top of what I'm already doing. Makes me cross! Really cross!

I saw you said you worked 21 hours. I asked the question if your DC went to school? You know the thing with a question mark at the end. I'm not passing judgement on you or anyone else but I'm guessing if your DC are at school you'd have to explain to DWP why you couldn't be at work for those school hours the same as other parents. It's different if the parent is disabled.

@caringcarer what exactly are you basing this on? Your own personal opinion? Where exactly does it say I have to explain myself to DWP when I am working and have a child with high level of needs. Whether they are at school or not is irrelevant.

caring (even though you clearly aren't). How would a lone parent who worked in retail, service industry, warehouse etc make up hours in the evening? 1) their manager probably wouldn't allow it and 2) who looks after the dcs?

@caringcarer schools 9 till 3 what do you mean? Not all schools have before and after school provisions. There's also all the school holidays to cover. It's difficult. Are you a single parent?

I had to give up open university due to a non-sleeping child (they slept once they hit 9yrs old). I wasn't watching TV or relaxing all those years as I was dealing with her, I certainly wouldn't be catching up with work 😂. It was touch and go not losing my 3 day a week job at one point.

I'm not changing the rules the DWP are. Any person who wants to claim will have to answer to them not me if they are not working enough hours to claim benefits. Take your outrage out on them not me. I'm just commenting once a DC is at school it makes no difference whether they are disabled or not it doesn't affect you working if they are at school.

Actually @Comii9 I didn't say schools were 9am to 3pm in my experience as a teacher a lot of secondary schools are 9am till 3.30pm or 8.30am till 3pm, so an additional 30 minutes.

It does a little bit because ehcps only cover education and not childcare. Children have a legal right to education but not to childcare. its really common for special schools to not have before and afterschool clubs or for mainstream schools to be able to support education but not childcare. Its also common for special schools to have shorter days. My sons is 9.30 to 2.30. Respite is also respite not childcare. People can organise sen nannies and PAs but its not always that easy and involves social workers to access funds to do that as its more expensive.

No, I'm not a single parent but my Foster Son goes to Sports holiday clubs for about a month every summer. I don't find it hard to book a space. My 2 DGC who are much younger go too and they live 125 miles away in a large city. You just book early to get a space. There are loads of holidays clubs where I live either for whole weeks or different days, several different Multi Sports, cricket, trampolining in the morning and art after lunch, photography, Art, drama workshops culminating in kids putting on a show. If you book once you ask to go on the email list to be notified of a course that's going to be put on.

"Not a single parent" . So you don't actually have any idea then. Best ignored.

My Foster Son has attended 2 Special schools, primary and secondary and both were 9am-3.30pm. His primary after school club did have 1 Art and 1 Sport after school club a week which each DC could have a turn at each of them but in different terms, plus they might get a second term of 1 club if other DC didn't want their turn. My FS loved the Sports club but didn't want to do the Art one. The club was for 1 hour after school so his collection was then at 4.30pm once a week.

Of course it makes a difference many carers are phoned multiple times a week to pick up their disabled dc from school, that's if they even make it into school in the first place.

@caringcarer so you're not a single parent. That was clear from your nonsense replies. Why are you so bothered how many hours I work?? Get off this thread you have nothing of any use to say

@caringcarer oh OK. I can find holiday camps. But what do you suggest about term time before and after school?? You seem very invested.

I really don't care how many hours you work. The thread was about the DWP Changing the rules on how many hours people would have to work if they wanted to claim. If you don't work enough hours and can't claim I really don't care. 🤷

My FS had a minibus collect him from home 45 minutes before school started and brought him home 45 mins after school ended except night he did club when I had to collect him myself. Many DC have to travel to a special school as there are fewer of them than normal primary schools so often involve travel. You must have lived very close to your special school.