Benefit advise

[MessedupMommy]

Hi, I have a pregnant (19wks) teenage daughter who is on benefits. She missed an appointment and had her JSA benefits stopped (she had missed a couple of appointments last year). She is now back on JSA but they have moved her from signing on at the job centre to travelling 4 miles across town to a Work Skill training centre to sign on every two weeks.

She's been told that she will have to continue doing this when she switches to income support and until she gets a job after the baby arrives (hopefully - the job, not the baby, that's definantely happening). It's two buses and takes over an hour and she's a stroppy mare. She's kicked off saying they can't make her go etc and will not listen to reason. I've told her it's because she messed up before and has to face the consequences and she's been very lucky getting a flat close by that is paid for by housing benefit, but it's not enough for her.

She wants to sign on at the Job Centre as it is much closer. She says there is no way someone will employ her now she's showing so why do Work Skills when she will have forgotten everything the have to say by the time she rejoins the job market. I do have a little sympathy for that, but these guys are just doing their job, listening to a stroppy team won't make them more supportive!

Can anyone confirm (or otherwise) that what she has been told is correct?

When i was pregnant i had to sign for jsa until i was around 26-32 (can't remember) weeks. Although she has no chance of getting a job and the guys at the job centre understand this they are the rules. I automatically transferred on to income support after that. When on I.S i have only ever attended the job centre every 6months for a lone parent interview. So it shouldn't be that many weeks until she stops signing on.
With regards to travelling 4 miles all i could say is that doctors are very understand when it comes to pregnant ladies and if i was her i'd be tempted to get a docs note to say its too uncomfortable to travel 4 miles each time i needed to sign. However, she should only have to go 5 more times at most in my experience
Hope this helps

Really? You'd ask for a doctor's note to avoid travelling 4 miles once a fortnight? It's become a cliche, but she is the epitome of someone with a sense of entitlement.

Yes i'd definately ask for one! Like i said there is probably at most only 5 signings left so i wouldn't just for the last five but if it were to continue then i wouldn't want to sit on a bopus for over an hour with a heavy bump or screaming baby!
Having said that i wouldn't have missed the appointments in the first place and yes maybe she is a stroppy madam but if it would help her and her baby then i would ask for a doctors note for sure!

Obviously i don't want to sit on a bopus for over an hour but i think i meant to write bus!!

FFS, I drove 4 hours every monday and friday to work 300 miles from home, or had a 5hr train journey until 28 weeks pregnant (after which my commute was 'only' an hour)

Seriously, she needs to rethink her outlook on life as does tibywibs

Ooh sounds like someone has been stung by an octopus!
May i add for the record that when pregnant with my first child i drove 120 miles to and from work 5 days a week and worked until i was 36 weeks, and would have done the same with my 2nd but sometimes life doesn't work like that. Inow have to walk 6 miles a day to get a child to and from nursery, but i'm not here to big myself up i was simply informing someone of how to help their daughter

'if i was her i'd be tempted to get a docs note to say its too uncomfortable to travel 4 miles each time i needed to sign'

She sounds idle. I'm guessing you'll be doing all the work when the poor baby arrives. Shocking.

Yes i would if i was that situation, it is uncomfortable to spend an hour on a sweaty bus!! But as i later explained i haven't done so and wouldn't have got into the situation in the first place by missing appointments. Sorry OP that this seems to have been turned into a slanging match, i simply wanted to give you an option of how she may not have to do the travelling which seems to be the issue with her.

She could always walk one way if she doesn't want to sit on the bus! I used to easily walk this distance on a regular basis to keep fit right up to term and I'm much older than her!