Advice please - work coach not adhering to single parent flexibilities re. claiming JSA over the summer holidays

[AnnieAnon]

Hi, have namechanged again for this.

Basically, so as not to repeat previous threads, I'm a single parent who has been claiming JSA now for almost 4 weeks. Every day my daughter is at school, i am online looking for job to apply to. So around 6 hours a day. I have applied for loads. Some take up to an hour to complete. Lots of closing dates coming up this week and next so hopeful that ill at least get an interview.

However, i voiced my concern yesterday to my work coach that i may not be in employment by the summer holidays, as I expected. And asked what the rules are for the 6 week school break. I told her i'd be unable to commit anywhere near the same level of hours to job hunting as I currently am. She said that I'll still have my evening and nights, when DD is asleep, to job hunt.

I came home and ranted to my friend that i expect I'll get zero sleep over the summer holidays because of this, and she said that when she was claiming JSA last year as a single parent, she didn't have to sign on once during the summer holidays (same job centre) and wasn't expected to look for work at all during the holidays due to not having childcare.

I've just had a look on the gov.uk site and Gingerbread, and it does say that single parents are not expected to look for work over the holidays if it would be unreasonable or unaffordable to place the child in childcare.

I go to sign again next Wed - a week before the schools break up, so I need to find my confidence to bring this up again. I'm worried about coming across as workshy or end up getting sanctioned. But there is a rule about this and my work coach isn't adhering to it.

Can anyone with experience offer any advice about this situation? Or suggest what I can say to bring it up again? My work coach is extremely intimidating.

I suppose it depends on your commitment to actually finding a job. You probably won't find 6h/ for applications but you'll likely find 2-3h/day. In the past I've even taken a child to a couple of job interviews as had no other option and actually got offered both jobs.

In terms of what the guidance is, I don't know and can't comment if you choose to challenge your work coach on it.

Ask for a change of work coach (in writing). I'd try not to be confrontational about it but say that although of course you will continue to seek work, you won't be able to put the same number of hours into it as during term time.

I'm not a single parent but I was told (after I had been in twice with DD) that I didn't need to even sign on in the holidays! So I got one off.

I think they were also short staffed

How old is your dc? Can you organise reciprocal playdates, activity clubs etc so you can continue to job hunt. Otherwise you may not have anything for the autumn either.

You're getting availability and actively seeking mixed up.
You still have to be actively seeking, ( which you can still reasonably do) but your hours of availability may be restricted during school holiday.

^ as in hours of availability for work.