UC expects single parents to work 30 hours, any tips on how to do it?

[Llama98]

I’m new to mumsnet but this is really stressing me out at the moment. I have a son (will be 4 in a couple of weeks) and a daughter (will be 2 in a couple of weeks, there birthdays are days apart from each other 😆)
and I’ve already had 2 meetings telling me that when youngest is three in a year I need to work 30 hours.
I live on my own, have no help and the dads only have the kids over night every other weekend just for one night.
I always get “what about grandparents” but they all have full time jobs or are disabled and cannot physically look after young children.

So I just want to know, how do I do it 😭

Being alone with next to no help is hard enough as it is. My Daughter starts nursery soon and I couldn’t even find space for the kids to be in nursery at the same time!
I work a couple of hours a week but that’s dependent on if my daughters dad cancels on me (he likes to just declare he’s going travelling or has other stuff to do) as he will look after her a couple of hours so I can work but that’s only 5 hours a week.

i also can’t drive so doing drop offs, getting to the job then pick ups again will be difficult. If it was 16 hours needed to work I could probably just about (and I really mean just about) manage it all.

has anyone had any experience with not being able to meet the 30 hours and if so what happens? There are not many flexible jobs and I would need one to make this work.

sorry about any mistakes i do struggle with my dyslexia quite a bit 😅

You could look into what help you would get towards childcare. I think universal credit pay about percent of your childcare.

You will get 30 hours free childcare & UC pay up to a % of your child are costs so you book her into childcare to work. If you don’t meet your work requirements ultimately you will be sanctioned x

I think it's that you must earn the equivalent of 30 hours at minimum wage. If you can earn more than minimum wage, you may be able to work less hours. Hopefully an experienced person can advise?

Make sure your DD is on the waiting list for more sessions at nursery from next year when she turns 3 so you already have childcare sorted, you can always tweak the days if needed. For 30hrs that is either 4 full days or 5 shorter days depending on hours. Make sure you are selecting a primary school for your son that has breakfast club and after school club so you have got options for wrap around care.

My understanding is if you don't work the required hours they will reduce your UC money

You’ve got nearly a year. I presume your eldest will be at school next September. Choose one with a breakfast and out of school club.
Does the school have a school nursery attached that will take your daughter full time?
where’s the nearest holiday club?
Or would a childminder work better for you?
Can you learn to drive by next year?
I know it seems like a huge task but you’ve got time to plan it

Really sorry if I have this wrong OP, it's what a friend told me in regard to her situation, but I may be confused.

So my friend is an an and e nurse and adopted 2 children with additional needs as a single parent. It can be done but you just have to motivated and organised.

You put them in childcare for over 30 hours. I believe if on UC this may be mostly paid for by as part of that. Otherwise, they currently will be entitled to 15/30 funded hours each, going up to 30 for both in September, so you’d only have to pay for a few hours extra.

I’m married and not on UC but the only way I can work 30 hours is by putting my child in childcare, this is the case for many people.

Can you do a remote job from home?

So your ds will be at school. Does the primary school have a nursery attached? If you can find nursery care for your dd close by, that would give you sufficient hours free. Have you looked at being a virtual PA? What employers are there in the same place? Village pub? School cook, dinner lady, dog walker, cleaner? Could you increase the hours for your existing job?

You have time to learn to drive.

What qualifications/ experience do you have?

If you can do care, you can do 12 hour shifts also, so achieve 36 hours in 3 days a week of work. If you have skills/qualifications the wage improves, and I think if you work for the NHS there is support to progress and move up pay bands.

Sounds like a childminder is a much better fit for you. Universal credit will support with childcare costs.
What about working in a school?

I have 4 children on my own OP. No involvement from Dad. No family support or grandparents, they live in another country. Friends can't help as have their own children.

I work 30+ hrs a week and have done since youngest was 9 months (not yet 2).

I do it because I have to. I put my children in childcare. If you look for a place or put their names down ahead of time, it's not a barrier.

It's hard but it is what it is. You do it because you have to.

UC pay 85% of childcare costs. So again not a barrier.

I get UC btw. That's how I know and no judgement from me. Just saying it can be done.

Could you look into working as a TA in a primary school? If you can find one with a nursery attached, that will help a lot with pick ups/drop offs for your younger child, and hopefully you can find a primary school with enough wrap around care to work for your older child? I appreciate being a TA isn't an easy job necessarily, and it may depend on how many schools you could access locally, but it will help as you'll have the holidays free but be considered to be working full time?

What job did you have before dc?

Universal credit will help towards childcare costs I believe you can claim back into 85%.

Also you don't need to work 30hours you just need to earn a certain amount of money. Unfortunately I'm not sure what the amount is but if you earn it and you only work say 15 hours it doesn't matter.

And the money for lessons and to buy and insure a car ?

It's tough but do-able. What did you work as before having the kids? What work do you do now?

My DC both went into nursery (and then wraparound care once they started at school) so that I could work. They did holiday clubs too. My DC are older now, so it's easier. Luckily, I do drive, but before I passed my test (and got a car), I'd put my DC1 on a child seat on the back of my bicycle and commute that way.I chose a job near to nursery and to where I lived.

I'm a nurse, working FT. The shift patterns are rubbish for childcare (7am start and 8pm finish). Long days are 7-8. Early shifts are 7-3. Late shifts are 1:30 - 8pm. But that is on my ward, at the hospital where I work. Nursery used to be 7:30 - 6:30. I juggled for some years, found a CM that did weekends (and covered long hours) for a year or so (it was VERY pricey, but I needed to keep my nursing registration). I was with XH for 6yrs but he was NOT reliable at all (understatement - in fact, it is easier being a single parent!). I got to the point where it was better to not even factor in XH with having any hand at all with parenting or childcare, as he left us up shit creek so often. I was very lucky that when XH finally pissed off, I was able to vary my hours to cover the childcare hours (on an acute ward, that is very rare). Friends and I would also help each other out, where possible (as we all work!).

Where I work, there are HCPs who just do outpatient clinics, which may be easier for childcare. Plenty of other departments with different jobs too :) Some other hospitals have onsite childcare (wish my one did!!).

You have time, which is great, so start planning now :) Maybe get on waiting list for a suitable nursery/CM, see which schools offer wraparound care. Research the start/finish times for the different childcare options that are local to you. If you're in a position to get driving, then go for it (I didn't until my late 20s). Otherwise, start searching for what jobs and childcare are available within a very short commuting distance (ofc, I don't know where you live or what local amenities are like). I drive to work, but it's 4 miles away, so can cycle or walk it if I needed to. I work the longer shifts as it gives me more days off in the week (time for me to catch up on housework, life admin, batch cook, R+R and so on).

I only have one child and work 40+ hrs a week. You get a large chunk (85%) back in childcare costs from UC and I am far better off both financially and mentally working. My child also gets to go to great after school clubs and holiday clubs near us so I view that as a win win as she's building her confidence, meeting new friends and enjoying new experiences. You also get holiday and if needed parental leave which is unpaid. I appreciate it must be harder with more than one child though. Working helps give me a sense of purpose and not just viewed "as a mum."

You put them in full-time nursery - apply now, with a full year's notice you'll find a space - and if your income is low enough then UC will cover most of it. You go via CMS to get maintenance from their Dad. You'll have to use a childminder or wrap around care after school when the older one goes to school.

Were you expecting to not be able to work for most of their childhoods? Who did you think would support your children?

You’ve got a year to sort childcare, your older Dc will be in school and you can put your younger DC on waiting lists for childcare now. Start looking for jobs, even full time jobs as you can use after school clubs and full time nursery.

Depending on your skills/experience and bearing in mind the age of the children, I would look at working at the nursery or school or jobs you can fit those around school hours, eg cleaner, teaching assistant, dinner lady, etc.

Can you retrain?

The ’Administrative Earnings Threshold’ (AET)
The AET is an amount you can earn that affects what you’re asked to agree to.
For individual claimants, the AET is £892 per assessment period.

If you earn the individual AET or more, you do not need to actively look for more or better paid work.

DWP

Have you considered training to become a childminder yourself? That way you can either include your own children in your numbers, or even use the 30 hours free childcare for your own kids so they get to mingle with others while you work. If there’s a shortage of good childcare around you it sounds like you would be in demand, presuming you have a suitable house and temperament.