Harassed by universal credit!

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Hi
I was just wondering if anyone else felt harassed by universal credit and how to deal with the situation.
so I have worked full time since 16 now 34. In 2020 my partner left and I had a baby (now 3) I have worked part time 8-10 hours a week since he was 9 months old.
recently he turned 3 and I have been non stop harassed by the job centre about getting 16 hours of work. I currently work 12 hours on a self employed basis but for a company. I have very limited child care only 1 day a week, going to 2 mornings and 1 full day in September when little one starts nursery. I don’t drive so need to stay local and also have no family to support with childcare. My sons dad is not involved in his life so I am literally on my own!
my question is how do you get the job centre off your back, they call me in 2-3 times a week and have done since my son was 9 months old. I feel like I’m doing everything I can right now to work but it’s never good enough and they are constantly on at me. Has anyone dealt with this before?
its making me so anxious! I literally don’t know how I can work more than I do without leaving my child home alone! (Obviously this isn’t an option)
Thanks in advance

He goes to reception September 2024 so I will then be free to work all week. They are full to capacity at the moment and have no additional hours for my son. I’m on the list for more hours when they become available.

Exactly some people in these comments come accross as very ignorant and unhelpful it's like they get a kick out of kicking someone when they are down

Thank you I appreciate your comment. It’s just so hard to please everyone and try and do what’s best for your child isn’t it. I feel so anxious all the time trying to make things work. There’s just not enough childcare in my area and as I don’t drive it makes it harder to get further out. I looked into driving but it’s so expensive. I hope things work out for you. I never knew how hard it was to be a single mum, I don’t think people understand until it happens to them, I know I didn’t. Hopefully we can find a way to work around it all eventually x

Yes I guess that's the only way for now, hope everything goes smoothly for you in the future 🙂

Hey, I had the same thing when my DD turned 3, basically because all parents can claim 30 hours of child care a week which works out in my area to 4 full days with a tiny charge at the end of the month, they are basically trying to say you need to be working the 16 hours or you don't qualify for for the uc in all honestly it does state that when signing up for uc. Maybe speak to your work coach and see what you could do?

As other people have said, evidence everything. Get written (or email) confirmation from everyone on the list that you are on the waiting list and will be given hours as soon as they are available. Update this every couple of months so you evidence is always relatively up to date and shows you are continually trying to review your situation. Get written confirmation from your employer that they have extra hours to give you - so you do have an offer of additional employment - but they cannot facilitate childcare on premises and the offer will remain until you get childcare sorted. Present copy of evidence at every F2F meeting. Have a "script" and repeat on every phonecall "Yes I have an offer of employment, No I do not have childcare, Yes I am continuing to seek childcare, I will take up employment as soon as this is in place".

Start a complaint, ask for copy of complaints policy and process and follow it to the letter. Use your evidence to support the complaint. It will take months. If the first stage fails, involve your MP if you want. Escalate complaint. It won't stop this overnight, hell it might not stop it at all, but at least you know you are fighting your corner to try to make them listen. It may just help get you over the line in Sept 24.

Finally, you cannot change the system - it is shit and it's failing you in your very specific circumstances. But you can change your reaction to it. Hear this: you are doing everything you can to engage with the system and that is good enough. You are good enough. The problem is not you. Don't let the system grind you down. It WILL get better. KOKO

You've slugged though it this far, just a little bit further.

A friend of my DC has a similar issue between graduating and relocating to start a graduate training scheme. I think she just had to show that she had taken the maximum childcare available until September when spaces opened up when children in nursery started school ie she gave them a list of childcare providers and the space they had.

If you are self employed, I thought UC rules were different? I thought that rather than 16 hours worked, the rules were that you had to earn a minimum income threshold of 16 hours x minimum wage? There is no minimum income threshold for the first 12 months of self employment because you need to work on your business in ways that won't bring in income eg marketing, admin, accounts etc. For the same reason, it is then based on a minimum income rather than working hours. Are you genuinely self employed though if you only have one client? It is possilbe but the rules are complicated.

How many hours nursery did you apply for in September? UC will pay 80% of your childcare costs. You should have applied for enough hours to allow you to work the required 16 hours.

Only working parents can claim 30 hours a week free child care

Good point. There are free OU courses online. My local FE college does some, too. A number of them lead to a certificate of achievement.

Also, OP, does your Ex pay any child support? He could pay it to you as a fee - it's an accounting fudge I've heard a client talk about. Never thought anything of it till now.

It isn’t easy being a single parent. Maybe check out the earn £10 a day thread. Lots of little jobs you can do at home if you have internet. Really you just need to earn an extra £70ish quid a week so it is doable.

Also would where you live allow you to be a childminder. There’s a shortage, my la would fund course fees and registration costs. I think if you were seen to be progressing towards something they’d give you a bit more space.

Possibly also offer up your services as a nanny with child. I used to pay a lovely lady who had a toddler to have dc after school at my house a couple of days a week. Older children don’t need an awful lot of looking after.

I’d also sign up for a free course or two. For example I’m doing a cybersecurity course designed by google on coursera. The DWP funds the courses.

Treat it like a project I’m doing x,y,z. Then break down your progress each appointment. Push hard for telephone appointments too.

Could you not do the extra office based work whilst he's at nursery then do the home based work whilst he's in bed?

Why is he not taking the full 15 hours term time, 11 hours stretched?

They don’t have available hours at the moment

No because it takes 45 mins to get there and home and buses are only every 2 hours. He’s only got 3 hours a day at the moment until something else comes up. The lady I work for is very good and does try and get me a lot of admin to do from home, but there’s only so much admin I can do

How often do you call around the childminders? Are you on their waiting lists? Although they don't anticipate spaces until 2024 parents leave or have babies all the time you can be full one minute and have spaces the next.

I have done several free courses recently just to try and get qualification but apparently they don’t found according to UC? I will check again but I was told unless it was full time it didn’t count.
CMS can’t seem to find sons dad, and it’s a constant chase, he’s moved and self employed so doesn’t pay anything unfortunately.

I’m on all waiting lists. I do check weekly with childminders and I will check again in September with the nursery incase any children leave

That’s what I thought. They have been on my case since my little boy was 9months old. I went back to work as soon as he was 9months and they’ve been on my case weekly since to get more hours. The lady who provides me the self employed work is happy to up my hours but it’s the childcare availability that is the problem

If you're doing the work from home can you not do more hours in the evening while your child sleeps?

I would tell UC that if they can find him a local childcare place then you are more than willing to do extra hours

I also don't understand how there can be no availability until 2024 if your child is now 3. All of the children who would have been at nursery when your child was born will be at school by then, so how could they have no space come up on their waiting list for that entire time?

Does the school your DC will be starting have a pre school attached with spaces? Or any other local schools with a pre school?

Just read what you said about it needing to be in their office.

There are many jobs that can be done remotely now. Have you been applying for flexible remote work that you can do from home in the evenings?

Or considered other work that you can do from home. For example the lady who makes me children's birthday cakes works from her home. They are expensive, she must make a fair bit!

Or, you can look for a nanny share with another family if nurseries/ childminders can't offer more hours right now.

Ultimately there is always a way to juggle things if you try. I am a lone parent to two children with additional needs and have been since they were babies. Also have no family help. I went back to work full time when they were six months old.

I applied for 3 full days but they can’t give me them as they are full to capacity. So I’ve just had to take what they offered.
I work for a lady who runs her own company basically but on a self employed basis (I think she doesn’t want to pay for employers, holidays and insurance ect) but it’s a job I found that worked around my son currently.
I will take all the evidence in next week and speak to my work coach. Thank you for your advice

Most people go back at 9 months and the vast majority work more than the equivalent of one day a week! How is it an "achievement"?

I don’t think that UC will help with the childcare fees if they aren’t ofsted registered child minders. I don’t have any qualifications really so my job isn’t greatly paid. I am working as much as my current circumstances allow. And I’m happy to do more hours but for some reason a registered child minder seems to be very hard to find around my area. I am looking for employed work too but nothings come up so far that will work with the 2 mornings I have my son in nursery in September