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Hi everyone
Just wanted to share some good news with you all, the company that gives us all the clothing well we called them and asked to have a meeting with them about some ideas we have for the future. They were soooooooooooo nice and we are meeting them on the 24th Jan at 9.30am.
Oh now the nerves start to kick in but nothing ventured nothing gained, cant wait to see what they think
Good luck.
I can well imagine you have an excellent business plan to put forward 
Hi sparklinglime
Thank you.
I`ll let you into a little secret, we have written down nothing so far!!! Thats sounds terrible but we have found that no matter how much you write it down you cant get across the passion for what we do on paper, we will have bullet points of course and I have done lots of research about the company and who is behind them, bit like dragons den really.
I have always been a great believer in what will be will be and will take that thought into this meeting. We do have lots of evidence to support what we have done/can do which always helps. We have also done lots of market research and people are very interested/excited.
Once we get talking about what we do and what we hope to do, it will be very difficult to shut us up!!!!!!
I have always said that my friend and I are a lot like Marmite, you either love us or hate us but you will certainly not forget us lol.
I am trying not to think about it too much as it will no doubt trigger a panic attack, good job we are only meeting 2 people or I would be in trouble!!!!!!
I'm terrible for putting facts and figures together - even put a file together to stop them closing the petrol stations overnight and got reports in from the fire service! Manager loved it, but big bosses rejected it without reading.
I bet they'll love the idea!
WELL DONE, that sounds such an achievement, just to get the meeting. I agree it is better if you can talk about it in your own words. Dragon's Den, eh? 
sparklinglime, thats so rude isnt it, if you have taken the trouble to do the work, the least they could have done was to read it!!!!
Louise, thank you, our motto has always been "on a wing and a prayer" so cant see that changing, we are just going to go in and be us, we once about 7 years ago went to a charity night organised by our housing association, neither of us had been out for years and in fact stood inthe doorway daring each other to actually walk in the room ha ha anyway we did eventually go in and had a great night, then dont know if it was the adrenalin or alcohol that kicked in but we said we would host an event and it would be better, well that was it they took us up on our offer so we set to and the only date we could book our local club was for 12 days time, dont know how we did it but we do work best under pressure, we had tickets printed, promoted it, and decided to go as bunny girls, we got lots of prizes, we sold all the tickets and on the day realised that the tails for the bunny suits wouldnt fit on, made a mad dash to the wool shop and made pom pom tails!!!!
It was the best night and we raised over £600 for our local hospice, that was the best part of the night
That's fantastic!
Hi sparklinglime
It was such a good night, I dont think we could top it even if we tried. We love doing things like that though and used to hold bi annual Christams parties for over 200 children, all the community came together and it was wonderful, now they have shut our club and its up for sale so we have nowhere to hold it which is really sad.
I was going to organise the Big Lunch here last here. It was going to be a very last minute attempt, but the weather was so awful leading up to it my neighbour and I decided to leave it - and just as well as it was an awful day!
I'd love to get this estate rocking again - I've been told it used to have brilliant parties a number of years back now. Trying to get people to interact could be a challenge though.
Whatever, it will have to wait until I've finished this OU course. Have to fit it in with scouty stuff too!
You are brilliant!
Sparklinglime, do try and get people interested again to do things on your estate, you will find that most people really do want to join in but very few are leaders, they prefer to be asked to contribute to an activity thats already planned.
Thats what we did with the Christmas parties, booked the room, called lots of companies and got selection boxes etc, our local radio always does the toy appeal so we also applied for that, then the local housing associations were good for funding the food, once all that was in place we would recruit various mums, dads, grandparents, in fact anyone who wanted to help to make jellies, sandwiches, cook pizzas, make cakes, decorate the room, we never paid for a DJ as someone always knew one who would do it for us, we did hire a magician once, he was really good. One year we had a Church provide the entertainment and they were fantastic.
I love what we do, and do appreciate your brilliant comment but anyone can do what we do, all it takes is a good does of cheek to ask for things from businesses, my friend once called the md of a contracting company to ask for Easter eggs for the children in our area, he said to her "it must be really difficult to talk to someone you dont know" her answer was "no not at all, it will only be difficult if you say no" we were given 200 Cadbury Easter eggs which were delivered to the door!!
All you have to do is believe that you can do it, and always remember no matter who you are talking to, they can only use Andrex! That thought has got me through many a family court appearence with horrible judges, arrogant barristers etc so trust me the Anderx though works xxx
So long as we have some decent weather in the summer, I will. The first summer we were here I had a tea party for our part of the estate. Just to say thank you for them all being so kind. An elderly and well loved gentleman lived here before us, to having a houseful of children - never mind dealing with the shock of a single-parent moving in - was a bit worrying for them!
The tea party was really good.
Just haven't had the weather since (honest, not an excuse). So fingers crossed!
This is all sounding really fab.
Tired mum, I agree that few people want to instigate things but love to contribute and be involved once someone else has taken the first step.
Hi tiredmum
Hooray, good for you! I am an absolute believer in positive self talk and visualising what we want. It all sounds very exciting, it sounds as though we have a supressed budding entrepreneur in our midst!
One of your previous posts reminded me of Jam and Jerusalem! Did you ever see that?
sparklinglime, from getting to know you I reckon you would create the most amazing parties, bring on the sunshine, so that you can give your local neighbourhood something that has been missing!
Hi Anna,
Jam and Jerusalem not sure if I have seen it, I will google it and let you know, it sounds familiar but cant think.
I have just come across this and wondered if anyone would like to give it a go, it is countrywide so all you need do is find the Smooth radio for your area and use the link on there to apply, it would be fantastic if we could all get involved, it doesnt have to cost a lot and every penny raised goes to Macmillan Cancer support which is such a wonderful charity.
hi, i have just come across this forum and would just like to ask a question.
My youngest is due to turn 7 in September this year and was told recently that i will go on to JSA from then, however i am thinking about going back to further education to study to become a Teaching Assistant - this is a part time course of 1 day in college and 1 day in a school.
Would JSA allow me to do this?
I have always wanted to do this but being a single parent it is very difficult to fit what i want to do around my children as, of course, they are priority and after the trauma of their so called dad leaving us nearly 3 years ago they needed me to be there more than ever and it is only now that i feel i can start again for myself.
It is all well and good them wanting us to get back into work but when you are on your own it is hard to work during the school holidays - by the time you pay out for childcare, is it really worth going out to work? I understand that if you get WTC you are entitled to payment for approx 80% of childcare but if you are on a low income that extra 20% can work out to be a lot of money! I had children so i could look after them, not palm them off on someone else and pay them for the privilege!
Would be grateful for a response as i really dont know what to do for the best!
Thanks
Lin x
Hello lin1703
There are very specific rules regarding JSA and studying, to do with the date your course starts, I believe. Our free 1-2-1 Money Advice service has all the latest news on this, click here to email them and you will get the information you seek
Hello,
I have just joined and wondered if anyone knew or has any advice about the new work programme we have to attend , once you have been on jca for a year, I today spoke with who is going to be my advisor, and stressed that , I am a lone parent who home educates her 2 children, I have no childcare, and found it immpossible to attend, he advised me that I could bring along my 2 children and leave them in the reception area for the hour duration, I stated that an experienced child minder was needed for this, and he said they don't provide this, how on earth am I supposed to attend these weekly meetings otherwise ? am sooooo stressed out.
Hello Juliehomed
Welcome, it is nice to see you here. Have a look at this thread, which may give you some more information!
I totally agree that it is unreasonabel just to "leave" two children in reception for an hour. Are they insured? Maybe you could ask them if everyone has been CRB checked and is insured to care for children?
Juliehomed
Please see the other comments about other parents experience of the Work Programme (Louise has given the thread above). It would be good to hear how you are getting on with the Work Programme. As Louise has already said it is not acceptable to ask you to leave your 2 children in reception for an hour. As a parent you know what is acceptable for your children and if your children are under 16 you are responsible for them if anything were to happen to them. I am doing some work on single parents experience of the Work Programme and so it is great if I can hear about your's and others direct experience.
I have children myself and will be taking some time with them until the middle of August which will be when I am next on One Space. In the meantime please keep posting and share your experience and get support from other single parents who are going through the transfer to the Work Programme.
All the best to you and I will check One Space on my return.
Laura
I just got back from my change from Income Support to JSA interview. It went well, considering I was quite apprehensios.
She allowed me to pick a time for my fortnightly sign on. I have to show three pieces of evidence of having looked for work in my little form they gave me. She explained that they do not expect me to take work or look for work out of school hours, for me that's eight thirty and three thirty, before and after, between sixteen and thirty hours a week Monday to Friday.
They will show 'common sense' (I didn't laugh) when it comes to holidays, implying that where as the rulings state one thing she appreciated that child care issues would prevent me from working during holidays. She gave me a little leaflet about child care and told me to call them stating that in doing so and explaining that there is none here some organisation or other is supposed to flag this and look into helping people set some up, or something like that, my eyes had glazed over at that point.
She's asked me to come in and be part of some board or something, some panel of JSA clients to discus what ever issues we feel need addressing, can't remember the name... so I get to have my say and hopefully help make things easier for people... or what ever, not sure really I just wanted to get out of there, I was so apprehensios, I think after the relief of seeing that it was all quite easy and I wasn't in imminent danger of a life of destitution... I must have been on some sort of adrenalin comedown, I just needed coffee!
All in all not as bad as I thought it was going to be.
Phewwww! I shall have to celebrate with a bottle of wine.
I told her I’d been reading up about it all and had been here on Onespace and she said don’t say anything nasty about us.
She was very nice : )
Seriously though she was, made me feel much better.
She also commented on how amazingly well behaved my son was who sat there very quietly and just once politely enquired if my signing on, on a Thursday, would interfere with his evening Karate classes, she told him that it probably wouldn't last that long : )
I took some pictures of our all in all happy productive day : )
Bubblegum,
Glad that the meeting went well and that you are feeling much better. On One Space we are just as interested to hear where things go well (this helps us to persuade other providers/advisers who may not be as helpful to improve what they do). Glad your adviser was nice.
All the very best
Laura
She told me that the problem is, as far as she sees it, that these ideas and schemes are piloted in inner city, built up areas and so they aren't quite as practical when applied to rural areas. She was referring to the whole available for work when you have kids and the assumption that child care is an easy viable option, that and the fact that there aren't actualy many jobs with such restricive hours.
Bubblegum,
Thank you.
All very useful information for me to feedback to Government. In Bristol where SPAN is based (which runs One Space) we also have problems with access to childcare. Only one local primary school out of 10 has an after school club.
Laura
Hi Laura,
Hope you are having a nice break with your children xxx
I`m not sure how much you have read about my friend and I setting up a company limited by guarantee, it will be a not for profit and will have charitable status applied at some point in the near future.
My GRIPE YET AGAIN WITH THIS GOVERNMENT is that as we all know lone parents are entitled to £40 per week for a year as long as you meet the criteria or if you are starting your own business there is now a new thing which you go to one hour a week mentoring at at the end of the 8 weeks you leave benefits and are given an allowance of £64 per week for 13 weeks followed by £32 per week for another 13 weeks.
As my friend and I will at 1st be reliant on funding which wont be in place for a period of time we enquired as to what help we can expect.
We will be entitled to child tax credits and if we do work 16 hours then we will get working tax credits regardless of maybe not receiving payment for the hours initially, however there is NO safety net from income support or it seems anywhere else.
Having done the maths, I will lose £64 per week which I will then be given for starting up a business, my beef is that if I were to take a job with an employer for 16 hours then I would recieve minimum wage lets say plus the £40 per week for a year which would obviously make me better off financially, it really doesnt seem fair at all, it feels like there is no incentive to try to make life better for all David Cameron beats on about its good to start your own business, yet again we lone parents seem to be being discriminated against.
Does anyone else agree with me or is it me missing something here?
We are going to go ahead and do what we are wanting to do BUT the pressure is enormous and could be made just that little bit easier with a little thought into the allowance side of things
I am sorry for the rant but it really does make me cross xxx
I am sure Laura will have a look at this on her return, tiredmum. As I understand it, you are saying your child tax credit will continue and your income support will be replaced by Working Tax Credit, is that right? And the site tells me there is a "job Grant" of £250 available to lone parents going into work of at least 16 hours a week after being on Income Support or Job Seekers for six months. Have you been told you are not entitled to this? Of course everyone's circumstances are different but Working Tax Credit will not usually be as much as your individual allowance for Income Support or Job Seekers, but that is because there is an expectation that the work will provide at least SOME income, even if not minimum wage level. It really is a minefield, isn't it?
Don't forget we have a Citizen's Advice money specialist on board now and if you want to iron out any money matters, you can email them here
Tiredmum,
Glad that Louise was able to offer you advice on the job grant. It certainly seems complicated setting up a business. Do also get in touch with the our money advice worker.
Have had a lovely time off with my children but now back to work (which is alot easier than entertaining a lively 10 year old boy!).
Laura
Hi Louise, Laura, it is thr correct information haing spent hours on the phone yesterday on 0845 numbers!!!!!!!!!
It is typical of this Government, they say go to work but there are no suitable jobs so we look to set something up and they again dicriminate against us, what happened to the "you will always be better off working" utter rubbish!!!!!!!!!!!!
I am really really angry and intend to email lots and lots of people over today and tomorrow, no it wont make a jot of difference but at least I`ll have had my say.
hi my daughter has just turnred 7 0n 30/12 i was on income support and now i have been told i have to claim jsa. the problem i have got is that i was claiming isa for my children but they said i carnt claim jsa for my kids i have to claim child tax credit and that i should of been claiming that for ages now i have to wait for a form to claim ctc for my kids which can take up to 3 weeks and my jsa is taking up to 10 days nobody told me i had to do all these changes to claim for my kids thanks
Hi karenim
All children are being switched over from Income Support to Child Tax Credit and this change has been happening over a number of years.
What is happening about the child tas credit form, is it being sent to you?
If you are left with no income in the interim you can apply for a Crisis Loan (to be repaid when the benefit comes through)
thank u for your help
hi all im a single mother of 3boys ,6,14 and 18 who only turned 18 march 2012,i s was recieveing child benefit upto last november when my income support changed and child benifit stopped for my 18 yr old, iv carried on paying for him normaly while he was looking for work , iv had bills for council tax and rent just because hes 18 , iv been actively seeking work since last november but had little luck on part time work, my youngest turned 6 in march aswell which means im due to go onto jobseekers in may, my 18 yr old has had no income at all and iv provided all the information the council wanted from me and about my son but im still provideing for him and my other 2 boys but still exspected to pay an extra £20 a month to council tax n extra to rent , how? i no other lone parents that have 2 of the same sex children that get full council tax and full rent paid, i feel like im being targeted and maybe should of chucked my son out at 18 but what mother could do that,i have no family support to help with childcare, hes now sighned on to jobseekers so atleast in 2 wks he should or maybe recieve somthing,im kinda pushing him on to starting an apprentaship for a better chance but will that still affect my council tax and rent while im recieveing benefit, at moment i just feel lost,heading towards a night shift full time then atleast im here in day and wont feel as if iv failed as a mother or person,i just want to be there for my boys but i do actualy want to work,theres not many work for part time or that would fit in through the school holidays
Hello shezy
Welcome to One Space 
It's great that your boy signed on for Job Seekers Allowance. He is entitled to this from age 18 and he could give you half his money towards the houehold costs, in fact I would insist upon it!
We have a Money Expert on these boards so email them here and check out the position regarding your rent and council tax , then at least you know where you are batting.
Hi, I am a single parent of 2 children & my youngest is 5 in July, at the minute I am on IS & obviously come that time I will be changing to JSA. I have recently applied for a job at my daughters school as a kitchen assistant, working for 1 hour a day. I hope to eventually work my way through the school to become a teaching assistant. I rang JSA today to enquire if I get this job how it will effect my benefits & they told me I would still have to go on JSA & sign on, go to work focused interviews & actively be looking for another job around the hours of the job at the school if I get it. I live in a remote area & the nearest town is a 45 minute bus journey, how on earth am I supposed to drop my daughter off at school at 9 o'clock find a job between 9 & 12, then go to work 12.30 till 1.30 then find another job between 1.30 & 3.10?? I think the pressure is on as far as being a single parent as it is but what they are expecting is ridiculous!!
Marie
ReePeach,
Yes, the rules have recently changed which means that if you have a youngest child aged 5 you will be transferred onto JSA. As a single parent with responsibilities for the care of your children there are certain flexibilities that apply to you as a job seeker. As a parent of a young child under 13 you are entitled to work during school hours. In addition your journey time from your childcare provider should be taken into account and not just your journey to and from home (and should take account of both of your children) So therefore you will not be expected to work all the time your children are at school as you will also need to get to your place of work.
It is great that a job has come up at your child's school and that you are looking to become a teaching assistant in the future. As the job that you are currently applying for is for under 16 hours you will be expected to look for other work. However, it is positive that you have found some working hours that might be a stepping stone to other work in the future. You should emphasise this to your adviser. In terms of becoming a teaching assistant, you might want to ask what support the Jobcentre could offer you in realising your ambition.
I do wish you all the best and do let me know how you get on.
Laura
Hi Everyone..
I have just found this forum tonight as I'm so worried about the changes..I have a rare case and seem to be banging my head against a brick wall trying to get help with our situation.
I come to the end of my tether this morning after once again someone in authority said 'its not my problem' so I emailed Iain Duncan Smith..Hope to hear positive feedback from it but I wont hold my breath on that one.
This is what I sent him:(Sorry its a bit long)
To Whomever this may concern
I am mailing you because I don't know what to do and hope that you can help me or point me in the right direction please.
Im a single Mum of 2 girls from Halifax,West-Yorks,I don't have any relatives so dont have anyone to turn to for help.
My girls are 6 and 11 years old who suffer from an unexplained illness even after having tests for the condition for the past 10 years.(Some form of Lung Disease)
My older daughter was 8 months old when she started with a cold but couldnt seem to shake it off,she was taken to hospital and diagnosed with Pneumonia..She was given I.V. antibiotics and Oxygen and went home after about 1 week..Every 4-5 weeks my daughter had the same back again..She still gets ill but every few months now (more so in the winter) but as she is older she seems to recover more quickly but has had to sacrifice her social life,not being able to mix with others or go anywhere in the colder months as she is more prone to pick up infections so we stay indoors for about 6-7 months of the year and when she is ill I manage her at home having to give medication every 2 hours,so I dont sleep for at least 48 hours until she begins to pick up.
My daughter has had various investigations over 10 years including an operation(later found out it wasnt necessary) and a portacath inserted as her veins kept collapsing from too many cannulas.(I.V's)
She stays more well now because she stays in and doesnt mix unless well at school.
My youngest daughter was born after talks with a retired consultant that there was no risk of another child the same as the elder one but 5 months old she started with the same illness and still no nearer to knowing what type of lung disease we are dealing with.
This little one has alot of chest infections,same as with the older one,she starts with a cold and then a cough,temperature,no eating,little drinking,pains in the legs and cannot walk anywhere as she is breathless.I start her on Inhalers..10 puffs through a spacer every 2 hours and Antibiotics(sometimes steroids)her Oxygen levels are dropping and its hoping the medication starts working before they drop too low that she has to go to hospital for Oxygen..Around the 3rd day she may start to feel a little better and will be a week before she is back to normal..
Anyone with a bug,my children pick it up easily from them.
In the colder months,she can have this infection for a few months and because my girls are like this they miss alot of school,more so the youngest..In the past 2 years,the youngest has had 6 months of school off 'each' year..I try do what I can at home to keep them to a decent standard of Education but I'm no teacher,I just do the best I can.
The youngest child is ill approx every 3-4 weeks and this is why I am mailing you and have explained what happens with the illness in order for you to try understand it as best you can because I dont know what to do or where to go as Ive explained my situation a thousand times but I'm banging my head against a brick wall.
I am a single parent,I dont have any relatives (they are not the people you want your CHILDREN near)and the father has been absent for years so I am on my own,I cannot work as there is only me to look after the children when they are ill which is pretty often with the youngest.
I was advised to claim DLA for 1 of them as although they are both the same,only one counts..It was turned down as they said that it was based on the carer and they said I didnt do any more than any other Parent would for their child of the same age.I found that insulting as every parent doesnt have to stay indoors 6-7 months of the year,stay awake giving medication every 2 hours for at least 2 days with no sleep every 3- 4 weeks,cannot mix with friends as they pose a risk to the girls in the colder months(Oct-April/May).I have had a few illnesses myself and injuries that I have had to ignore because I cant take the children with me into a hospital when they are well as they would pick a bug up easily there and I have nobody to leave them with so the circle keeps going round and round for the past 11 years till where I am at today,same situation but no help.
I appealed the DLA claim,it was lost then an interview over the phone,then it was turned down again and appealed again for it to go to a tribunal in which all this took about 13 months and the day of the appeal 2 towns away came in the colder months when my children were poorly all the time..I couldnt make it,so I phoned them and it was thrown out.
That was the end of that.
I am on Income support and I go for work focused interviews at my local job centre,the majority I have attended but when the girls are ill then I have rang in and told them the problem,only a few weeks ago both my daughters were ill,the youngest had respiratory problems the 1st week,then my older daughter picked up the sickness bug as was ill for the following week and when that was over my youngest daughter had her illness back again so it was 3 weeks solid.
The local job centre sancactioned my payment until this week even though I had explained why I cant get there sometimes.
I attended this week and was told that I am now getting taken off Income Support and moving over to Job Seekers Allowance as I am fit for work.
I told them I would very much like to work but I would be out of work every few weeks to look after my children when they are ill.Sometimes I will be off for the week but in the colder months it could be months..Im also to start(10th July)'signing on' where I have to attend the job centre every 2 weeks to 'sign' to get some benefits for us all.
What worries me is that I wont be able to get out to do this and every time I miss,my benefits get stopped and I have to open a New claim again as I was informed when I attended this week (My youngest was poorly on the day (Tuesday) and I had to send her to school ill rather than walking her all the way into town while she was a little breathless) as there is no-one to look after her,otherwise I was threatened that if I didnt turn up for this one then the benefit was stopped..She is again off school for the week.
My Girls GP and Consultant backed this up but still all authorites keep saying that its not there problem..So whose problem is it? How can we live like this?Its hard enough having to cope with a life like this without meeting deadends because our situation doesnt fit the criteria.
If I am not allowed DLA for any of them then that makes me fit for work although my girls arent fit for school so I have to be home and the girls cant be taken in the cold outdoors and as I dont drive I have to taxi them to school when they are well so they dont get ill,which takes £50 out of the Income Support I get or any outpatients appointments they have,or dental appointments.I have to do it to try keep them as well as possible.
In a few weeks from now the girls will be going into hospital for more tests as we are looking to see if PCD(Primary Ciliary Dysknesia) is present.
I have told all this to every situation we have come across but everyone either doesnt know what to do because they've never heard of anything like it or its not their problem.
Please help me sort this mess out..I am so upset with all..
Kind Regards
Hi Van786
What a great letter. I hope that something can now be done. Did you send a copy to your own local MP? I would recommend that. The obvious key to it all is getting the DLA as then you would not be switched from Income Support until that child reached 18. Getting a firm diagnosis would help. Have you been in touch with your local Citizen's Advice Bureau? I am just thinking that they may have a DLA specialist there or be able to recommend someone in the voluntary sector who can take your case forward.
It sounds from the letter as if you have no support for yourself either. Have you friends who would babysit occasionally to give you a break from caring? what about online support? I was also wondering whether the school were understanding of the girls' health problems, with the amount of time they need to be off?
Sorry that is a lot of questions, I am just thinking about how we can best support you
Dear all,
Are you currently unemployed? If so would you be happy to share your experiences with a journalist from a national newspaper. If you prefer your name and names of your children would not be used. You could have the opportunity to have your say of what it is really like being a single parent looking for a job in the current economic climate.
I work for the charity the Single Parent Action Network which runs One Space. As you will see I post on the forums. If you want to discuss further then please contact me by email
Many thanks
Laura
MODERATOR: email address below
Dear All,
Apologies my email address has come out weird. My details are L.dewar@spanuk.org.uk
I look forward to hearing from you.
Laura
Just to let you know SPAN the charity that runs One Space has just published New Guidance for single parents on or about to transfer onto Jobseekers Allowance (JSA).
The guidance sets out the flexibilities open to single parents that should make your job preparation and job search different from other people on JSA. As well as being a job seeker you also need time to care for your child or children. We have also included information about changes that will take place in the future and an explanation of some of the programmes and new terms used at Jobcentre Plus.
We hope that you find the information useful and that you use it as a practical help when you are at the Jobcentre. It would be great if you could let us know how you use the information and feed back to us. Also let us know whether there are areas to expand or change for when we update the information.
Many thanks
Laura
Hi just need some advice on going onto JSA, i had an interview with the jobcentre on friday as my son turns 5 next june, she told me that come june i will have to accept any job that the jobcentre offers me when i told her that i only want 16 hours as i have 3 children and a single parent she basically said that there are plenty of single parents out there working full time and they manage, can they make me work full time? My children are already upset about the idea that they may have go to a childminder after school Ive told them that there is nothing i can do about it.
Hi trying hard, I don't believe that they can force you into full time work at this point. Have a read of the article that Laura posted above it has all the information on your rights as you move across to JSA. (You could print it out and take it with you to your next interview at the jobcentre)
I think it is important that the children see going to a childminder as a positive thing though. Is there an after school club that they can go to? They are often a lot of fun for the children.
However you approach the new situation the children will follow suit, so try and make it a good thing for all of you, it will mean changes, but you want happy kids, rather than ones that moan about it. If they know that you are not happy with the idea they will take your same approach and in the long run it will make it harder for you all.
Hi Anna
Yes after i wrote that post i followed the link above, and it does say if you have children under 13 then you can work part time, ihave two under 13. Im currently doing a Sage level 2 course which the job centre did praise me for but when i said that i have no admin qualifications to run along side sage so it would restrict me looking for admin work, i think she took it as me not wanting to work and she said Im not sugar coating anything for you come june you will find a job and you will have to find childcare for your children. When i said im happy to work partime she had another go at me saying im not the only single mother out there, there are others managing full time employment why cant i. I explained i have no family to help out only a 74 year old mother which im not prepared to put on, she just started typing like mad and then said have you got any friends to help and didnt like it when i again said no. So we will have to see how it all goes.
Its so hard isn't it, when you come up against people like this. You are obviously not just sitting around doing nothing and 'scrounging off the government', when does your Sage course finish?
Have you done admin before? Are you competent with a computer? Whilst an admin 'qualification' always looks good, I think that if you can prove that you are an organised person (and juggling 3 children, a home and studying, you definitely can!!), then the qualification is not so important.
I think Laura will be very interested in hearing how your interview went, it seems outrageous can talk to you in that manner.
Thanks Anna, to be honest it has upset this weekend i keep going over the interview and still cant believe the way she spoke , i could understand if i was already on JSA and not bothering to look for work but im still on IS until next June . Im just thinking if its like this now whats it going to be like in June!!!!!
My level 2 Sage finishes in 2 weeks, Im hoping to go onto an admin training course at the local hospital where they train you over a period of 30 weeks and you get an NVQ level 2 at the end of it , just hope the hours fit in around the school times, fingers crossed.
I think you're doing really well, trying hard, high five to you!
Trying Hard
Yes, do let me know how you get on with your interactions with the Jobcentre. If you would prefer I can send you a paper copy of our leaflet on single parent flexibilties. You can then take along to your future meetings at the Jobcentre. If you would like then please email me directly L.dewar@spanuk.org.uk but please do not post your details on the forum. I will not share your address details.
All the best.
Laura
Urgent - Threat to Lone Parent Flexibilities
Despite ressurances from Governement during the passage of the welfare legislation they have just announced that the current flexibilties which are set out in law will not apply to the Universal Credit when it is introduced next October 2013. This will mean that single parents will no longer have the right to restrict their hours to school hours when they have children under 13 or leave or turn down a job where there is no available childcare. At SPAN, the charity that runs One Space we are shocked by these changes (we have long campaigned for the flexibilities including producing a leaflet so parents know about their current rights). We think that single parents need time to care for their children as well as move into work. We are taking our campaign to Parliament and will be writing to the press. We need your help! Please let us know why the current flexibilities are important to you. Have they helped you move into work? What would be the impact on you if the flexibilities were taken away?
Please get in touch and help us protect your rights.
Laura
SPAN Parliament
They are shocking changes. I have not yet read about them elswhere and don't really understand how they will work. If there is no available childcare how can a single parent work? To do so they would have to leave the child or children unsupervised. That would be considered neglect and they could get prosecuted. If they refuse to take up an offer of work because they need to look after their child or children they would be sanctioned under these new rules potentially losing benefit for upto three years. This would make it impossible for them to meet the needs of their child or children and again could be considered neglect. It appears to be a "catch 22" situation with mothers potentially criminalized and children suffering whatever option is taken.
I hope I have misunderstood the new rules because they look like a recipe for forcing parents to give up their children and put them in care.
Pam,
Thank you for your comments.
The charity have had meetings at the DWP because we are concerned about the changes. They say that rather than be written into what are called regulations the provisions for single parents are to be made clear in guidance for advisers in jobcentres. We are currently trying to get further reassurance on this because we want to make sure that what ever is introduced protects children's well-being. Will keep people on One Space informed how this progresses. In the meantime it is great if single parents could post about why the flexibilties are important to them.
Laura
WOW I am really excited here and very admiring of your enterprise in thinking of it.
It may be that you would need extra financial support, that a charitable trust would be prepared to become involved. There is a grants website called Turn to Us, but this is mainly for personal grants so I would recommend you get in touch initially with your local Council for Voluntary Service (or other NACVA member), as they will have a directory of local funders and they often offer expert help in filling in funding applications. The local newspaper may also be interested, especially as you have a degree of local fame already
I know you are viewing this as a community project rather than a small business but here is a link with some general startup adivce about grants etc, from Business Link