Unemployed Single Parents To Be Forced Into Unpaid Work Placements
This article titled Unemployed Lone Parents To Be Forced Into Unpaid Work Placements and written by Steven Preece was first published by the Welfare News Service on 1 April 2014 and has been reproduced here with permission.
Unemployed lone parents could to be forced into mandatory unpaid work placements as part of fresh changes to benefits coming into force from the 28th April 2014.
Lone parents in receipt of Income Support who have a child between the age of 3-4 will be required to undertake ‘mandatory work related activity’ “to better prepare them for the full work-related requirements they will face when their child turns 5”.
The changes will also apply to lone parents in the ‘Work Related Activity Group’ (WRAG) of the sickness benefit Employment and Support Allowance (ESA).
It does not apply to those in the ESA Support Group: which is for sick and disabled benefit claimants who the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) feel will not be able to begin looking for work in the foreseeable future.
Local authority childcare schemes will be made available to allow the changes to come into effect and help free up lone parents to partake in the new requirements. Up to fifteen hours of free childcare will be available for those affected.
Income Support claimants with a child between the age of 1-4 will also be required to take part in work focused interviews at their nearest Jobcentre. The time and duration ‘will be tailored to the needs of the lone parent’.
Failure to comply with the changes – without good cause – could result in lone parents having their benefits cut or stopped completely (sanctioned). The level of the cut will begin at 20% but could increase to 100% for ‘further failures’. However, only one Income Support cut will be permitted in a two-week period.
It has also been announced this week that jobseeker’s who have been out of work for over three years, and who have already taken part in the government’s controversial Work Programme, will be required to undertake ‘community work placements for up to 30 hours per week. They will also be expected to spend 10 hours per week looking for work.
The DWP has given the example of “clearing up litter and graffiti in local areas” which has previously been reserved for community volunteers and criminal offenders.
In this instance, failure to comply will result in jobseeker’s having their benefits cut for four weeks which could extend to several months for repeat offenders.
New Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA) claimants will also have to wait 7 days before they become entitled for the unemployment benefit.
Same Difference 
goodbye freedome hello slave
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Does this include those on long term sickness benefit. That’s gone very quiet with those who are claiming that benefit
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So they will pay someone to look after the children for fifteen hours while the parents go and work for free? Apart from the insane logic of that, it does imply that looking after small children is, actually, work. But it seems it’s only work when someone other than the parent does it. I am angry beyond words and I pray lone parents will stand up for themselves and their children.
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Reblogged this on Benefit tales.
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bloody ridiculous. why dont they make lone parents go live in a commune (kidding of course) but do these morons ,most of whom have kids of their own,
(oops forgot,they probably have nanny’s for theirs) think we have kids to let someone else bring them up?no we dont. single parents, most are mothers, are not always young promiscuous girls. often they were in a long term marriage or civil relationship.which broke down.(in this day n age with so much stress being caused by the toads in parliament,is there any wonder?sorry thats an insult to toads.) some pregnancies are the result of rape too.
as for making them pick litter etc. how much more demoralised do they intend to make people feel? if they feel the need to make them do these unpaid jobs (i.e. would be volunteer work if they were allowed to do volunteering which they are not now), at least give them something to do that they are skilled at be it as a job in the past or a hobby.like gardening, doing odd jobs for pensioners,disabled etc. at least those are worthwhile and the person doing them can hold their head up because they would be doing something worthwhile even if not getting paid for it.
also. how do they pay fares to get to these work placements? with benefits already stretched to the limit.
seems to me the govt want to deprive these parents of there children. baby farms comes to mind. perhaps not quite the same but bordering on the concept.(wonder if this is because cameron no longer has his firstborn son)
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There is something that the government are forgetting…it is the mother’s decision as to whether she wishes her child to be put in the hands of childcarers..it is the mother’s right to decide whether she thinks her young child is ready or should be placed into childcare..it is the mothers right to choose who she feels is suitable to look after her young child based on her own principles and parenting philosophy. …no government or authority has the right to say’ your three year old must be separated from you so you can do unpaid work!
Surely this is a ‘human rights’ issue.
However what the mother could do or say as an alternative is the following…:I’ll gladly clear some litter from the parks but I will be taking my young child with me:.
If the government wish to cut benefits if the mother refuses to do unpaid work this is a work around which should suit both parties…
No government or authority has the right to say’ your three year old must be separated from you so you can do unpaid work!
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Well said Angela. to be honest this doesnt concern me as a mother as my kids are now in their 40s, but does concern me as a gran, aunt ,great aunt and decent person. trouble is this govt seem to have set their stalls out to undermine everyone that isnt in their league… so far pensioners are being left alone mostly, though signs are there that austerity is on the way for them too in the very near future apart from the very real austerity of food/fuel costs rising, for them as well as everyone else.
all we can hope is that no one votes for either the cons or libs in 2015. we need a straight labour win. hes the only man sufficiently down to earth to sort all this mess out. just hope he dont employ ed balls………cos hes as big a snob as the cons. ive met him/ supercilious *****bleep
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The government are ensuring a generation of latchkey kids.
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