Legacy JSA and caring for someone.

I am on legacy jsa, my mother just last week broke her hip, she's come home now but I have to help her up and down the stairs and prepare her food as obviously she can't stand for long.............

What's gonna happen if I can't attend some dump the wc will send me to......

I don't wanna tell the wc anything..

but I have to help her up and down the stairs and prepare her food as obviously she can't stand for long

Do not tell the wc this. The less they know, the better. First thing I thought of was "does this mean you can't take a job?".

After my dad went home after a major stroke he wasn't allowed to go up and down stairs. We had to put his bed in the living room, along with a commode. I was working full time. If I didn't go to work, I didn't eat.

What's gonna happen if I can't attend some dump the wc will send me to......

If you don't attend without good reason you don't get to eat (you will be sanctioned). Find ways to change the way you have things set up, so you can be where the DWP has told you to be. Your obligation to look for work and be available for work isn't something that you can drop in order to take care of your mum. You have to find ways around it, just as I had to find ways around my dad having a major stroke while I was working full time. I had to go to work. You have to go to some dump the wc will send you to. They are the same thing.

What can be done differently so you don't have to be there to help your mum up and down to bed or to the toilet? A temporary camp bed in the living room can be useful. The NHS has a department that provides aids, such as a commode chair if your mum struggles to get to the loo alone. You can prepare food in advance, freeze it and she can microwave it later. Ready meals from the supermarket can be put in the freezer too.

Most schemes or courses under JSA aren't all day ones. However, I remember the first appointment I had at the Work Programme lasted for 3 hours   I understand how you must feel that you can't go to some dump because you need to take care of your mum, but you are looking at it from the wrong end of the telescope with mum on the higher end and the DWP on the lower end. Who pays you? The DWP and they will remove that pay lickety split if they think mum should be paying you instead.  

Under JSA you can take 2 weeks sick leave at a time (I think it's actually 13 days), twice a year, via self-certification, just like you do when at work. During that time all requirements are switched off, meaning you do not have to look for work or be available for work. You can't be off sick long term under JSA now (ie more than 2 weeks, which needs a fit note). It's classed as a change of circumstances, which shuts down JSA and forces a claim to UC and a work capability assessment. If absolutely necessary you can use short tem self-cert, but doing that just before a course or scheme starts will raise the wc's suspicions that you are trying to get out of it. Once those 2 periods are used up, that's it until next April. If you then do actually get sick yourself you've got no sick time left for yourself and you have to look for work, attend schemes etc. When you are sick yourself, you can't take care of anybody else.

The DWP treats all "good reason" from the viewpoint of an employer. In order to do the things the DWP wants you to do  then you are going to have to plan for their requirements first. The DWP doesn't give a stuff what your mum needs you to do, just the same as an employer doesn't give a stuff either. If you don't put the DWP's requirements first, exactly the same will happen to you that happens to people who don't go to work in order to take care of a relative - you won't get paid.

Thanks absolut, indeed, the less they know the better....I did think about this over night and to the dwp it will sound like I'm not available for work...
I am not going to mention anything to the work coach. Their only purpose is to stop your money.

The Catwoman wrote:I am not going to mention anything to the work coach. Their only purpose is to stop your money.

Or shove you into care work. "Ooh, did you look after your [insert relative here]? Have you thought about it doing it full time?" *Hands you horrible care work vacancy*.

I hope your mum is better soon. Remember to take care of yourself as well. It's stressful having the DWP on your back at the same time as caring for a relative. I think anyone caring for someone else should be given care leave, but that's not going to happen any time soon.

[quote="Absolut"]

The Catwoman wrote:I

. I think anyone caring for someone else should be given care leave, but that's not going to happen any time soon.

You would think something like 'Carers leave' would be a great idea. Take some of the strain off the NHS/ medical services. Both financially and personally. Strange you can get 'Maternity Leave', but not a Carers version .

Almost like they don't want us to live too long.

Yes Pintel, bang on the money. Hence why these clowns would like to set the state pension age to a nice round 70. All the time preaching to the working class,  work is so good for you. Look everyone's living longer. Total bollocks imo. Too many dropping dead due to being overworked, long hours, poverty =major illness.

Totally understand Catwomans approach. Sometimes best to be tight lipped although I find that hard🤭. It's the financial control they have over many of us, and those actually working. Have to keep people in their place. I swear those clowns get off on all that. Only power they will ever have in their lives.

As Absolut hints at, they will/could stop Catwomans money asap,  their use of using "good reason" is about as good as reasonable, specific and  tailored.

In Catwomans situation, I've worked for many employers which would have surpassed  others on the grounds of compassion and flexibility etc. However,  I think we have all had a taste of the quality of 'service" we now get. People are down on their luck. And some, just can't stop putting the boot in.

But it's ok, as they keep telling everyone, look at all the job's they have created shame they weren't millions of well paid one's. Then the state wouldn't be paying people to go to work. Watch this space for the many who now can't afford their travel costs to get there. I suppose they'd say. It's ok, you drive to work, and just walk home .