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Parents/Carers on JSA

PSC71

Hi I'm a parent (dad) of a nine year old autistic girl and my wife is the main carer for her. I am on job seekers allowance and on the 28 July 2014 me, my wife, my nine year old daughter and my other daughter had a holiday paid for by the family fund to give us a respite holiday to haven. I had told my local jobcentre plus office that I would not be able to look for work or be available to come back as I don't drive from the 28/07/14 to the 01/08/14 as we will be having this respite holiday paid for by a charity, I also filled out there forms, but when I got back from the holiday I have found that they have suspended my JSA payments. I understand that what they say is if you are on JSA then you should not be able to afford a holiday, it would be the same for my family if is wasn't for the family fund payment. I do think that there policy on family holiday for family's with disabled people/carers who get these payments and then they stop the JSA payments is unfair. If you or anyone you know have been in the same situation as me then please leave a message on this site and please feel free to pass this message on.

As the reason is i am speaking to my MP about this and i need to as many names as possible so i can get the legislation changed as this could effect you.

The whole reason is that if you are a Parent or a Carer for someone and then you have been made unemployed and then go onto Jobseekers allowance and you have been givern monie eather through a charity or your local council as direct payments for a holiday eather in this country or abroad,if you are not available to come back you will lose you JSA money as i have.

Thank you


  • Hi, just a quick thought. Does your daughter receive disability living allowance, does your wife get careers allowance? If the answer is yes than your wife should consider claiming income support, you can be added to the claim as a dependent if you are unemployed.

  • Hi its sounds that maybe they have applied a policy to all regardless of individual cirumstance and without forethought of the consequences. This is something I've just had to deal with (different thread posted recently). My problem was with the council and I went right up to head of service without success but I found a website www.writetothem.com where you input your postcode and it lists all your local councillors, AMs, MP even house of lords. You can then easily send an email to all stating your case. It was when I did this I found these people actually got back to me and offered help on my behalf resulting in the council changing their minds :-). I'm not saying this will happen in all situations or even that you should contact them all (I was in a desperate situation and panicked) but would say definately start with your MP. I think when you go between departments you can often find a lack of willingness to consider whats already on their notes so sometimes you need to go outside of them.

    It seems to me you have been penalised for having a break paid for by a charity and doing the right thing and informing them. I would be asking if this strict adherance to the policy applies in cases such as if the individual were in hospital say and the impact its had on you and your family. I would find out the criteria you fulfilled to satify the gift and use that as a starting point as to why you shouldn't of been sanctioned along side your MP. Any effective policy should have some flexibility for those impacted particulary unfairly due to what ever reason. The problem with rigid adherance to one size fits all is it often it doesn't. Best of luck.

  • Hi,

    I have spoken to the jobcentre plus many time and they have said the same that is the DWP policy is that you have to be available to come back from your holiday if not then you will lose your money and what they say is that if you don't drive then you have to get a bus/train back at your own cost.

    which i can not afford to do, which is what i told them.

  • Hi - what a rotten way to treat you all.  I'd double check what the job ctre have said, just to be on the safe side, because I'm not sure it's always been the case in the past that you wd lose money in such circumstances.  I'd ring the Family Fund 1st of all + see what they say.  You cd also ask your council's welfare rights dept or CAB or similar or look on line to check it out.  I applaud you for taking the matter to your mp.  I think it's terrible that they stopped your payment - shame on the govt if the job ctre decision is correct.  All the same, I do sincerely hope you managed to enjoy your holiday, despite what happened.