General Chat

TW: "I'm not saying there should be no conditions to claiming jobseekers allowance, but do you know that if you do voluntary work, you can have your JSA stopped, because it renders you unavailable for jobseeking."

I was thinking about that too.

An easy fix would be to *allow* people on benefits to do volunteer work -- with an approved non-profit, maybe for a set time with some kind of specific goal, and a reporting procedure.

People really do gain valuable skills from volunteer work -- I always put all mine on my c.v. because I think it shows several things: initiative, skills, reliability. For instance, I recruited and supervised volunteers working with an organization to assist women accused in the courts, while I was in law school. I figured that looked better than joining the law school women's hockey team (what a bunch of the women law students were too busy doing to volunteer for my program) -- that's why I put it on my c.v., but I was doing it because I believed in it and enjoyed it.

And I always encouraged unemployed clients to go out and do that. One told me he already was -- he had a degree in some computer stuff and couldn't find work, so he was "working" almost full-time computerizing a local community group's office. Imagine how good that would look on his c.v.

But it isn't volunteer work if it isn't voluntary ...

I can see that, Daff, sorry if I didn't make it clear, I meant serving in Afghanistan.

I'm not sure I believe they are any more deserving of extra cash that WW2 verterans struggling on a pathetically small pension, though.

I was making the point that there must be some money left in the pot if he can do that.

Gwynne

I think it comes from reducing things elsewhere, Gwynne... as I said, they lose some of their pay when they deploy... the allowances are meant to cover that. They need to purchase some bits of kit themselves these days too, which the allowances cover.

Sorry, I have been spelling your name incorrectly.... please blame Gwyn in Kent and the two Gwyn's in my family!

I don't begrudge them a penny... but then cutbacks will be made elsewhere to pay for it. You wait, lol.... there'll be a big slammer fairly soon, and some military budget or other will be slashed.

Love

Daff xxxxx

edit, and yes, those veterans.... in fact all of that generation, because they all *fought* one way or another, they were hard times, deserve to be treated better, too. They are equally as deserving. I wouldn't have denied them that extra when they serving, either, if I had been in a position to do something about it atthe time. xxx

Just to correct what maggie stated: when I was made redundant I received contribution based JSA and NOTHING ELSE. You only receive other benefits if your total household income is paltry. My OH works so it was a case of yes you can have that for 6 months thereafter we pay for your stamp and that's it!

There is no 'one size fits all' solution within the DWP system. If one was devised it would cost too much to implement.

Employers have to take some responsibility too. They are taking advantage of so many applicants for each vacancy and have reduced pay and benefits because they can get away with it. No wonder some of those jobs remain unfilled.

Sue

Don't worry about the spelling, Daff, my grandmother insisted on 2 ns in Gwynneth because she thought it looked better shortened to Gwynne.

OH's firm used to do a lot of work for the MOD and the wastage is appalling. They demand ridiculous specifications then change them at the drop of a hat. Some contracts he worked on eventually came to almost double the original estimate because of the high ups faffing about and empire building. The Army has plenty of money - they just spend it on the wrong things. Last in line is the lowly soldier.

Gwynne

Janey, at the FND we are told often that doing voluntary work will keep us work-sharp and increase/improve our skills, yet we are told when we first sign on that voluntary work can mean our benefits stop. You can't win.


Sue, I got contribution based JSA when I first signed on, after 6 months I got income based JSA instead. I also get housing benefit, as my rent and council tax alone comes to much more than JSA pay me. And people still think that the jobless live a life of luxury and should face further cuts. LOL!!!!

"Recall hearing somewhere, in France if you are single and have a baby you get no allowances That would probably stop us having the worst record for pregnancy in Europe."

So a woman is pregnant then her partner/husband decides he no longer wants to be part of the relationship and walks out, effectively leaving her single and pregnant, with no help, when she needs it most and of course the child would suffer too.

Oh dont Gwynne,

hes pledge 80 miilion this week,,,,,not saying its not deserving where its going but 80,,,,,good lord we could do wonders with that here.....!

Cat, it is beyound that. We all know, I am sorry to say, there are people in this country that get pregnant just for the benefits they get.,and a certain lifestyle. And we do have the worst record.
Carol

Well Cãt, she has a *choice* you know!

Raise the baby with no money, give it up for adoption (and look for it on GR 20 years later when it comes desperately looking for its birth parents), or terminate the pregnancy.

Decent women don't find themselves pregnant w/o a man to support them, you know. Tsk.

what if she was pregnant or just had the baby and her partner died, should she then give the baby away for adoption,after goign thro the absolute trama of loosing her partner!!

TW I received nothing else, fortunately I had paid approx £250 per month on insurance premiums so had that money coming in long after JSA finished. That was OK for me but what about people who didn't have that opportunity?

Now I am on ESA and heard two weeks ago from my DA that they wouldn't contact me again for 3 years. I was free to pop in and ask for any help they might be able to offer in finding me a position which would suit my disabilities...lol

Janey, there IS a culture of children having babies in order to receive housing and benefits. Certainly in our nearest town. One 17 year old becoming pregnant, closely folowed by her 16 year old sister. Both appeared in the local newspaper demanding, yes demanding housing. They were told you are living with your mother - stay there!

That is not an isolated case, the local town only has 4,000 residents so we either know personally or have crossed paths with many people. As for in the villages we all know what colour wallpaper everyone has!

Sue

Janey was being faceteous Stray, not serious hun xx

But yes I agree that you cannot make blanket cuts on any benefit. Benefits are given on blanket terms but each case should also be taken on merit, including single parents.

The cuts really need to be made in 'waste' not benefits. I don't see benefits as 'waste', and before anyone says, I never have seen them that way, nothing to do with the fact that I am having to exist onthem now. By waste, I mean top-heavy industry and public services, cut the number of managers and quangos, and there you have in the region of £6bn saved straight away.

We may all have to take cuts in pay while paying more VAT, and other taxes, we may have to put up with even more expensive dental care, eye tests, and so on. We may have to cut subsidies to some, such as agriculture, which will then be reflected in food prices, we may have to make our own cuts at home to be able to survive, but we don't have a choice.

As the rules will not allow for claimants to do voluntary work then maybe this needs to change.

yeah i know TW lol i was refering to carols post xxxx

speaking as a 'decent woman' ;) and one who if it were down to the father ( and his parents) would have been 'persuaded' into abortion or adoption if they had their way..i can assure anyone who thinks the social services fall over themselves to help that it just isn't like that.

i was lucky! i had already given up my well paid job in order to look after my disabled mum full time... the 'extra' i got was around £13 'responsibility for a child ( or words to that effect) ' plus the child benefit. I was very grateful for that since the father has paid nothing in 14 years...

there is ( except in cases of one parent dying, or sperm donor) no such thing as a 'single parent' , there are always two...

TW, I know there are "culture" problems ... premature parenthood, benefits dependency, drug and alcohol abuse ... we all have them.

I think we agree, though, that across-the-board "sticks" aren't a real solution. Carrots are more likely to work, with human beings.

The best carrot for preventing kids from getting mired in "cultures" like those is the knowledge, from a young age, that there really is a future for them if they make the effort to achieve it. That's something that too many kids know just isn't true. As you said, for one thing: if there are no jobs, you can't just go "find" one somewhere.

Rose, in the majority of cases, single parenthood is through no fault of the parent with the child/children. It's through marital/relationship breakdown, death or simply the other parent not wanting to take responsibility. And it happens to dads too, my OH raised his three kids alone, because, he gained custody of the first two after his marriage broke up, and his ex's new boyfriend was abusing them, and the third was from a second relationship, who found it too difficult to look after the baby and dumped him on my OH, not coming back for another 5 years.

There are absent mums too, it's not always the dad.

Thank goodness you had the strength and support to be able to ignore the father's family's advice to terminate.

Totally agree, Teresa... if companies had to reduce their expenditure on the silly things right across the board, then loads could be saved... and starting with fuel efficiency in government departments! Reduce the number of senior posts to the bare minimum... no need for as many meetings then, as they would be responsible for more anyway, so should know it all, lol....

A number of years ago, I was a student with a work placement in a specific area.

With regards one individual client, there were 9 meetings in one single week... and the same core of about 6 people attended almost all of them. I was at them all as an observer. I was flabbergasted at the sheer waste of time. One meeting would have sufficed, to get all the information across, it was ridiculous. Everyone full of their own importance and spouting a whole load of pseudobabble just to justify their importance in the hierarchy. It sickened me, and shortly afterwards I decided to leave the course as it wasn't for me and go rejoin my hubby... and get a proper job back at the sharp end, lol

Love

Daff xxxxx

if the councils stoped paying millions for ugly art statues to decorate our towns n citys too


middlesbrugh has just paid 3 million for what looks like a giant well, type of male contraception aid, its ridiculious!!!