Jobseekers Benefit and deciding Officers

cycletheroad

Hi folks, may i throw out their a situation which has happened my sister in the last few weeks.

She has worked since she has been 17.she is 34 now. various good jobs etc. Got married and has three young kids, she was up to recently, working in a supervisor's position doing 12 hour shifts. This became too much due to the long hours and having three kids to come home to and also the cost of childcare.

So she had to resign here position, she then applied for jobseekers benefit, after several days she was told she is not going to get it due to having domestic commitments(the three kids) now, the deciding officer ticked the box on the form that says refused......but for the want of a better way of describing it......when the knife was in the back.....she turned it more by writing in ink on the end of the form ...."your not getting the jobseekers due to your domestic commitments". i could nt believe it myself......my interpitation of it is going on the deciding officer's actions that any woman who decides to have a family and comes in front of her for decision won't be getting any monies. I would welcome any views or questions......

She did say the was available for work on the application for jobseekers but not twelve hour shifts due to the three kids.......hence the domestic commitments reply.

Kristopherus

You do not qualify for JSB if you resign from your job. If it is possible, your sis could wait for 6 months and then reapply.
Edit: She will then have to prove she is available for and actively seeking work. If she is looking after 3 children, is it possible she can be available for work?

wmpdd3

I think its only 9 weeks she is disqualified from JSB, she would have to say on her application that she would take any job she was offered.

cycletheroad

Kristopherus wrote: »

You do not qualify for JSB if you resign from your job. If it is possible, your sis could wait for 6 months and then reapply.

I know that but she was refused because she has three kids......the deciding officer put it in writing.

cycletheroad

wmpdd3 wrote: »

I think its only 9 weeks she is disqualified from JSB, she would have to say on her application that she would take any job she was offered.

true, the appeal takes 20 weeks.....but where does that leave the mother of children etc......for example.....she will now found it harder to feed and clothe etc but lets say she have to give them up for foster the state will pay several hundred a week to a foster home.....their was no consideration given to her contributions to the state if you know what i mean

snubbleste

What reason did she give the SWO for resigning her job?

LegacyUser

Jobseekers Benefit Operation Guidelines - http://www.welfare.ie/en/operationalguidelines/pages/jb_jobseekben.aspx#availfulltime

(b) Unreasonable Restrictions

A person may be regarded as not being available for work if s/he imposes unreasonable restrictions on:

the nature of the employment,
the hours of work,
the rate of pay,
the duration of the employment,
the location of the employment,
any other conditions of employment which s/he is prepared to accept.

The deciding officer has rightly disqualified her for this. She fails to meet to the 'Available for Full-Time work' condition.

She should also have been disqualified for up to 9 weeks for resigning her position.

She has a right to appeal but I can't see the appeal being allowed.

cycletheroad

snubbleste wrote: »

What reason did she give the SWO for resigning her job?

It was due to the cost of the childcare.....she left.But but down on the form she is available for and was looking for work and produced a letter from an interview that same week. Her local dole office manager has privately agreed with her that she did make it clear she was looking for work except 12 hour shifts that it was very harsh and the comments wrote on form equals very hot water now down the road.......because she referred to the kids as the reason .

snubbleste

Did she actually say to SWO that I made myself unemployed because of the cost of childcare?
I dunno, she should appeal it and in the meantime keep proof of jobseeking.

eastbono

She needs to appeal this decision. She stated she is available and looking for full time work...just because she will not do 12 hour shifts should not exempt her from claiming jsb. The only thing I would say is that she may have to serve the 9 week disqualification period because she did leave her job.

I do think the deciding officer is very harsh disqualifying her entirely from receiving jsb. Get your sister to register with FAS and recruitment agencies and apply online for jobs and submit this for her appeal.

cycletheroad

snubbleste wrote: »

Did she actually say to SWO that I made myself unemployed because of the cost of childcare?
I dunno, she should appeal it and in the meantime keep proof of jobseeking.

No.........she explained tht she is looking for eight hour days etc so as to facilitate childcare etc.........she is appealing and it takes 20 weeks for a decision.

cycletheroad

eastbono wrote: »

She needs to appeal this decision. She stated she is available and looking for full time work...just because she will not do 12 hour shifts should not exempt her from claiming jsb. The only thing I would say is that she may have to serve the 9 week disqualification period because she did leave her job.

I do think the deciding officer is very harsh disqualifying her entirely from receiving jsb. Get your sister to register with FAS and recruitment agencies and apply online for jobs and submit this for her appeal.

I agree, very harsh and very wrong and in trouble now as well.

I suppose its become more relevant now in recent times due to the recession etc........but the moral of the whole story for me is your better out of the system because if you are in and out of it........say work a year or so.......draw the dole and then work another bit you are worse off then the person who never worked a day in their life, draw their benefits and if they wait long enough be awarded council houses for long term service to the social welfare:D This is the real problem with the system.....will they knock on these doors first and say your not looking for work, no more dole for you.........