Rishi Sunak’s speech was dangerously inaccurate- he has attempted to label all benefit claimants as ‘lazy’ for not accessing ‘plenty of available jobs’. Just because a job might be available doesn’t necessarily mean it is suitable for the applicant or employer. Here at Changing Realities all the work we do is based on changing peoples negative perception of low income families and giving a realistic insight into our daily struggles, but the Prime Minister has just taken a huge step backwards and belittled any progress I felt we were making.

My friend does the @you.gov' survey every day. Yesterday she tells me it was all about Rishi's rubbish ramblings regarding Sick Notes etc. She went on to say, "it's very interesting to see over 80% of people were totally against it" ...

She added that "most people said they knew a tiny minority are wagging it but they also said that's no reason to make all sick people suffer."

At least it's nice to see some logical thinking from the public ...

The Conservative party inflicting cruelty on the vulnerable in the UK

Today the Rwanda bill passed by law.

The cruelty these MP's are inflicting on refugees and asylum seekers is... I can't think of a harsh enough word.

The amount of money spent by the Tories and no one person has gone to Rwanda yet is ridiculous. I'm angry. I am shocked. I am in hope for justice to the most vulnerable people on this planet punished by lying greedy politicians.

Having problems with my sons form tutor to the point where my son wants to change form tutors and even his friends all say same that's he's getting targeted, and today I've finally let it all off my chest directly and all I heard was excuses and huffs and puffs like he wasn't interested. Can't like every pupil so I've asked for him to have a different tutor let's hope this makes my sons life easier 💙

From Monday 6th May 2024 the Administrative Earnings Threshold will increase again to the following:

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Single claimants: 18 hours @ NMW = £892 per month

Joint claimants: 29 hours @ NMW = £1437 per month

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If you earn below the AET you must show you’re actively looking for more, better-paid, or be available for more work.

My son, in his 20's, works on a NMW in a 20 hour a week contract. He grabs as much over time as possible. Sometimes allowing him to work as much 40 hours per week at times. So for the vast majority of the time he never actually qualifies for UC anyway.

But it begs the question how are his employer's supposed to find the additional hours he needs for UC purposes if they don't have them?

So he's obliged to dump the job he loves and has accrued benefits in and a good reputation and the possibility of promotion to start from scratch with a different employer not to mention he's established a routine for himself his young child and the child's mother, all because the government has messed up the economy?

Where's the stability and security in doing any of that? Even back when he was trying to earn extra wages in the evenings for a pizza delivery company, how can anyone sustain early starts and late nights, burning the candle at both ends? Obviously he then has to declare loyalty to one job or the other when he's expected to be flexible in both roles?

His health sufferers whenever he is stressed as it is.

The sooner this heartless government goes, the better as far we weren't concerned.

I have suffered from poor mental health to varying degrees over my entire life. Doctors are so stretched that alls they used to do was increase anti depressant meds over and over. I ended up attempting suicide in 2017 when I was on the highest dose. I then had to fight through the family courts for custody of my children because I'd literally been set up to fail. From the point of crisis it took 9 months for the waiting list to access Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and to be diagnosed with PTSD. I removed all medication from my body and started to eat healthy and exercise. This is not a recommended course of treatment by the government because the pharma companies then don't make any money. My children were drastically impacted and my self confidence and self esteem when finding and keeping work. My 12 year old son has ASD and ADHD and is on a waiting list to be assessed. That wait list is currently 2 years long. I have to attend his school often and meetings about his difficulties which would directly impact my ability to hold down a job. But because the children only spend half the time with me and their dad's have a "live with order" DWP are now considering removing the child element and any support I get for him. He attends school 23 miles away and I have to get there but that support is now being questioned. The GPS have now accepted that my Mental Health struggles are also from undiagnosed Autism and ADHD and the wait list for an adult for assessments was 6 years. After 3 years I was informed that the NHS would pay for a private assessment under the right to choose legislation. From applying to receiving an assessment it took only 2 months but I'm assuming the cost to the NHS was 10 x what it would have been had they have sorted their selves out.

So now I'm an adult on her own with 3 kids to support. I have autism and adhd. I have to support my child with neurodiversity and I have to be in 3 places at the same time a few times a week to pick them all up from school. I have to do all this while trying to juggle my own struggles. I do not have any expendable income so when the kids need clothes or shoes I simply don't eat. We use food banks for support and the DWP and government still think I'm happily choosing to be on benefits? When all my kids friends are going off on holidays and school trips and wearing the latest names and going on adventures but I can't do anything like that for them? But I'm choosing to be in this position? Wages of mps hitting £91,000 and sat in their ivory towers making decisions about my future? Telling me that If I'm out of work a certain amount of time I'll lose my benefits? Lose my house and my ability to support my children? Made it almost impossible to claim disability benefit because I have hidden disabilities and how do you get people to understand what they cannot see? I'm lucky that I am in a better place mentally because this is all too much and enough to break the strongest of people.

I'm partly concerned. I'm signed off long term on PIP. I have medical health conditions, but I do work part time. Very minimal part time for a disability advocacy company. My daughter's also transferring over from DLA to PIP as well. That's been quite a horrible thing. Not the nicest form and never the nicest assessments with regards to reforms.

I do feel everybody is capable of some form of work. Mine is partly home based and going out in the community, visiting centres and advising on SEN support. My daughter as well, who is at school still, but she does volunteer on the weekends in a charity shop. She does about 4 hours on a Saturday and a Sunday, and I fancy no reason why anybody can do some form of work. I've always had three of my daughters. I've always said to them when they're 16, they go into charity work until they get a proper job. They are autistic and ADHD. Just as myself, I do feel there is everybody's able to do some form of work or contribution. Unless you are really physically, severely mentally incapacitated then no. But I do feel everyone is able to contribute somehow to society and to work.

I agree with Sophie when she says that some of the recent proposals made by the Government regarding welfare reform do not reflect the reality on the ground for many of us with young children who are living on benefits.

I read through the proposals too, and the proposal that concerned me most was the 'Welfare package which will include further measures to crack down on fraud and remove benefits entirely from long term unemployed who don’t accept a job'.

This concerns me because of an experience that I recently had, when I was effectively forced into a job that I wasn't ready for, both mentally and physically. I was threatened with sanctions by the Job Centre, if I didn't look for work or accept it, despite the fact that I have life-long disabilities.

Forcing me into this job was counter-productive, because I didn't last long in it, and was dismissed after only just 2 weeks of being employed. Not because of any wrong doing on my behalf, but, because (according to the employer) they needed someone who could 'hit the ground running', and they just simply didn't have enough resources to train me.

I hope that the Government take situations such as mine into account (should their proposals be approved and given the go ahead) and provide employers with the tools needed to successfully employ those that have been long term unemployed, and not threaten them with sanctions or a long wait until their benefits are restored, if things between themselves and the employer don't work out, especially because in the part of the country where I live, which is the North of England, there certainly aren't 'jobs everywhere'.

PIP is for people with physical and mental disabilities. Some low income families rely on this benefits for their livelihood. Government can reform this benefits by making sure that really needy people never left out of the system.

Feeling sad to hear about this welfare reform and lot of people may go out of this benefits. Specially the disable people with young children will suffer more. Government should focus on unemployed people and get back them to the job by creating more jobs. The tax from that newly created job can fund the PIP. Obviously government should stop the fraud people who are playing with this benefits but not penalise the real disabled or mentally impaired people.

Totally inhumane of them.

So brave of the government, to attack people who can't fight back themselves...