I’m a single mum-of-two on UC – the job centre hounds me to work but I can’t get childcare – I’m not a benefit scrounger
A SINGLE mum-of-two has revealed that she is hounded every day by the job centre, but can’t get a job as she can’t get childcare for her children.
Darcie Wharton, 23, who is mother to two young kids, Lily and Jude, explained that she isn’t a ‘benefits scrounger’ and would love to go back to work, but just can’t get nursery or childminder spaces.
The frustrated woman took to social media to open up about her situation, as she slammed “benefit cheats.”
She said: “One thing I would like to know is how people get away with taking the p**s out of the benefit system.
“And it’s something that really riles me because I could count on multiple hands the amount of people that I know who genuinely take the p**s out of the benefit system and get to sit on their a**e and do nothing all day and get left alone by the job centre.
“And then there’s people like me, who the plan all along was to go back to work when both of my children were in school full time, because they have a 16 month age gap, which means by September 2025 they will both be in full time school.
“And there’s me who was holding out till that point and I’m literally getting penalised and bullied and hounded by the job centre to find a job, where I am taking my phone and showing them multiple people, I’m talking 10 plus childminders I’ve contacted and said ‘do you have any space?’ and they basically laughed at me and said ‘no’.”
Darcie shared that having a drop around drop offs and pick ups would be impossible, as she continued: “My daughter will be in full time school September, my son will be in school half a day in September and they want me to find a job around dropping my daughter off at school, then either dropping my son off for morning school or afternoon school, and then picking them both up.
“So I could end up doing four pick up, drop offs a day and they want me to work 30 hours around that.
“And they are expecting me to have a family who can pick up the pieces and who can do my dirty work for me – who can do pickups, drop offs, have them while I go to work.
“I’m sorry but news flash, not everybody has family who are willing to help, or who are able to help.”
Darcie explained that she doesn’t have parents to help her, as she added: “Their dad’s parents work full-time still, the grandparents are way too old and I don’t have any other family.
“So why am I being bullied and hounded into going back to work and told if I can’t find a job, that my money will be taken off me?
“I’ve wanted to go to work for such a long time, but it’s been so impossible to find childcare and that the exact words from the woman at the job centre was, ‘they’ve put the funding into pushing people to go back to work, but they’ve not put the same level of funding into childcare’.
“Why is that my problem? It’s actually really overwhelming me because I’m trying everything I can and I’m doing everything they’re asking me to, but I’m not getting anywhere.
“They’re giving me jobs and telling me to apply for jobs that’s not possible. if I don’t have the childcare and I don’t have the help, I don’t have it.
“I can’t leave my kids at three and four and go to work, I can’t just leave him in the house, somebody needs to look after him.”
I’m literally getting penalised and bullied and hounded by the job centre to find a job
Darcie Wharton
The content creator claimed that even going into education wouldn’t work, as she shared: “I looked at the education side of things because you can obviously be in education as well, and an access to higher education course, which is what I wanted to do, because that’s only 12 hours in college or in university, and the rest is assignments, studying at home, they then want me to find a job for 18 hours. So I’m no better off studying.
“I’m all out of options. I’ve applied for night shift jobs, no luck. It’s literally just such a mess.
“And before anybody literally comes at me with their smart a** comments, I didn’t ask to be a single parent.
“That obviously was not the plan and I did not expect that to happen. I was in it for life, the other party clearly wasn’t.”
In another video, Darcie replied to a comment that read ‘Was it not your choice to have them? Why do you think you could have kids and not support?’ and explained: “You’re clearly thick. Let’s go back to the basics shall we?”
Everything you need to know about Universal Credit
- What is Universal Credit? Everything you need to know including how to apply
- Universal Credit calculator: How much can I claim and how do I apply?
- Universal Credit login: How do I sign in to my online account?
- How much can I earn before Universal Credit is reduced and do I get a work allowance?
- What is a Universal Credit advance payment? How to apply and pay it back
- Are Universal Credit payments going up and how much more will I get?
- How to claim Universal Credit if you’re self-employed
- How many hours can I work on Universal Credit and will my payment be reduced?
- What is a Universal Credit budgeting advance and how much could I get?
- What is the Universal Credit housing element and how much of your rent does it pay?
Darcie then confirmed: “I’ve been working, whether that be part-time or full-time, since the age of 15.
“At one point I was studying and I had two jobs as well.
“I had children. I had my first child, I stayed off on maternity leave, I went back when she was eight months old and I worked from home.
“And then I had my second, born 16 months apart, and I stayed at home with him for maternity.
“And then my partner got a different job, which earnt us more money, which meant I could stay at home with the children and he could work full-time and provide for his family and I would stay at home and look after them and do things with them and do take them out here, there and everywhere until they were at school age.
I’ve wanted to go to work for such a long time, but it’s been so impossible to find childcare
Darcie Wharton
“I would encourage anybody, if they can, to stay at home with their kids and raise them and do all the things that they can do and cram in as much and make as much memories as possible before they have to go to school. I encourage that for anybody.”
But after finding herself single, Darcie admitted: “He decided to leave for his reasons. Fair enough. Which then meant I was a single parent with two children under the age of three that I had to then support.
“I don’t see you having a go at him for the same reason. Yes, fair enough, he works full-time, but it’s all on me, all on my shoulders. I have to find childcare for those children.
“It’s not the case that I don’t want to support my children or I think I can have children and not support them.
“I was off to raise them because I was with a man who was paid a considerable amount and I didn’t have to work.
“I had the luxury of staying home and providing for them as a mother.”
Me finding a job and attending a job isn’t the issue. Finding childcare so I can attend a job is the issue
Darcie Wharton
The red-haired mother confessed: “I want to go back to work. I would love nothing more than to go back to work and provide for my children myself, which is what I’m trying to do.
“But there is no childcare available in my area. Nurseries and childminders, because the government has put the funding into badgering people to go back to work, but they’ve not put the same amount of funding into childcare services, so there’s limited childcare.
“So is that my fault or is that the government’s fault? Because I’m thinking it’s the government’s fault, not my fault.
Child benefit
Everything to know about child benefit:
How much is child benefit and when does it stop?
How long does child benefit take to claim and is it means-tested?
What age do child benefits stop and can I claim for a third child?
Are child benefit payments going up and how much more will I get?
“So before you leave your s****y comments, what you’ve said is irrelevant and it actually makes no sense.
“Me finding a job and attending a job isn’t the issue. Finding childcare so I can attend a job is the issue.”
She then asked haters: “What would you like me to do? Would you like me to go to work and leave my two young kids under four in the house all day on their own to fend for themselves?
“Is that an option? Is that what you want me to do?”
SOCIAL MEDIA USERS REACT
The TikTok clip, which was posted under the username @darcieevexo, has clearly left many open-mouthed, as it has quickly amassed 50,700 views.
You hit the nail on the head
TikTok user
Social media users were stunned by Darcie’s claims and many took to the comments to praise her.
One user wrote: “Well said young lady.”
A second penned: “You go girl, you hit the nail on the head.”
Whilst someone else shared: “You don’t have to explain yourself!”
Are you missing out on benefits?
YOU can use a benefits calculator to help check that you are not missing out on money you are entitled to
Charity Turn2Us’ benefits calculator works out what you could get.
Entitledto’s free calculator determines whether you qualify for various benefits, tax credit and Universal Credit.
MoneySavingExpert.com and charity StepChange both have benefits tools powered by Entitledto’s data.
You can use Policy in Practice’s calculator to determine which benefits you could receive and how much cash you’ll have left over each month after paying for housing costs.
Your exact entitlement will only be clear when you make a claim, but calculators can indicate what you might be eligible for.
At the same time, many other parents opened up on their struggles.
One mother said: “It’s so hard being a single parent and finding a job between school hours.”
Another added: “Exactly the same situation here. I worked six days a week after having my kids, a private rented house, had everything they wanted. He went to work one day and didn’t come back. I lost everything.”
Meanwhile, a third commented: “Sooo true, my little girl goes to nursery, but the hours are only a few hours.
“No one’s gonna employ me for a few hours. 21 years of age being hounded by UC it’s a joke.”