Notes

Write a note in tLO3
M2 –Summarise the types of support that may be available to individuals who are experiencing major life change
A strain has been put on Martin’s finances since he has lost his job at the Asda warehouse where he worked for nearly 25 years. Martin used to earn £12.106 (1) a year and his wife Eleanor earns up to £8000 a year. Martin needs to pay Jenny’s university fees; the mortgage and a loan. To help Martin cope with the loss of job; there are many financial, practical, emotional and specific supports available.
Practical
People who have been made redundant e.g. Martin do not require practical support. In other words, Martin doesn’t need help with daily living e.g. cooking meals or activities such as getting help to get out of bed etc. However, since Martin has been working in the same company for nearly 25 years; he hasn’t made a CV thus he could get help with that. Martin can visit the Twin Employment & Training website to help create a CV by accessing the “Twin CV Builder” and be prepared for an interview by reading the “Interview tips” section. (7)
Furthermore,
Financial
The main financial support Martin will receive is redundancy pay as he is qualified for it. Since he has worked for 24 years and earned £245 weekly; Martin is expected to get up to £6627 for his redundancy pay. (4)
Also, Martin can claim the Jobseeker’s Allowance. However, Martin has only been made redundant recently so he is only entitled to receiving contribution-based jSA. As a result, Martin will receive up to £73.10 weekly because he is 25+, has worked for 26 weeks in his previous years of employment, has paid class 1 contributions and received National Insurance. To receive other benefits such as income-based jSA; Martin needs to be unemployed for over 2 years and have been claiming contribution-based jSA for over 182 days. (2)
Martin is also entitled to receiving tax credits because he has two children (Jenny and Nathan) and has a partner who works – Eleanor works as a part-time cleaner and has started to do overtime because Martin has been made redundant. Martin will no longer be entitled to working tax credits because he currently doesn’t a job however he is entitled to receiving child tax credit. For both of his children, Martin will receive £6,050. (3) Martin is also entitled to child benefits for his eldest child Jenny and second child Nathan. In total, Marin will receive £34.40 for both his children weekly; £20.70 for the eldest child and £13.40 for Nathan. (8)
Martin isn’t entitled to getting other benefits including help with mortgage, income support etc. This is because Martin hasn’t been redundant long enough also his wife earns more than the average weekly wage. However, being entitled to the benefits mentioned above will come of a lot of help to Martin. For instance, the money received as child tax credits can be used to pay Jenny’s university fees and the money coming from the other benefits can be used to help pay the mortgage and the loan.

Emotional
There are many websites online that can help provide emotional support; one being a website called totaljobs.com; this website is for jobseekers and also gives advices on different things e.g. course training, dealing with emotions etc. Martin can read through “surviving redundancy” from which he will be able to understand the different emotions he is feeling and that it is normal to feel like this. “Surviving redundancy” talks about 5 emotions a person who has been redundant recently is likely to experience; these are: shock, anger, depression, guilt and relief. It also mentions certain things that can make a person feel better after reading it. For example, under “depression” it says “It’s really important to try to remember that you are not worthless, that you do have something to offer. And, while you may not be successful immediately, in the end you will be able to convince an employer of that”. (5) After readying this, Marin may feel more confident, and motivated to move on and help higher his self-esteem. It will also help him realise he can deal with redundancy and keep trying. For instance, if he feels like he needs help, he can ask his wife to help him prepare for a job e.g. by helping to write a CV.
Martin can also attend group counselling where he can share his redundancy experience with the counsellor and other group members and¬¬ gain emotional support from them. Group counselling will be very beneficial for Martin because he will be able to listen to other peoples’ redundancy stories and understand he is not the only one to go through this and that other people are in much worse situations e.g. their partner doesn’t work. Also, by speaking to others or the counsellor he will be able to learn things about himself especially from the group members. This is because; the group members serve like mirrors that would reflect certain aspects of Martin which he can recognise and if possible change. For instance, if some of the group members show laziness in looking for a job; Martin would pick up this aspect of himself and attempt to change it with the help of the counsellor. For instance, to help Martin and the others to look and apply for jobs, they may arrange a session where a professional comes in to help the group members apply and look for jobs. This will start Martin off on his new challenge of looking for jobs.
To help Martin cope with his redundancy stress; Martin may be referred to have CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy). CBT will aim to help Martin change the way he thinks about being made redundant; these changes will help him feel better, more motivated and confident. CBT helps to replace irrational thoughts with rational thoughts. For example, Martin feels negatively about the company that made him redundant because he feels he gave so many years of his life to Asda warehouse and they made him redundant. The cognitive therapist will help Martin understand different reasons why he was made redundant and help him understand why redundancy is not always a bad thing. For instance, the therapist may suggest that he was made redundant because the warehouse had too many staff and they had to reduce the number of employees. Also, the company may have chosen to make people who are 30+ redundant so they can give younger employees a chance to gain more experience and progress in their work. The therapist may explain to Martin that being made redundant is good for him because he has worked for so many years and he needs a break and take time to look after himself rather than being stressed about not having a job.
Specific
Furthermore, if Martin doesn’t want to visit a counsellor or a cognitive therapist then he can call up the Samaritans helpline on 0121 116 123; the number is free and are there to help 24 hours a day and 365 days a year.(6) The Samaritans can be contacted via telephone, email or posting a letter to their address. Samaritans is a service that know a lot about what they can do to help a person going through tough times e.g. redundancy. For example, if Martin calls up the helpline they will help him by listening to his problem first which is that he has been made redundant and is having financial problems so needs a job as soon as possible and then try to understand it well. Secondly, they will explore different options e.g. going to a job centre, doing an apprenticeship etc. Thirdly, they will talk him through different options and help him make the right decisions. Also, they will motivate and encourage Martin to try his best to look for a job rather than getting stressed out and doing nothing.

Bibliography
https://www.glassdoor.co.uk/Salary/ASDA-Warehouse-Operative-Salaries-E10108_D_KO5,24.htm (25.09.2015) (1)
https://www.gov.uk/jobseekers-allowance/what-youll-get ((25.09.2015) (2)
http://www.which.co.uk/money/tax/guides/tax-credits/child-tax-credits/ (25.09.2015) (3)
https://www.gov.uk/calculate-your-redundancy-pay/y/2015-07-07/48/24.0/282.0 (25.09.2015) (4)
http://www.totaljobs.com/careers-advice/redundancy-help/redundancy-emotions (25.09.2015) (5)
http://www.samaritans.org/how-we-can-help-you (28/09/15) (6)
http://www.twinemployment.com/jobseekers/job-hunting (05/10/15) (7)
https://www.gov.uk/child-benefit-rates (05/10/15) (8)
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