This is an HTML version of an attachment to the Freedom of Information request 'Reconsideration of a UC Claimant Commitment-Work Coaches as decison makers'.

 
 
WS017- Case Study Two - Mark Jones 
 
 
On 9th January Mark sees his Work Coach for his first Universal Credit interview.   
 
Mark is 45 single with no health conditions. 
 
He has one child aged 15 living with him who has been in and out of trouble with the police and plays 
truant regularly. This is causing, Mark, the school and the authorities real concern. He has no other 
personal circumstances or life events that need to be taken into account. 
 
Mark has a voluntary parenting contract with the Youth Offending Team which states that Mark must 
ensure his son goes to school and be home by 4.30pm to ensure his son is supervised properly after 
school.   
 
For these reasons Mark has asked if he can restrict his hours to school hours to fit with his parenting 
contract so he can oversee his son going to the morning school Homework Club which starts at 8am and 
can be home at 4.30pm. He can leave at 7.30am to drop his son off at school and go to work.  
 
He lives in a village and has no family nearby. 
 
The following information was also gathered by the Work Coach: 
 
  Mark gained no qualifications at school but can read and write adequately 
  Mark has no IT skills and is a bit afraid of IT even though his son uses IT at school. He has an 
account at the library but is not confident using it. 
 
 
WS017  
   
     
 
 
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WS017- Case Study Two - Mark Jones 
 
 
 
  He worked as a gardener at the local quarry and as a driver for 15 years and took redundancy 
to look after his son while his wife went to work (they are now separated) –  and hasn’t worked 
for 12 years 
  He says he is not academic and outside work/labouring type jobs are more suited to him. 
  He does have a car. Mark has to take his son into school although he can call on a neighbour 
if necessary on occasions. 
 
Has no CV. 
 
Has no internet access at home. 
 
Mark is happy to look for work providing he can leave after his son has been dropped off for school and 
can be back for 4.30pm.   
 
He is concerned that an employer will not release him to fetch his son or accept that he may be late on 
occasions when his son needs extra support and feels he is unemployable as he has no skills and also 
feels he is too old to start learning the internet now. 
 
 
 
 
 
WS017  
   
     
 
 
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