UC work requirements for parents

Family is Dad, Mum and children aged five and three. The three year old has cancer and gets DLA care at the highest rate.

Mum and Dad are on UC and are finding it difficult to cope unless they are both available to care for their kids.

Is it possible for:
- Parent A to be nominated as having “regular and substantial caring responsibilities for a severely disabled person” and so be exempt from any work-related requirements; and
- Parent B to be nominated as the “responsible carer” for the two children (i.e. including the disabled one) and thus have limited work-related requirements?

I think it is technically possible. However, the power used to limit work-related requirements for a responsible carer of a child aged 3 or over is based on a discretionary power (”...that the Secretary of State considers is compatible with those caring responsibilities”), so if DWP think it is unreasonable they could theoretically not limit the work-related requirements.

You could also consider asking them to use the provision in Reg 89(1)(b) here.

Thank you, that is an interesting angle