Light touch requirements

Hi everyone,

Can anyone help.

I have a client who works a zero hour contract. She does this because she has health conditions and this allows her flexibility.
Her earnings are usually above the AET requirement.
However, her case manager, I feel, is being heavy handed with her. He has told that her claimant commitment needs to be adjusted and she MUST work 16 hours per week.
I feel that this is wrong as she is meeting AET and has a health condition as well as being a single parent with a five year old.

Can anyone assist? I have misunderstood requirements of “light touch”. She is not assigned a permanent work coach, but they are telling her she does not have a work coach as she is in light touch only but does have a case manager on her journal

It also appears she is having a lot of interviews.

Can she try and get LCW? Which should solve this problem in one go?

In the whole of the UC regs and ADM for UC staff there isn’t a single reference to ” 16 hours per week “.  This requirement is something the case manager must have dreamt up ( as long as we are not talking about New Style JSA/ESA ). Also a case manager would not get involved in ” conditionality ” or sanctions in this situation as this is a work coach role. See DWP Light Touch doc. below.
https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/301588/response/743734/attach/3/FOI%204794%20part%201.pdf

P.S. A work coach has the authority/discretion to reduce the hours of jobsearch/work when notified of a health condition. This even applies to the number of hours used to calculate the MIF ( minimum income floor ).