Job Centre no access for disabled and pushchairs??

OnTheUp_2-2

My sister has recently seperated from her partner and has had to strat claiming various benefits (dont really understand it all)

Anway yesterday she had an appointment to visit the Job Centre and she had to take her ex partner, the father of her son with her as they have to go up a flight of stairs and there is no lift.

They are told to leave the buggy down stairs, £400 buggy? i think not?

Therefore her ex partner had to come with her to bring the buggy up. Because he was there they began interrogating her as to who he was, what he was doing there and then began suggesting that he is living with her. they then began discussing her private affairs in front of all anfd sundry, so she said that could they please discuss this in private??

They then wrote his name down on a piece of paper with a question mark!! when my sister remarked that in fact the reason he was there, was because there was no access because of the stairs, they were rude and spoke down to her.

I thought a premises had to have disabled access so how would they get up the stairs??

bunny999

Why didn't she just leave child with its father ? She can afford a £400 buggy and is claiming benefits ? Why isn't the father supporting his family ?
To be honest, to be caliming as a single parent and to turn up with any bloke let alone her ex was dumb to say the least. Of course they thought it was dodgy, load of people claim to be single when they are not.
If you want to keep your affairs private don't claim benefits. He who pays the piper calls the tune.

daska

It may be that they make different arrangements for disabled people such as making appointments in a downstairs room?

tbh I wouldn't try to describe a buggy as a disability, she could walk up the stairs and she could have asked him to look after the child at home or take it to the shops while she went to the job centre. I have a chain and padlock for my (even more expensive) buggy for situations like this because, while it's highly unlikely that it would be stolen, it's not impossible.

OnTheUp_2-2

I was not trying to describe a buggy as a disability, I was grouping the difficulties both sets of people have in terms of access.

So what would she have done if there was no spare person to look after her sonwhilst in there? (please sounds so horrid to hear you refer to him as It)

It just seems ludicrous to me that you would have to arrive with a padlock and chain in a premises, I mean what would you padlock it to a table leg!!!!

What if your child is sleeping? And let me guess you would then be told for trying to attach a chain to their property!

Seems very odd practice to me, but hey maybe its just me that

seven-day-weekend

Right.

You chain the buggy to a suitable place, inside or outside the jobcentre, like you would do with a cycle.

Then you take the baby out of the buggy (whether he is asleep or awake) and take him with you.

Simple.

missmontana

I would have thought they had to comply with the new regulations about accessibility?
My job centre is brand spanking new and has a lift, automatic doors etc, but the security guards have always been quite helpful in the past.
As suggested, maybe leaving the bubby with someone might be better next time! I could never take my child there as he was too much of a distraction!

OnTheUp_2-2

It's not a case of being "simple", the place should be accessible. For example, this is an extreme, but a possibilty;

A woman has new born triplets and arrives at the job centre. "Would you come stairs please"

"Sure I'll just chuck these 3 new borns over my shoulder with one hand and chain up my buggy out of sight with my heavy chain that I've lugged down here"

Come on thats rediculous!!

Further more, when you fail to provide somewehere thats accessible, dont then interogate the person as to who the helping hand is. Thats appalling, just because you're on benefits it doesnt mean you sign away your rights to freedom and privacy

OnTheUp_2-2

missmontana wrote: »

I would have thought they had to comply with the new regulations about accessibility?
My job centre is brand spanking new and has a lift, automatic doors etc, but the security guards have always been quite helpful in the past.
As suggested, maybe leaving the bubby with someone might be better next time! I could never take my child there as he was too much of a distraction!

Thanks for that.. you know how it is though, not always someone there to help look after and even though he was there it wasnt "his day" so prob didnt want to have to take him off some where

bunny999

OnTheUp wrote: »

It's not a case of being "simple", the place should be accessible. For example, this is an extreme, but a possibilty;

A woman has new born triplets and arrives at the job centre. "Would you come stairs please"

"Sure I'll just chuck these 3 new borns over my shoulder with one hand and chain up my buggy out of sight with my heavy chain that I've lugged down here"

Come on thats rediculous!!

Further more, when you fail to provide somewehere thats accessible, dont then interogate the person as to who the helping hand is. Thats appalling, just because you're on benefits it doesnt mean you sign away your rights to freedom and privacy

She can exercise her right to not answer their questions and take her custom elsewhere and the DWP can exercise their right to not give her any money. Bit of a win / situation.

seven-day-weekend

OnTheUp wrote: »

It's not a case of being "simple", the place should be accessible. For example, this is an extreme, but a possibilty;

A woman has new born triplets and arrives at the job centre. "Would you come stairs please"

"Sure I'll just chuck these 3 new borns over my shoulder with one hand and chain up my buggy out of sight with my heavy chain that I've lugged down here"

Come on thats rediculous!!

Further more, when you fail to provide somewehere thats accessible, dont then interogate the person as to who the helping hand is. Thats appalling, just because you're on benefits it doesnt mean you sign away your rights to freedom and privacy

I agree it should be accessible. However, I was giving advice on how to deal with things as they are. It is not suddenly going to become accessible next time she has to sign on.

seven-day-weekend

bunny999 wrote: »

People with small kids/meal tickets don't have to sign on.

The OP said she was going to the Jobcentre so I assumed she was claiming Jobseekers' Allowance.

But thinking about it, not necessarily, so if she never has to go there again she won't have to worry what to do with the buggy/baby.