Can one man be allowed to do this?

fin7

I'm really fed up at the moment and today has just put the tin hat on things.

I've been a carer for my elderly parents for years, my dad died in January and my mum was diagnosed with alzheimer's and had to go into a care home, so from august I became unemployed and I've been give the most horrible advisor imaginable. He says being a carer, in his view, is not classed as working, I asked him if he would do 35+ hours a week for £55! So he decided he'd send me on a half day course to do a CV, I said that I had already done that with a woman from there and she'd checked and printed them off for me, but no he would send me on another one.
The letter came yesterday, its for 2 days doing stuff like roll play, CV and confidence building. i had already told him that I don't do roll play, I'm deaf and I've fallen flat on my face too many times over the years with this sort of thing, highly amusing to others when I pick up what they're saying wrong, highly embarressing to me! i lipread so don't do well in groups. I also have a hospital appointment on one of the days, so off I go to try and sort it. the woman there was nice but then he gets in on the act! First off I'm told that if I was working I wouldnt have been able to go to the hospital anyway, i hadn't realised that our hospitals only cater for those that don't work? I'm also due to sign on that afternoon, he says I have until 4.00pm to sign on and the course will finish at 3.00pm, I pointed out thats it takes over 90 minutes but thats my problem? I said its hardly local and he says it is? the womans face on the desk was a picture, she actually shook her head, got up and walked out.
So, he's told me that if I don't turn up he'll mark it down as not doing enough and have my money stopped, i've had to cancel my hospital appointment and I've no way of being able to make it back in time to sign on anyway. He says as far as he's concerned my time caring is nothing. I'm really upset at the moment over this.

Can he actually do this?

DCFC79

fin7 wrote: »

I'm really fed up at the moment and today has just put the tin hat on things.

I've been a carer for my elderly parents for years, my dad died in January and my mum was diagnosed with alzheimer's and had to go into a care home, so from august I became unemployed and I've been give the most horrible advisor imaginable. He says being a carer, in his view, is not classed as working, I asked him if he would do 35+ hours a week for £55! So he decided he'd send me on a half day course to do a CV, I said that I had already done that with a woman from there and she'd checked and printed them off for me, but no he would send me on another one.

The letter came yesterday, its for 2 days doing stuff like roll play, CV and confidence building. i had already told him that I don't do roll play, I'm deaf and I've fallen flat on my face too many times over the years with this sort of thing, highly amusing to others when I pick up what they're saying wrong, highly embarressing to me! i lipread so don't do well in groups. I also have a hospital appointment on one of the days, so off I go to try and sort it. the woman there was nice but then he gets in on the act! First off I'm told that if I was working I wouldnt have been able to go to the hospital anyway, i hadn't realised that our hospitals only cater for those that don't work? I'm also due to sign on that afternoon, he says I have until 4.00pm to sign on and the course will finish at 3.00pm, I pointed out thats it takes over 90 minutes but thats my problem? I said its hardly local and he says it is? the womans face on the desk was a picture, she actually shook her head, got up and walked out.

So, he's told me that if I don't turn up he'll mark it down as not doing enough and have my money stopped, i've had to cancel my hospital appointment and I've no way of being able to make it back in time to sign on anyway. He says as far as he's concerned my time caring is nothing. I'm really upset at the moment over this.

Can he actually do this?

just broken it up so its easier to read

dark_lady

fin7 wrote: »

I'm really fed up at the moment and today has just put the tin hat on things.

I've been a carer for my elderly parents for years, my dad died in January and my mum was diagnosed with alzheimer's and had to go into a care home, so from august I became unemployed and I've been give the most horrible advisor imaginable. He says being a carer, in his view, is not classed as working, I asked him if he would do 35+ hours a week for £55! So he decided he'd send me on a half day course to do a CV, I said that I had already done that with a woman from there and she'd checked and printed them off for me, but no he would send me on another one.
The letter came yesterday, its for 2 days doing stuff like roll play, CV and confidence building. i had already told him that I don't do roll play, I'm deaf and I've fallen flat on my face too many times over the years with this sort of thing, highly amusing to others when I pick up what they're saying wrong, highly embarressing to me! i lipread so don't do well in groups. I also have a hospital appointment on one of the days, so off I go to try and sort it. the woman there was nice but then he gets in on the act! First off I'm told that if I was working I wouldnt have been able to go to the hospital anyway, i hadn't realised that our hospitals only cater for those that don't work? I'm also due to sign on that afternoon, he says I have until 4.00pm to sign on and the course will finish at 3.00pm, I pointed out thats it takes over 90 minutes but thats my problem? I said its hardly local and he says it is? the womans face on the desk was a picture, she actually shook her head, got up and walked out.
So, he's told me that if I don't turn up he'll mark it down as not doing enough and have my money stopped, i've had to cancel my hospital appointment and I've no way of being able to make it back in time to sign on anyway. He says as far as he's concerned my time caring is nothing. I'm really upset at the moment over this.

Can he actually do this?

Absolutely disgusting treatment. If you pop along to the Carers UK website you will find that on their forum pages they do also have a board for former carers. I would also consider talking to your MP. Do you have a recording facility on your mobile phone?
If so start recording your meetings with said "advisor" Then you can play it to your MP or someone from the press. The Mirror or the Guardian would be a good bet.
I had the same discrimination when i was signing on five years ago.I care for my husband who has ischemic heart disease and only 40% lung function.
I sincerely hope that this "advisor" discovers some day that what goes around comes around.

ifonlyitwaseasier

i would have thought that some adjustment could be made due to your disability, don't they have specialist advisors in JC? *pootles off to google*

j.e.j.

Years ago I was also treated despicably by one of these 'advisor' types. She even had the nerve to doubt the diagnosis of the person I was caring for!! I wrote a letter to my MP detailing exactly what had been said. You can also make a complaint to JobCentrePlus, - they will have a complaints procedure on their website I would think.

fin7

I'm going to ask if they have a disability advisor, I know for a fact that I'm not going to get along with this bloke.

I think to lie to someone, put them on a course thats not suitable then tell them if they don't go they'll stop their money is disgraceful really.

RuthnJasper

fin7 wrote: »

I'm going to ask if they have a disability advisor, I know for a fact that I'm not going to get along with this bloke.

I think to lie to someone, put them on a course thats not suitable then tell them if they don't go they'll stop their money is disgraceful really.

Fin7, I can't believe that they have such a soul-less sh*t masquerading as a human being in that place!

I don't have anything practical to suggest, I'm afraid, but I just wanted to wish you better luck. I wonder if your/your mother's GP might have something to say about this idiot's ignorant and, frankly, offensive attitude?

Your parents were/are lucky to have you to take care of them. Best wishes to you. x

keith_hudson

Sadly this sort of idiot does work in Jobcentres. Probably isn't meeting his targets. Write a complaint and ask to speak to the manager at the Jobcentre about him and seek a change of adviser. And in the meantime copy in your MP.

kazzah60

my ds has ASD and had an apprenticeship- but when that finished he signed on for JSA

when we completed the form ( i am his appointee and always accompany him to these things) we were asked if he had a disability which we said yes

they then made an appointment with the Disability Employment Advisor - who was FAB
he wrote out new arrangements for my sons job seeking agreement ( mostly no phone contact to job seek and no face to face enquiries) and said that NO-ONE else could change this conditions without HIS say so - so OP make sure you see the services of the DEA and ALSO DEMAND a BSL signer if that is how you usually communicate - to make sure NOTHING is mistaken or taken for granted

fin7

I have a severe to profound hearing loss, I use lip reading and my hearing aids. the other week they made arrangements for me to go and do a CV, the guy that booked it said under the circumstances it would be best for a one to one appointment.

When I turned up it turned out to be a group session, I had no idea half the time what was going on. When I approached her she said SHE doesn't like the one to one session and half the time people dont turn up, when I said I have a hearing impairment and it makes it hard for me to follow whats going on she said that "no one told her" and she just walked away!!

Oh, and this course will teach me telephone communication skills, that is going to be highly entertaining to say the least! When I applied for JSA the guy I dealt with kept the computer screen facing me, kept asking me if I was following things ok, he also put on "no telephoning" He said some advisors make people phone for jobs there. So how she's claiming its not on record I don't know.

My daughter says I should take my hearing aids out on the course, these are new state of the art high powered digi aids, and that'll make the bloke that sent me look a total idiot

fin

gastronomix

Just wanted to wish you well and hope that the insensitive idiot who is making your life difficult gets his comeuppance. With all the equality and non discriminatory legislation that is around anyone might believe that this could be a civilised and compassionate society, but there seems to be little of that around at present.