Major Jobcentre problem help needed fast!

dekaspace

Its for my flatmate, if you read previous threads of mine hes on New Deal and had a nasty advisor who calls him lazy says hes not doing enough to find work, puts him down and as he has low self esteem anyway it makes him worse and he often punches walls and cris or talks about suicide when hes drunk.

Anyway today its really bad, he got a letter from his advisor claiming he recieved a application form for a job(which he didnt as for 1 he was on holiday for 2 weeks and date given was when he was away) and them saying they are reviewing his application and may stop his money! It also says to fill in back page to say why he didnt apply for job! great it basically says you are lying and did it on purpose im my opinion.

He never recieved this application form through post.

Problem 2 he has been working for 2 weeks part time, and his boss keeps finding excuses not to pay him, like they lost his bank details then needed proof he is British, then a admin error.

He has been working over 2 weeks now, and the woman keeps saying its not her problem

My friends shy as I say, and very nervous and depressed and this makes him worse.

I want to go in with him and help but im doing training for 3 months, in a town 30 miles away so dont get a chance to get back to town before jobcentre closes, but I think im finishing early tommorow I hope so I can help him, as im worried about his mental health.

dekaspace

Any advice?

Morglin

He can complain to the Jobcentre manager, if he is not happy with the help he has recieved.

He should also contact the CAB who will help him to get any money he is owed from his employer, and give advise about his benefits.

Lin

peter999

dekaspace wrote: »

Anyway today its really bad, he got a letter from his advisor claiming he recieved a application form for a job(which he didnt as for 1 he was on holiday for 2 weeks and date given was when he was away) and them saying they are reviewing his application and may stop his money! It also says to fill in back page to say why he didnt apply for job! great it basically says you are lying and did it on purpose im my opinion.

Fill in form saying you didn't receive application form.

They may send form asking further questions to review your claim for Decision Maker.
There is always underlying threat they may stop JSA if you don't cooperate.

Maybe tell his advisor that he did not receive application form & ask to take one away.

He needs to stand his ground with advisor if advisor makes unjustified accusations. If advisor is not interested, tell advisor he wants to complain & ask how can he do this as he did not receive the original application form.

If advisor is trying to stitch him up, you need to complain.

peter999

TheWaltons_3

He punches walls and 'Cris'?

Who is Cris?

healy

I think he means cries, I have never seen it spelt like that before, though I suppose it could be a typo.

sarahfemuk

he should to the Jobcentre manager I did that over the phone and the to the Jobcentre manager was very good

Elle00

Yes, I had similar bad treatment. I became a lone parent and had to claim IS at the start of last year. I wanted to return to work but was told I could not do that until I had claimed IS for 26wks to qualify for assistance to come off. A job came up a week short of this and I spoke to the Job Centre to ask what the situation was. I was told to ask the new boss if I could do 15hrs for one week and then start my 16hr week thereafter as I would not be receiving any money for this whilst still on IS and would be working less than 16hrs as specified.

Consequently another New Deal advisor rang me up to tell me she'd been looking at my case and that I had committed benefit fraud. She was really nasty telling me all my benefits would have to frozen and that I'd lose my run-on of housing benefit which I was reliant on. I cried myself to sleep for a week until speaking to someone directly at Income Support who assured me I had done nothing wrong, simply used a loophole so to speak, and that all that I would lose was the run-on of IS - not HB and not the back-to-work bonus which helps with childcare.

All my benefits were messed around and then in late January this year just when my HB was finally recalculated after I'd worried all that time that I would be evicted as my rent wasn't being paid, the local council then informed me that I had had all of my personal documents back (passport, NI Card, Birth Cert etc) and to stop bothering them. In the end it transpired they'd sent them all to an old address via second class post to never be seen again. Cue the sleepless nights and bouts of tears again as I lay awake at night wondering if someone was travelling in my name, opening up accounts or plotting to burgal me for the divorce settlement the decree nisi in all that lot said I had (as well as my name, a photo of me, my age, my child's name and age, my address, how much money I was about to receive, my NI number etc etc etc). I was just so scared.

So come late February I had developed a nervous tic down one side (it went briefly but quickly returned and spasming away as I type!) and sunk into depression including over-sleeping and insomnia cycles (hence 4am online activity, ahem). I had to quit my job because I was genuinely unable to work and even burst into tears at work several times (so embarrassing). My GP offered to sign me off but I didn't think this would be necessary as I am a lone parent so entitled to Income Support. The guy I spoke to at the Job Centre took exception to my wanting to claim Income Support having worked for 6m and told me, and I quote, to "get a job like everybody else" and proceeded to tell me how he'd gone back to work as a lone parent just 5wks after his daughter was born. I wound up back at my GP's having a panic attack and she actually rang them up and asked if the process would be easier if she signed me off sick. They said it would be, it hasn't, but this is what they said.

In the meantime, instead of going to a back to work meeting immediately (grr they are so degrading and such a waste of everyone's time) I wasn't called in for 8wks, so I wrote to my local MP about the treatment I've been receiving. I also met with him in person at a local surgery.

One phone call from his secretary and a forwarded excert from my email showing how upset I was and suddenly I am under the Benefits Manager for all communication and she goes out of her way to be as polite and helpful as possible.

I suspect some Job Centre staff have massive chips on their shoulders and don't seem to appreciate that it doesn't matter that there's someone worse off than you - it's bloody hard for some of us to be positive or grateful when we feel we've hit our personal rock bottom. Some of them have no sympathy, just a book of rules to dictate at you over and over until you sod off and work for McDonalds full-time.

Go to your MP on your friend's behalf, you should find contact details for them if you search online under your local constituency. I think an MP has more lee-way with dealing with a third party than the JC manager directly would though that is a good second option.

Makes me so angry that people are being treated like this. Got told the other day of a severe agorophobic who's GP advises against her being forced out of the house being told she had to attend a back to work interview or lose all of her benefits. A Home Start worker had to carry her sobbing and limping from her house to the car then the car to the JC and she sat there petrified throughout with tears streaming down her face.

I know there are rules but there is also such a thing as compassion. Rant over, hope your friend gets some help and consideration ASAP. We all have problems but some of us find them harder to cope with than other people and people in trusted positions need to have more respect for mental health.

Keep trying different avenues for your friend until you find someone who has a heart.

EDIT: OMG I am so sorry that was so long, what a hi-jack. As you can probably guess I'm not having much fun either but I do hope you find this post of some use based on my similar experience and the outcome I had.