Benefits issue

seven-day-weekend

I shadowed a member of staff at the Jobcentre as part of my training as a Job Club Coach.

They literally did not have time to help people do anything other than what they had come in for. The person I was with was registering new claims and she was allowed only a few minutes with each customer, otherwise she got into trouble. I assume those with different roles would be given different time constraints.

Has your father tried a Job Club? Are there any near him? They are usually run by voluntary organistions. CAP run loads around the country (there are plenty of others too).

https://capuk.org/i-want-help/cap-job-clubs/introduction

Ask the appropriate person at the Jobcentre (not the signing-on person) if they know of any.

He would still need to comply with JC rules, but the Job Club would help him with forms, applications etc and give him one-to-one time.

MABLE

[QUOTE=Puppetmaster79;66251771__As_stated_before_he_can_not_read_or_write_so_has_difficulty_applying_for__jobs_and_I_asked_them_to_help_him_with_that_and_they_just_said_they__couldn't.[/QUOTE]

You have mentioned about his inability to be able to read or write and do simple maths so I am sure the Job Centre could find a suitable course to help him.

Puppetmaster79

MABLE wrote: »

You have mentioned about his inability to be able to read or write and do simple maths so I am sure the Job Centre could find a suitable course to help him.

Yeah they did find him one, it was above his ability, there aren't any others adapted to his skill level locally either.

This particular place would have needed to give him too much support which they wouldn't have had time to.

I am trying places with him like supermarkets etc as we tried co-op and tesco (no Morrisons local to him sadly) but this might need some further research (of which I only have limited time due to work commitments).

Its just a shame I'm not a manager in my line of work really as I would find him a job straight away.

Puppetmaster79

seven-day-weekend wrote: »

I shadowed a member of staff at the Jobcentre as part of my training as a Job Club Coach.

They literally did not have time to help people do anything other than what they had come in for. The person I was with was registering new claims and she was allowed only a few minutes with each customer, otherwise she got into trouble. I assume those with different roles would be given different time constraints.

Has your father tried a Job Club? Are there any near him? They are usually run by voluntary organistions. CAP run loads around the country (there are plenty of others too).

Ask the appropriate person at the Jobcentre (not the signing-on person) if they know of any.

He would still need to comply with JC rules, but the Job Club would help him with forms, applications etc and give him one-to-one time.

I'm not aware of any as such and the JC haven't mentioned anything either.

I understand the staff are under pressure from above but that is still no excuse to behave in a rude manner towards someone just because they may need extra support and the demands are a poor match of their ability.

The problem seems to be that JC staff are too busy and treat people as if they all have the same level of basic ability when that is not the case at all. Some need extra support but many of the providers of this seem to have gone or augmented into other establishments.

10pence

Has you dad looked at applying for Pension Credit (PC), instead of JSA?

You mention he'll be 62 in September, so guessed born in 1951, by that reckoning he would have been eligible for PC back in 2013.

Run the state pension calculator from here: LINK. Check for age not amount of state pension and if eligible for Pension Credit apply: LINK

EDIT:
That does away with ESA/JSA and all that hassle that goes with it too...

nannytone_2

10pence wrote: »

Has you dad looked at applying for Pension Credit (PC), instead of JSA?

You mention he'll be 62 in September, so guessed born in 1951, by that reckoning he would have been eligible for PC back in 2013.

Run the state pension calculator from here: LINK. Check for age not amount of state pension and if eligible for Pension Credit apply: LINK

EDIT:
That does away with ESA/JSA and all that hassle that goes with it too...

if he is 62 in september he would have been born in 52 and not 51.
the OP says in the first post that the father will be eligible for pension credit next March

xylophone

Would your father be given access to this type of learning at home?http://www.hotcourses.com/uk-courses/Making-Maths-Work-for-You-Level-1-courses/page_pls_user_course_details/16180339/0/w/55627782/page.htm

helping_hand2014

Cyberman60 wrote: »

It's where the benefits system has gone a bit crazy and unsustainable though, isn't it. The guy can clearly work so I personally don't see why the taxpayer should support him except in extreme circumstances... ie safety net, not featherbed.

There are jobs out there as today's figures yet again show unemployment falling and Romanians and Bulgarians now number 135,000 in the UK. I was once unemployed also for two years so I do understand the frustration.

I do sympathise with the OP but we cannot put the whole of the UK on ESA simply because they cannot find work. Maybe there are other temporary benefits he can apply for while on JSA, such as housing allowance, council tax etc, which I remember being offered to me (I took my pension early instead as I hated being on JSA) while he continues to seek work.

bit harsh dont you think? the guy is 61 will be 62 in September and also mentions has a mild learning difficulty and type 2 diabetes which would mean it would be a lot harder for him to be employable just based on that.

yes you retied earlier than he can and you was looking for advice on that from your previous threads so you might understand yourself how tired he might plus that fact he has to deal with his other illnesses a aswell yes the benefits system is there as a safety net but people should also remember that people who also work are substituted by the tax payer in the form of

*working tax credit
*child tax credits
*child benefit
*child care vouchers

and a lot the time these extra benefits they get while they are working amount to more than just a single-person claim on JSA

just saying that's all .

seven-day-weekend

Puppetmaster79 wrote: »

I'm not aware of any as such and the JC haven't mentioned anything either.

I understand the staff are under pressure from above but that is still no excuse to behave in a rude manner towards someone just because they may need extra support and the demands are a poor match of their ability.

The problem seems to be that JC staff are too busy and treat people as if they all have the same level of basic ability when that is not the case at all. Some need extra support but many of the providers of this seem to have gone or augmented into other establishments.

It is not in the Jobcentre's remit to mention them, it is up to the customers to find out. Some individuals may be more helpful than others, but it is not their job to find the extra help your father needs, other than provide a Disabilities Advisor. (have you spoken to the Disabilities Advisor?).

I'm not saying this is how things should be but it is how they are. The onus is on the customer to find out.

Try the link I gave to see if there are any CAP ones in your area,and you could also try the Volunteer Bureau to see if there is any other help, or different Job clubs, for your father.

teddysmum

I used to teach adult numeracy and literacy at our local college. Classes came in various grades up to borderline GCSE, but one student of mine had learning difficulties beyond academic ones and so never worked. However, he was allocated his own helper, who supervised his work, during my class.


This went on for at least three years, though he never improved or progressed, but I don't know whether the finance is still in place, as I ceased work at the college.


Though the adult numeracy/literacy classes were run by the college, the majority were not in the college buildings but in local schools, social centres, church halls etc.