Job Centre complaints procedure.

barryov

Hi. This is my first post on here so im hoping i have found the right place. I need urgently to make a complaint against the local job centre on behalf of my brother, who is being unmercifully victimised. Before anyone jumps on the get him to do it himself bandwagon, please let me explain. He receives only job seekers allowance. My brother has learning difficulties, his speech, reading & writing. So he has little to no communication with people outside of his family, namely myself & his mother. Our mother has been his communication outlet for the past 50 years.... my brother is now 53. She [mother] has made every doctors, dentist, job centre, in fact any phone call he ever needed to make has been done through her. If it required a written response she would write it and then read it to him. She is now 82 & for obvious reasons can not continue to carry on in this way. I the older brother have now taken over this roll. He worked for the first 10 years of his adult life until being made redundant in 1992/3, he has not worked since. So he has been on the same job centre books for over 23 years. Recently they insisted he went on line to register with job search, although they sent him on a course to learn this, for the reasons outlined above he took very little in, i stepped in and spent weeks day after day learning him how to log in, find jobs, copy and paste his cv, writing cover letters, answering his few replies, knowing full well that when he went for an interview he would be shown the door within minutes, as it became apparent that he had not written the letters and his very obvious speech issues. He is a proud man, destroyed by these people who take no account of his difficulties. In fact to day the final straw was a letter they gave him at the job centre explaining the new rules regarding the new job search procedures. To which they say if you have any problems phone us, or contact us on line???? He can do neither. No one can imaging the frustration he must incur on a minute by minute basis, but he carries on. My complaint is that after 23 years of seeing the same group of people at the job centre they do not seem to be aware, or more to the point care about his situation. I m so angry i need to know how to go about making a formal complaint. Also how to contact some one who can look into his learning difficulties and see it as a disability, rather than someone who has just not bothered to work for 23 years...... Please can anyone help. Im sorry for the long letter but anyone who got to the end, i appreciate it. Thanks.

[Deleted User]

Hope it is a start, have you seen this;
https://www.gov.uk/complain-jobcentre-plus

micky2phones

Hi, very hard to read in one large block of writing.

Few things that may help you,one as he is a proud man and as your mum and you helped him for some long they may no know how hard it is for your brother.

His he seeing the right advisor at the Job Centre some one who know about disability.

Also the people in the Job Centers are under a lot of pressure and it easy to stick to the rules than take time to help people.

A Work Club could help with job hunting and sign posting for other help.

Daisychains

Ring the enquiry line 0845 608 8545 select the option for jsa you can do the complaint over the phone

If he has a disability he can claim ESA

tomtontom

Daisychains wrote: »

Ring the enquiry line 0845 608 8545 select the option for jsa you can do the complaint over the phone

If he has a disability he can claim ESA

Having a disability does not give automatic entitlement to ESA, many disabled people do work. Having said that it would be worth the OP reviewing the descriptors to see if they feel their brother meets them. If so the next step would be to speak to their GP to get a fit note.

Daisychains

As long as someone feels they have a sickness or disability they can make a claim to ESA like you say though the information goes to a decision maker. Your brother can self cert for 7 days and when he makes his claim he can do it over the phone or paper form.

We advise people to do it over the phone as it is much quicker and gets sent electronically to BDC.

tomtontom

Daisychains wrote: »

As long as someone feels they have a sickness or disability they can make a claim to ESA like you say though the information goes to a decision maker. Your brother can self cert for 7 days and when he makes his claim he can do it over the phone or paper form.

We advise people to do it over the phone as it is much quicker and gets sent electronically to BDC.

There is no point in making a claim without the support of the GP. No fit note means that after seven days they'll have to go back on JSA, which will inevitably lead to a delay in payments.

Of course anyone can make a claim for ESA, but it is irresponsible to suggest doing so without considering the practicalities of it first.

i_want_to_believe

If he is geting little or no help from the JCP he may want to consider asking the DEA at the Job Centre to refer him to Work Choice
https://www.gov.uk/work-choice/overview

When_the_going_gets_tough

The current regeime is very hard for people with learning disabilities and there does not seem to be a proper benefit for them. There is however a disabilities adviser and he should be seen by one of these at the job centre. Practically this may be your best hope - or possibly explore the possibility of claiming ESA - this would require the help of your doctor and your brother might have difficulty passing the work assessment test but it might at least give him a breathing space for a while. After the election it might be worth involving your MP - especially if they are new and keen. I also agree a formal complaint to the job centre is definitely in order. Good luck. Is it also possible to see if you can get some external support for your brother so that the burden of all this does not just fall on the family. It might be also worth exploring the PIP criteria - this benefit is based on his care and mobility needs. the first step wuld be to download the descriptors and see if you think your brother would meet them. Remember to be able to carry out the tasks he must be able to do them repeatedly , and in a reasonable time. Your CAB or welfare rights organisation could help you with the PIP form if you decide to go down that route. Good luck with it all.

Mersey_2

Look up the DWP Service Standards. You'll be amazed what they're supposed to do.


Written complaints are best and the order is as follows:


JCP Manager > Area/District Manager > Chief Operating Officer, DWP @ DWP HQ > ICE (Independent Case Examiner) > Parliamentary Ombudsman.


Most complaints are resolved at the level of the Area Manager or DWP HQ.


Maladministration includes delay, providing incorrect information and failing to reply to letters within 10 working days.

Special Consolatory Payments of £50 - £100 are often made and of course, more importantly, an apology, explanation and a copy sent to the local JCP.

Crazy_Larry

I really feel for Barryov and his brother. A lot of very good advice has been posted by other forum users. I would just like to say that it is a very a good idea for Barryov and his brother to go and see their MP in person at his/her next surgery and explain the situation. It's amazing what they can do behind the scenes.