JSA harrasment?

julie237

Hi
I'll try to keep this as short as i can.
I am a single parent of a 9 year old, i genuinely suffer with anxiety, panic attacks, depression, fatigue & sleep problems. I was on ESA last year, when panic attacks were making things like attending the job centre impossible. When it came to my 'medical' i got 0 points, and was told to go on JSA.
I did this, and couldn't cope with it. I applied for ESA again on the grounds that my condition had worsened. Basically i signed off JSA in October 2016, applied for ESA, heard nothing from them until a couple of weeks ago. I went 5 weeks with no esa or jsa and lived on child tax credits. I then had no option but to sign on JSA again, and my 'adviser', who claims she has had depression herself, said we would take 'baby steps' etc, and she seemed ok. Since then, i have had a short course of counselling and my panic attacks have become less frequent. Since then, she has put me on weekly signing, which wasnt too bad, but the past 3 weeks i have been on daily signing. It is an 8 mile round trip for me to the JC and back, is absolutely pointless and a complete waste of money. It is making my anxiety show up again, and im starting to feel sick at the thought of going there. I am applying for work, theres never been any problem with my job search. I have done every 'workshop' that the JC have on offer, which is basically sitting in a room for an hour whilst a woman talks at you. I have application forms ready to fill out, but have not had chance to do them yet as the daily signing has been eating up all my time. On top of that, she has now said if i dont find a voluntary work position within 4 days, she will put me on 'work experience' which im not sure is right as im 36 and ive read its for up to 24 year. Basically it sounds like she wants me to be working 30/40 hours a week for nothing. And before people start complaining etc, i do want to work but i would like to organise some voluntary work myself instead of being forced into working for nothing. I have been and still am genuinely ill, although not ill enough to claim esa, obviously. I do not function as i would like to, i am constantly exhausted, and never have any energy or enthusiasm to do things. The whole thing with the job centre is making me feel ill and bringing back my ibs. I worry all the time in case im late for an appoinemnt and they stop my money, or worrying about what kind of work they will force me into. I feel like i cant take it anymore, and i know this is what they want; so i will sign off and they get to hit a target or earn a bonus. Im so sick of being treated like ive done something wrong, when I haven't. I have considered just signing off to get the job centre conpletely out of my life, im sure i can still claim child tax credit and i would have to see how i could make the £73 a week that would be missing.
I have already used up my 2 short periods of sickness, and i used the 13 weeks of sickness in december 2015, although that was over a year ago and in a seperate job seeking period, ive been told i cannot use that again. I feel how things are going now is very detrimental to my health, and not helping me find work at all, quite the oppersite.
Is it right that they can force me into voluntary work or 'work experience', and could i ring in and say im ill and cant attend the daily signing?

Thanks for reading and for any advice. Im back there tomorrow for a 'hidden jobsearch' workshop

Bogalot

It is not a medical it is a work capability assessment.

Work experience is an option for claimants of any age. It is particularly suitable if you've been away from the workplace for a while.

An eight mile round trip is not a great distance, many travel much further for work.

No one wants you to sign off because you're ill, they want you to find work. Jobcentre staff don't get bonuses for getting you to sign off!

It's going to take time for you to adapt to being out the house each day, but it will be worth it when you find work. Keep going, you'll get there. Good luck!

bspm

Bogalot wrote: »

It is not a medical it is a work capability assessment.

Work experience is an option for claimants of any age. It is particularly suitable if you've been away from the workplace for a while.

An eight mile round trip is not a great distance, many travel much further for work.

No one wants you to sign off because you're ill, they want you to find work. Jobcentre staff don't get bonuses for getting you to sign off!

It's going to take time for you to adapt to being out the house each day, but it will be worth it when you find work. Keep going, you'll get there. Good luck!

My ex colleagues are assessed every month and do in fact receive a 'voucher' for results.

Mr.Generous

From the sound of it there is only 1 reasonable solution. Find a job you want to do and stick at it.

Mersey_2

julie237 wrote: »

i) Since then, she has put me on weekly signing, which wasnt too bad, but the past 3 weeks i have been on daily signing. It is an 8 mile round trip for me to the JC and back, is absolutely pointless and a complete waste of money.


ii) It is making my anxiety show up again, and im starting to feel sick at the thought of going there.


iii) I am applying for work, theres never been any problem with my job search. I have done every 'workshop' that the JC have on offer, which is basically sitting in a room for an hour whilst a woman talks at you. I have application forms ready to fill out, but have not had chance to do them yet as the daily signing has been eating up all my time.


iv) On top of that, she has now said if i dont find a voluntary work position within 4 days, she will put me on 'work experience' which im not sure is right as im 36 and ive read its for up to 24 year. Basically it sounds like she wants me to be working 30/40 hours a week for nothing. And before people start complaining etc, i do want to work but i would like to organise some voluntary work myself instead of being forced into working for nothing.


I have been and still am genuinely ill, although not ill enough to claim esa, obviously. I do not function as i would like to, i am constantly exhausted, and never have any energy or enthusiasm to do things. The whole thing with the job centre is making me feel ill and bringing back my ibs. I worry all the time in case im late for an appoinemnt and they stop my money, or worrying about what kind of work they will force me into.


v) I feel like i cant take it anymore, and i know this is what they want; so i will sign off and they get to hit a target

Is it right that they can force me into voluntary work or 'work experience', and could i ring in and say im ill and cant attend the daily signing?

I've split it up just to make responding to the separate points easier:


i) Were either the weekly or daily signings ordered by way of giving you a Direction? (It was probably a letter, but can be verbal if you agree to sign to agree when you are there)


In any case, the JCP should cover your travel costs for daily ie extra signings. If the Advisor refuses, ask to apply to the Flexible Support Fund. This provides £ for travel costs, clothes for interviews, haircuts and so on.


Make your Advisor - or the Manager if necessary - aware of ii).


Stress is a recognised condition and the DWP Service Standards state that they have a duty to be helpful.


iii) shows that you are complying with your JSAgreement / Claimant Commitment and so you should not be sanctioned.


iv) It's always best to find your own placement (ie something that interests you), rather than being 'mandated' to somewhere. Two of the schemes you may be thinking of have been abolished by the DWP - but work experience placements still exist.


Sadly v) is true [I won't bore you with all of the details, but essentially Court action resulted in docs being released that showed league tables and targets did exist in JCPs]


You can ask for a different Advisor and/or complain if you do not feel that your health needs are being recognised.

julie237

Thankyou for all the replies. Ive been awake since 3 am stressing out over it all, and supposed to be at a workshop at 11 this morning. Im just about to get my son up for school, and then i will be ringing round trying to sort out some voluntary work, i am not going to the workshop as i feel like s***
Ive not slept properly in weeks. I will be asking to see a different adviser when i'm there tomorrow.
Thanks again, its always good to know theres people out there who will help

Bogalot

julie237 wrote: »

Thankyou for all the replies. Ive been awake since 3 am stressing out over it all, and supposed to be at a workshop at 11 this morning. Im just about to get my son up for school, and then i will be ringing round trying to sort out some voluntary work, i am not going to the workshop as i feel like s***
Ive not slept properly in weeks. I will be asking to see a different adviser when i'm there tomorrow.
Thanks again, its always good to know theres people out there who will help

Try to make it to the workshop, you're only creating problems for yourself if you don't. I've not slept either, but I've got a meeting this afternoon and if I don't go I know I won't be getting any more work from that source. We sit through these things not because we want to, but because we need money to live.

If you're struggling to sleep because your head won't shut down take a pen and paper to bed with you. Write down the stuff that is stopping you settling, and again if you wake and so on. It's not going to cure everything but it can help you to put it aside for a few hours and get some rest.

rockingbilly

I currently receive DLA (High Mobility/Middle Care) and up until my 65th birthday was in the Support Group ESA.
I work over 40 hours a week over 5 different voluntary positions. Yet I was and still am 'unable to work' according to the DWP.
8 Miles? I travelled 40 miles each way to work 5 days a week the cost of which had to come out of my income.

My advice - get yourself a full time voluntary job doing something you like doing otherwise the DWP/JC+ will find one for you. Even with my disabilities and illness I don't know what I would do if I found myself incapable of doing anything - I would be bored stiff.

In the meantime look for a job ANY job so that you get out of the system. I know one guy (a qualified lawyer) who was without a job (waiting for the right one to come along) but in the meantime he stacked shelves at Sainsburys

FBaby

OP, has long has it been since you've claimed JSA again? Last year? The problem is that after many months being unsuccessful finding a job, something has to happen so that it doesn't become a case of you being on JSA for endless years, each one making it less likely that someone would want to employ you?

How many jobs did you apply for during that time and how many interviews did you have? I do agree that daily sign in having to travel 8 miles seems more stressful than beneficial, but they are doing so to make sure that you don't just spend 1/2 a week to apply to the minimum number of jobs just to tick the box to not get penalised.

Take the work experience opportunity. Don't look at it as unpaid work. If you haven't had a job for a very long time, it really is only training and you are getting benefits for that. Hopefully, if you take a positive attitude to it, you might find it beneficial and it will lead to something.

Yes going to the job centre daily is stressful, but there are only a few routes out of it, get a job that takes away the anxiety of being dependent on JSA, or come off it totally and be stressed about making due without the £73 a week.

teddysmum

Enrol in a yoga class. It helps you relax your mind and exercise your body, but specifically appropriate to you, yoga breathing helps you to concentrate your mind on your breathing and away from other things, so helping you fall asleep.


It does work, as during a protracted period of extreme stress, I found it very helpful.

Bogalot

teddysmum wrote: »

Enrol in a yoga class. It helps you relax your mind and exercise your body, but specifically appropriate to you, yoga breathing helps you to concentrate your mind on your breathing and away from other things, so helping you fall asleep.


It does work, as during a protracted period of extreme stress, I found it very helpful.

Yoga with Adriene is very good, aimed at all levels and can be done in the comfort of your own home