I've made a complaint about my Work Coach

So all the stats and reports that were so important that DWP paid a specialist team to resolve an urgent issue are not used? We were told they were needed to ensure targets were being met on sanctions and other metrics (and that matched the titles we saw, albeit more flowery language was used).

At least one person I had to deal with was quite smug about their usage.

What a ridiculous statement. The vast majority of staff are decent people working for a shite wage (sometimes less than benefit awards!) and helping those they can. It isn't their fault that the Government impose sanction rules. And you do realise that if staff didn't work for the DWP you and everybody else would get fuck all in benefits? Society would very quickly collapse.

That is terrible OP.

All these ridiculous over-thought out ideas set up by people who haven't got a clue to create more work for a pencil pushing exercises. 🙄

It's crazy to believe that those in better financial positions think job seekers get an easy life.

I'd rather go on the game than do care work.

I have friends who work in care and I am in awe of what they do. One works in dementia care. She is regularly assaulted (well, she doesn't actually get hit that often, because she sees it coming and takes evasive action), spat at, was once bitten, and gets verbal abuse on a daily basis. She has to change people's shitty beds and clothes, and shower them, as well as feed them and make sure they have their meds. And all for a few pence more than minimum wage. They are paid disgracefully badly for the work they do, and they do an amazing job.

She was a senior HCA and is a trained phlebotomist, but she loves her job and, loves the residents. Plus she likes doing bank work because she can turn shifts down when she wants to do something else rather than having to rely on being able to get leave.

Carers do an amazing job, but it's really demanding and stressful and not everyone is cut out for it. I wouldn't want someone who's only doing the job to avoid being sanctioned giving me personal care when I'm in my dotage.

But if there is care work available and you are struggling for money why wouldn't you rather do that than put up with this?

Is the care work local to you? Can you get to it?

Can you move to get a job? What is it you are qualified or experienced in?

Don't get me wrong I'd hate to do care work but i would rather that than claim UC.

Wow, you've got to be fucking kidding me lying there in your ivory tower.

You've no idea where the OP lives for a start.

I live very rurally. Most roads are narrow and winding. I won't walk or cycle on them because it's not safe. I was hit by a car a few years ago walking my DC to school.

There are no rural busses either. The only bus service is a community bus for elderly and disabled people which had to be booked in advance.

If I get sick, I have to rely on friends and neighbours to help me out. 🤷🏻‍♀️

Usually helpful and know their stuff?? In 5 years I've only ever had one show any empathy. I cried. The reply to almost everything is 'I'll pass it to your case manager' (who never gets back to you). Most advice given is incorrect and each person you speak to gives different incorrect advice. The journal is ignored the majority of the time.

However, I'm glad you've had a different experience!

Bored today are you?

Would you actually say any of that face to face?

Well aren't you a delight ??!

I’d also like to add that I’d rather people claimed UC without sanction rather than have them forced into care work. I work with very vulnerable people, good carers are worth their weight in gold and hugely underpaid for what they do. Many go above and beyond their role for their clients. The people I work with need that dedication, they are too important to be subjected to poor care by someone who is there only because they have to be.

Sanctions are immoral, I don’t agree with them in any way, shape or form. They affect those who are vulnerable far more than any other person.

This is people like my son who is autistic with learning difficulties. Without me to manage his UC account he would fall through the net.

I have no idea what the OP’s situation is but if she’s in sheltered housing then I can guarantee there will be some kind of support need, even if it’s only for accommodation with a scheme manager who can offer help now and then.

That said, there are some lovely work coaches out there. Everyone we have spoken with has been amazing with my son. There’s been no pressure on him to look for work (he isn’t ready for this yet) and he’s about to start a “preparing for adulthood/independence” style course at a college locally. All the work coaches we have seen have all praised him for being prepared to try it out.

We are just waiting for the work capability assessment .

That is awful of Her OP

You did have your appointment though, via her phone call .

I stand by my original statement. Why do you even feel entitled to comment without knowing anything about the OP’s circumstances?

Because the OP has posted for opinions and it's a forum. Do you not understand how these work? Why do you feel entitled to comment?

I stand by my original statement. Why do you even feel entitled to comment without knowing anything about the OP’s circumstances?

Years ago (early 80s) they'd let you off signing for a fortnight if you were going on holiday, and you'd still get paid.

If they thought you might be doing cash in hand work, and not declaring it, they could make you come and sign on daily. They thought my mate was working as a painter and decorator, because she often had paint on her clothes and hands, so they made her come in daily for a while. She was actually an art student, signing on during the summer vac.

Good question. I would suggest a reward based system rather than a punishment based one. Nobody should ever be forced to live off less than the current benefit rate, it’s barely possible as it is. But if you can demonstrate you’re looking for work (assuming you are able), or upskilling / attend training courses etc then you should be paid a little extra. And do away with these ridiculous pointless appointments. Work coaches can see on your journal what you’ve been doing to look for work, why on earth should someone fork out £5 in travel costs for a pointless 5 minute appointment? If people must attend, do something constructive with them like CV workshops or employer events.

Totally this. DWP enact the policies of the government and the Secretary of State.
Whether you voted Tory or not, the country did and this is one of the many consequences. It’s only going to get worse.

It’s very easy to vilify the work coach, who will also be feeling the cost of living pinch and very much a human being, but they have limited decision making and influence on the system. Sanctions are part of the system and are not a surprise.

You might be having a shit time but console yourself that you’re not a bitter and horrible person with no empathy.

People aren't bitter and horrible because they point out that if you want to continue to get money given to you by the government, putting aside money to make the appointment is important. It's called being realistic. I was on benefits before for a few months, I followed the rules I had to and got myself of benefits quickly.

also yes, I can confirm that there are not and never have been sanction targets.

I worked in a job centre pre-universal credit (left when UC started, sanctions are completely immoral and I refused to do it). In my experience the job attracts two kinds of people - sympathetic ones who really want to help and will bend over backwards to make sure people don’t go without money and are safe, and little Hitlers who get a power kick out of sanctions. Please don’t tar all work coaches with the same brush, most of them really don’t want to be stopping peoples money I assure you. Most of them are in the job because they want to help people. The pay is absolutely shit and it’s a thankless and awful job with a lot of pressure. A lot of the decision making in built into the system and out of the hands of the work coaches.

OP please appeal the sanction. It sounds like you’d have very good grounds. And ignore some of these comments, none of these high and mighty types have ever had to live on universal credit themselves but are terribly fond of telling others how easy it is and how much of a failure people are who can’t do it. You might be having a shit time but console yourself that you’re not a bitter and horrible person with no empathy.

That's all perfectly true, but it doesn't alter the fact that there are a few who behave like utter cunts.

One of my clients was nearly sanctioned for being 15 minutes late for an appointment. Her lateness was caused by a major accident on the route to the the JC, which delayed all the traffic.

The next time she had an appointment, she left half an hour earlier, and consequently got there 45 minutes early. They refused to let her wait in the JC, because she was "too early". They had a policy of not letting people in if they more than 15 minutes early, apparently. She had to stand outside in the pissing rain for half an hour before she could go in. She had no money to go to a cafe and the library was shut.

Oddly, I had 3 different clients who had significant issues with that people in that particular JC being arsey and inflexible, and all 3 were from BAME groups. I know coincidence doesn't prove correlation, but it does make me wonder.

In many cases where there have not been multiple cancellations - it would be over the phone.

Given the op told a porkie in her OP re the UC website being “down”, I suspect DWP have suspicions about the OPand bloody well want her in! Fair enough in my eyes

The skin that was in the game during the 90s was the was at least an option to work hard and have a better life, now when we have the vast majority of universal credits claimants in Work the only people that took the skin out of the game was the government by allowing this whole force to escalate to the point that it’s that.

it’s basically the carrot or stick method. back in the day we used the carrot and people worked hard bettered themselves bought a nice house, saved for retirement.

Now the sticks out, absolutely none of those things are in there in the reach of your average person but you still need to work 40 to 50 hours a week otherwise you were going to be living in a tent with no food. some people are quite simply unemployable always have been always will be and we need that bottom 5% to remain unemployed and out of the way so that the rest of us can get on with building ourselves a better life apparently. What is wrong here is literally starving those people.

The last thing I actually want is for thousands of people to suddenly gain the skills that I have, that’s going to lower my value in the market. I’d quite happily give them £70 a week to not compete with me. There’s very little critical thinking goes on these days.

I don't understand why in the OPs case, their appointment couldn't just be over the phone? When I used to sign on, (it was within walking distance) they rarely looked at my job search. It was more asking what I'd done.

I'm fairly sure you always had to attend the jobcentre once a fortnight to sign on, and if you didn't sign on, you didn't get paid.