I don't know what to do about jobcentre situation

[Nightmarewithjobcentre]

2 years ago I had cancer, with lockdown my op and treatment was delayed for months.

I was working but on furlough so financially I was OK.

After I had my op I lost the use of one of my arms, and there was some nerve damage. They have also diagnosed FND.

I am in pain 24/7, I cant move my head and neck, I sleep very poorly as I wake every time I move, I'm on 7 different medications, and I have no feeling in my arm, alongside this my voice sometimes goes for up to a week at a time.

After furlough I applied for benefits, as I couldn't do my (very physical) job anymore they told me to quit rather than keep being signed off.

Since then I had one phone appointment and have been declared fit to work.

Every week I go to the jobcentre and get berated because I can't think of a job I can do.

I appealed, nobody contacted me, and it came back again that because I could raise one arm above my head I could work.

I absolutely can't, if I could I would. I put it for an independent reconsideration, and the letter today said it could take several months. Meantime the jobcentre said I need to keep looking for work or they will stop all my money.

I'm already up to my eyes in debt, completely on the bones of my arse here.

My worker is particularly unpleasant, one of my dc is in part time education just now due to a condition, that child goes into school and my little one comes out of nursery, they don't allow dc in the jobcentre so the only way I can go is if my friend bbysits after 4, unfortunately she has covid right now, so I asked if I could change the appt to a few days time, and she has changed it to school hours which I can do, and then told me I'm being deliberatly obstructive.

I have worked for 30 years, never once had a period of unemployment, and I seriously cannot work right now. I'm sure the independent review will come back agreeing that I cant, so I'm supposed to look for work, apply for jobs I can't do, keep up being spoken down to every week and be threatened to have absolutely nothing to feed my kids with if I don't comply with rules I physically can't follow.

I don't know what to do, or who can help, I cannot keep this up for several months.

I've been told to get a laptop, I can't afford one, they told me to use the library, but I cant get there during the day.

Does anyone have any idea what I can do, at this present moment in time I honestly don't want to even be here having to beg the jobcentre for a tiny scrap of compassion so I don't have to freeze and starve.

You are being failed.

Firstly you’re only require to look for work up to 25 hours a week.

Secondly it sounds like you are a carer for your disabled child. Please apply for PIP for him and carers allowance. Also report to UC that you are a carer. This means that when Pip is awarded and the carers allowance awarded the carers element will also be applied.

Complain about your work coach she sounds an absolute nightmare and is not what a work coach is there for.

Thank you, I will.

It started when I got sick and its taken phases of getting so much better, but lately I'm up in the night running her baths a lot and she literally can't be left alone as she can hurt herself (she can't even use a pencil sometimes as she accidently stabbed herself on a couple of occassions).

I know I sound really stupid, but I've just never been through this before and have no clue what I'm doing wrt to benefits.

You are not permitted to record in a Jobcentre without permission, it is illegal. They cannot ban you from taking a child with you. Are you able to submit a Fit Note with a different condition listed to the ones's you had previously? assuming you have more than one? Stress perhaps ? You can then go through a new medical reassessment. You can also request to see a different work coach - ask to speak to their team leader if they won't agree to this themself. Just stay calm, try not to get angry or shout.

I've told my advisor about my dc and the tourettes as she was adamant I could leave dc alone in the morning, even now she doesn't really accept it as an excuse.

Can I just say that I'm a carer for my dc with tourettes without having the carers or PIP?

I'm sure I can, I have a few conditions and only have a sick note for one.

Do I just submit this to the jobcentre?

This is awful.

Apply PIP for yourself and DLA for your DC tomorrow.

Do apply for PIP for you and DLA for DC. The the DLA form use the Cerebra guide to help you.

Does DC have an EHCP? If not, you should apply. If DC cannot attend school full time the LA have a statutory duty to provide alternative education.

Have you had social care assessments? A care assessment and a carer’s assessment for you and an assessment via the disabled children’s team for DC.

You don’t have to apply for carers but you do need to apply for PIP for son.

this is some info from web. Can I ask roughly where you are in UK. Sounds like you need some support.

Carer's Element
This element is £168.81 per month.
You can get this element if you are providing care for at least 35 hours per week for someone who gets
Attendance Allowance, or
The highest or middle rate care component of Disability Living Allowance or Child Disability Payment, or
Daily living component of Personal Independence Payment, or
Armed Forces Independences Payment, or
Constant Attendance Allowance of £75.50 per week paid with Industrial Injuries Benefit or War Disablement Pension.
You do not have to claim Carer's Allowance to get this element.
Unlike Carer's Allowance where you are prevented from claiming if you are earning above a certain level (£132 per week for 2022/23), for the Carer's Element your level of earnings does not prevent you from claiming. However, as the Carer's Element is a part of Universal Credit (UC), which is means tested, your earnings and other income will affect how much Universal Credit overall you are entitled to.

Yes all of these too.

this is awful to read, I’m so sorry they’re putting you through this

Your situation is appalling OP.

I thought the welfare state was exactly for this type of situation eg to be there in your hour of need .
I cannot imagine a more depressing dehumanising circumstance.
You have to wonder how anyone navigates all this , I'm sure it's designed to be so difficult that people give up trying .

CornishTiger it is DLA for children.

I'd really recommend you speaking to these people and am sorry you are being treated so awfully.
www.fightback4justice.co.uk/

@AReallyUsefulEngine of course! I’m really tired today. I know this.

OP - some really good advice here

keep plodding on with the current appeal for the ESA
apply for PIP for you and DLA for your child.

On reassessment - you need to have a new condition or evidence that a current condition is significantly worse. You can add to the journal and request a new work capability assessment (carry on with the appeal so that if you are placed in support group and eligible for extra money it goes from the start of the ESA claim.)

Citizens Advice or other charities may be able to help with forms and appeals. You can complain. I agree with adding things on the journal so that they are in writing.

This link to the Tourette’s charity has ideas about pip claims and some would be relevant for DLA. This has more on the child/education side.

sorry you are going through this.

@Nightmarewithjobcentre It is also worth pointing out that, as a cancer patient you are covered for life by the Equality Act, meaning they cannot discriminate against you, even if your treatment was a while ago. Make sure to draw attention to this in your complaint.

I wish you luck.

I don’t really understand this comment, We are all legally protected against discrimination for life. Be it on medical grounds, disability, sex, religion, etc. discrimination is illegal.

All the best and positivity op

When I last signed on, they had some 'professionals' come in to rejig your CVs. I say 'Professionals' because the CV she gave me back had so many typos and spelling mistakes, it was unbelievable! I must say though apart from one incident, the staff were very good. One guy in particular, told me about Smart works - which can give you an interview suit and has get together evenings. I also went on mainly useless courses but it got me out the flat and I was able to use their computers to print off CVs. If there not a cafe near you with computer access. What are they called? Network cafes?? I think they charge £1.50 an hour or so.

I agree with another poster. Apply for at least 5 jobs a day. Mention your disability. Don't go into too much detail. You know you wont be 'top of the tree' to be interviewed, but that woman then cannot complain if you are toeing the line and 'playing their game'.

The only time I was treated like shit was when my dad had died. My mum is not mobile so I had to go down to see how she would cope and get carers in etc etc. I told the London end that I would not be able to sign on for about two weeks and could I sign on in Hampshire. They said yes and gave me a form to give them. The charming woman there said as far as she was concerned, I was having a holiday and the form was the wrong one. Well, excuse me, I did not pick a form from random off a desk, it was handed to me!!!

When I got back to London, they were shocked at the attitude (I brought back a death certificate for them to put in my file). They said everything was fine and I would not lose my money.

My friend told me about a guy who lived in the same block of flats as her. These were private flats they had bought. He lost his job and had to sign on for the first time in his life and was treated like shit. He ended up in hospital after taking an overdose of pills.

I suppose some of the courses I went on are not available everywhere but some at the job centre were things like how to manage your money. I also had a good lady who went through exactly what sort of jobs I could apply for but I was able bodied and like you would rather work than not.

One course was retail and we were supposed to then work somewhere in Westfield afterwards. That came to nothing, ho hum!

Sorry, of course we are all protected. What I meant was the JC can’t say to the OP that she is “better” (for want of a better word) and so that any previous adjustments/allowances no longer apply. I am gobsmacked that she has been found fit for work.

Hi OP,

just to clarify, are you on Universal Credit or Jobseekers Allowance? Or both?

Just you mentioned a journal which sounds like Universal Credit, but it doesn’t sound like you’ve been through a work capability assessment like you would if it was Universal Credit.

Have you applied for PIP? PIP is completely separate to JSA and UC and the money you receive from a PIP claim would not reduce the money you get from UC.

God lord. This is just horrific. I don’t know about the long term problem an appealing that you should clearly be on DSA however I’m very surprised they won’t allow children in the job centre. I’ve recently been made to attend some appointments and they were happy for me to bring dc along and said some people will come with 5/6 kids in tow. Can you request just to change ‘work coach’? Is the no children really a blanket policy? I have said I couldn’t attend twice due to dc and they were happy to re schedule my appts. Something isn’t right there. They expect you to look for work when your children are 3 yet not many three yo’s would be in full time education so it’s just not realistic to expect parents to be able to turn up at any time.

Imagine a job that you are physically and mentally capable of doing. Set aside whether such a job exists and whether you would be the best person for the job. Clearly you have some capabilities - you wouldn't be able to post on mumsnet if you didn't.

In order to get jobseekers allowance you need to be spending 30 hours a week actively seeking work. So you need your childcare arrangements in place to cover you for 30 hours a week. Don't UC calculations cover 80% of childcare costs? Spend 30 hours each week putting in the required number applications. It doesn't matter if it's obvious that you won't get the job. Every job advertised at the moment gets at least 100 applications that might as well just say "I don't really want this job I just have to put in the application to get my benefits". Obviously if a job you actually have a realistic chance of doing comes up then go for it, but in the absence of such a miracle just put in applications for clearly inappropriate ones that are the least inappropriate from what is available.

If you can't have your children in childcare for 30 hours a week - eg if your DCs additional needs mean they can't attend mainstream childcare options - then you're a carer not a jobseeker - obviously carer's allowance is even more of a derisory pittance than jobseeker's but at least you don't have to prove that you are job seeking.

Apply for the DLA firm for your child online now. This means that however long it takes you to fill out, payments will be backdated to when you applied for the form

When you're filling it out do it as if she's having her worst possible symptoms on her worst possible day. My DS has a condition which can vary day to day like tourists, but I always write about his absolute hardest most difficult behaviour/symptoms.

It's not easy to do, focusing on all the things your child cannot do, but it could mean roughly £300 a month towards her needs/your family.

Best of luck. I have experience of the system and I am so sorry you're having to go through this.