Do these "Work Coaches" actually help disabled people get jobs?

[chancein1]

I only ask, as I went to an appointment with my disabled friend who was terminated for absence relating to her disabilities.

The coach didn't offer her any help other than to say I know someone who got a remote job that would suit you.

She offered no help to find any job at all let alone a suitable one! No signposting nothing.

My friend has looked for remote jobs and they are practically non existent.

How is the Government going to make all these cuts when there is no support?

Went to an interview with a friend, he has a form of dementia. They kept suggesting totally inappropriate jobs. He was later sanctioned for refusing interviews. Truth was that they’d ring him and tell him and he wouldn’t remember.

I dont understand where the jobs are supposed to be. Employers dont want people who take time off from appointments, cant work at a certain pace etc. I also think some tories are making sounds about reducing worker rights now we have left the EU which isnt going to help people with disabilities either.

I know plenty of people with disabilities work but thats because they can. Its a strange assumption to think those that arent in work is because they dont want to be.

Wow your poor friend!

I didn't believer her tall tale about the job somebody found either. She couldn't answer any questions about it when my friend queried. It sounds like a way to blame people who are in great difficulty.

@Spendonsend Exactly a lot of them do want to work but many get terminated on trumped up charges or managers out.

That is horrific if they reduce workers rights further.

My (albeit limited) experience of work coaches is they can make suggestions but it is up to the clients to follow through. They can help with CV, you can ask for help with job interview skills or work experience, where to look for jobs etc - but it is still up to the client to do the ongoing graft of finding jobs, applying, etc.

They have suggested remote work, it is now up to your friend to spend time to research and investigate further what type of remote work is available /would suit her. If she can't work out how to do that (the Internet would be the obvious place to start) if she shows her work coach what she had done and where she hot a dead end they would make some suggestions. They are not there to do it for her. Coaching anywhere is a two way process, she needs to tell them what she specifically needs help with in her search for a job.

I know it's her job search, but she needs help as she is not capable of doing it without support. I have offered to help her but there is nothing that she could do apart from remote jobs.

The Government said there were pushing the disabled to get remote jobs and there were thousands of them. That's not true! I found only one for her and she found the same one during her search!

Plus aren't they calling all the civil servants back to the office too?

Is he not handing in sick notes ? He can be assessed for work capability.

I had a work coach years ago. She was useless. I'd be sent on inaccessible courses because she didn't think it was relevant that I needed things in large print.

I was then sent to someone else who moaned at me for cancelling an appointment due to illness.

I think that the Job Center need to employ specialist staff with manageable case loads to work with disabled people., My understanding is that work coaches have large caseloads and there is a high turnover of staff. Some of the clients I work with have had to leave work as even when their employer has made adjustments such as WFH they have been unable to cope. Others that I support really want to find a job but their medical condition/s would mean that they would need so much support in the workplace that it is unlikely that an employer would take them on.

Ex work coach here. The fact is, ‘work coach’ is a bit of a misnomer these days. They receive absolutely no career coach training. There ARE still specialist disability advisers and it would probably really help to ask to be referred to one of these. Work coaches have huge caseloads and short appointments so getting people’s benefits sorted and ensuring they’re keeping to their commitments is pretty much all they have time for. There are usually external providers that you can ask to be referred to for help with job searching, cvs, application forms etc. It’s all been outsourced for a number of years now.

@Babyroobs He is handing in sick notes, it’s farcical, it actually looks like he is being targeted and we can’t figure out why. The GP is writing a letter of complaint, we will see what happens next!

Odd that he's been sanctioned then. There are still some appointments with the work coach whilst someone is waiting to be assessed, but if he has sick notes they shouldn't really be pushing him too hard to look for work until he's been assessed.

My step son took a year to write his CV, the work coach thought this was great. He was moved from the limited capability to look for work and work related activity' to the limited capability to look for work group. He hasn't been offered a single training course because he told the work coach he didn't feel like going . Now, he's been sent a reassessment and will probably be moved on to fit for work as his mental health problems shouldn't technically prevent him from working. Such is his anxiety about this that he's made himself extremely ill. This won't be on the reassessment as it occured after submitting the form. In the mean time, we're expected to support a 28 yr old on £300 a month with no other assistance as he 'lives at home'

Was she claiming ESA with evidence from her medical team that she couldn't do whatever? That should have given some her some help depending on which group she was in?

There's no end of help from agency websites like indeed but generally if she applies but doesn't get interviews it's not her fault.

Is there more to it?

@chancein1 has your friend applied fir ESA? If she is disabled and can’t do the search on her own, it sounds like it would be a good fit for her.

Is your frienbd handing in sick notes to UC to be assessed for fitness to work?

Even if she is found unfit for work and work activity she can still look for a job in her own time, she just won't be hassled by the job centre.

@Babyroobs
problems are he forgets to turn up for checks and balances. Also problems with Pip.
I went with him for his assessment, I’m sure the physio had a really good understanding of degenerative brain disease. So good she failed him. We are currently at appeal stage.

Good to know thanks for the information.
I'll pass that on. I think she will need a specialist disability adviser.

I think she is in an ESA group and she is under a doctor.

She wants to work, it's just that she is not finding the process very helpful.

I'm not sure what you mean by very helpful agencies on indeed?

Our son graduated in 2015,he's had seven work coaches and he's still not found a job.
The fifth one was very keen and he was quite close to getting a part time job but the prospective employer decided he 'wasn't disabled enough'.

If she is receiving ESA, she shouldn’t need to attend anything re looking for work.
How many hours was she doing before?

Oh that's ridiculous. I'm sorry to hear that.

@LeRougeEtLeNoir She was full-time

Just seen some very worrying headlines regarding benefits and NHS medication Looks like workfare is due for a return too. This time three years ago we were in mini Lockdown 2 because we were told "its all about the health" Those of us who could see through the bullshit that they cared about health were shouted down. Some of us knew they would go back to the default setting

I'm so worried about the latest news.
I have reasonable adjustments under the Equalities Act in my part time job because I have Schizoaffective disorder & epilepsy and can't cope with full time employment due to fatigue from my meds plus stress & tiredness make my symptoms worse.
I don't get ESA as I work too many hours but I'm scared to cut down a shift in case I get ESA then lose it & can't get the shift back.
I rely on PIP to top up my part time wage & pay for essentials & can't afford for any of that to be cut.

If the Tories get rid of the Equalities Act I'll probably lose my contract & struggle to get another job.

Also I have medical exemption for prescriptions on the NHS which is lucky as I have over 11 separate meds, just waiting to start meds for heart valve disease as well.
So are they threatening to make everyone pay for all prescriptions too??