Today, I visited my local Jobcentre as requested in a letter I received asking me to produce my passport, 6 months of bank statements, my children's birth certificates, utility bills, rent agreement. I previously provided all these documents when I opened a claim for Income Support in June of last year. I was also required to attend last week and seen a different advisor. Today, the advisor put me under tremendous pressure to close my claim for Income Support and open a new claim for Job Seekers Allowance today. He also said that if I did this he would not need to scrutinise my documents (I have nothing to hide!) and that if I closed my claim before it was a year old they would be given credit for it. I have no idea what that actually means but can only imagine that it is a statistical target they must meet. He photocopied the stamps in my passport of trips that I have made with my parents and left somebody else's bank statement on the desk with circles around amounts he obviously intended to query. Even though I felt bullied and pressurised I refused to do what he asked so he booked me another appointment for the day before my claim is a year old to give me time to think about it. He also mistakenly almost emailed me his home telephone number to contact him on but advised me he would be disciplined if he gave this to me but added he could give it to me outside the building and we could become friends if I ended my claim.
My youngest DD was four last year and I have struggled to find work over the past year I believe mostly, because I have young children. I am about to sit my final exam to qualify as an acupuncturist and herbalist and have been studying since my youngest child was born.
I have been actively volunteering, studying and looking for work for the past year was employed full time up until three days before the birth of my youngest DD. I have felt incredibly stressed, upset and frankly abused since the meeting this morning.
Should I complain? Do I have any grounds to complain? Should I just agree to claim JSA and attend and sign on for work every two weeks?