I suffer from anxiety which manifests as panic attacks and agoraphobia. For the past year I've been claiming jobseekers (I was turned down for ESA) and I've now been told I have now been placed on a work programme by the local Disability Employment Advisor. Sadly the Work Programme is based in Leicester, which is about 15 miles from my home. Although my agoraphobia has really improved I am still not able to travel that far. I therefore telephoned the work programme provider who couldn't understand why I had been referred to them in lieu of my problem with getting to them and I should speak to the jobcentre. I then called the jobcentre and spoke to my disability employment advisor who waffled a bit, said the provider shouldn't have referred me back and that basically I had to go or face having sanctions applied to my jobseekers allowance. n.b. I've been told that telephone interviews aren't acceptable and I have to attend in person.
I'm therefore stuck as to what to do. I'm being passed around with no one taking responsibility and know that I probably won't be able to attend the work programme appointments. I do want to work and have been looking, applying for and attending interviews in my home town. I also spend 5hrs a day volunteering for a local charity, so it's not as if I haven't been proactive.
Does anyone else have any experience of this happening to them? Or any suggestions as to what steps I could take to try and sort this out. It's all very frustrating.