I little birdie tells me…..

[catherinem]

I would just like to impart a bit of advice, as a person who’s just completed their Mandatory Work Related Activity as part of the DWP’s quest to get me into gainful employment I learnt a few things. Don’t ask me where I have got this info from, I’m not allowed to tell you, but it is a stark warning to anybody out there who’s currently on Jobseeker’s Allowance.

As there’s probably going to be quite a lot of people thanks to Cameron and friends finding that their ESA (employment support allowance) or their Incapacity Benefit has been stopped due to a decision made by our friends ATOS during their WCA (work capability assessment) and find themselves moved over to JSA. We all know the work capability assessment is not fit for purpose, a friend of mine with bi-polar disorder was moved over to JSA after been deemed by ATOS as “fit to work” the poor guy had come out of hospital after a 2 month stay 13 weeks previously. So anything is possible where ATOS is concerned (and those ATOS b%&!*£ds could be assessing our DLA/personal independence payment too if Cameron and friends get their way).

Here are a few tips if you find yourself in your local Jobcentre Plus signing on!

Insist on getting an appointment to see the specialist disability advisor. There should be an advisor who specialises in helping Jobseekers that have disabilities. If you don’t ask to see them you will get assigned an advisor who has no experience or training with regards to helping jobseekers with disabilities. The disability advisor at my local Jobcentre Plus however is a very busy man he covers several Jobcentres across Coventry and Warwickshire. It might be tricky trying to get an appointment to see them but persevere.

From the outset be clear about what work is possible for you, the people that sign you on and quiz you about what you’ve been doing about getting work only know what the average person on the street knows bout TS – very little. If you have the little fact cards that you get with an identic card, give them one, explain clearly to them how your TS and your co-morbidities effect you and the jobs that you apply for.

If after a year of job hunting and you still find yourself signing on you will be referred to a training provider. There are different ones up and down the country, such as A4E and Pertemps. When your Jobcentre refer you …listen to this carefully…THEY WILL NOT TELL THEM OF ANY DISABILITIES THAT YOU MAY HAVE. So therefore when you get to see your new advisor at the training provider they know nothing about you, so again you need to tell them about your TS and your co-morbidities, luckily for me, after the initial shock of meeting me my advisor was quite open to the challenge of working with me and did a bit of research as I suggested via the TA website. You will be seeing quite a bit of your advisor so you need to build up a good relationship with them. It’s best to get this done early on as this will have a bearing on the Mandatory Work Related Activity you do later on (that’s 4 weeks of work experience or class room activity)

I’ve just completed my 4 weeks of Mandatory Work Related Activity, it could have gone better but that was due to the fact that my broadband was down and I was supposed to be working from home 3 out of 5 days. Had I not been so vocal about my abilities and my experience I could have quite easily been sent to a role that would have been quite detrimental to my mental health and also would be a real step backwards on the CV. Job wise I have been guided towards self-employment, it reflects my needs and also the fact that I’m quite a creative person who enjoys having some control over what they do. I’ve been allocated a very helpful business start-up advisor and through my local community centre was introduced to a local social enterprise project providing help and training for budding entrepreneurs. I’ve been on bookkeeping courses and I’m currently doing an e-commerce course, these courses have been a great opportunity to meet other people who are just starting up their own businesses. The future could indeed be rosy. However I need to get my application for grants in quickly as there is something else that the Coalition might cut!

[LittleClapham]

I've been a bit worried that I am going to be deemed 'suitable for work'. At the moment, I am not, at least not paid work. At the moment I am (eventually) going to volunteer at an animal shelter, but I'm also looking into a local service called the Papworth trust. I'm not sure if they are any good yet... I was supposed to go visit on Tuesday but I had flu and so did the lady who I was supposed to be visiting... but it certainly looks good. They've also said they can cope with my Tourettes, which the lady on the phone certainly could because I was shouting, cursing and squeaking the whole time my support worker was on the phone! They train people for work who have got ANY disability, whether it be physical, mental or sensory. It looks good As for the government... {sticks up middle finger}

[catherinem]

I wouldn't stress about it too much, just ensure that you get the support that you need from your support workers and that anybody that's envolved with your benefits/job hunting/training are aware of your needs.