Published on 12, July, 2020
Okay, YOU don't have to laugh, but I almost found myself laughing at an e-mail I received yesterday. Hopefully, it will be clear as to why later.
During the summer of 2022, my work coach at the job centre informed me that she needed to refer me to the DWP Work & Health Programme. During an initial telephone conversation with the person who was to be my key worker, I explained my various physical and mental health issues and how they affected my daily life. I felt I had painted a fairly clear picture of what my day-to-day life can be like, and made it clear that unless I was in a better place with my health, I felt the chances of me even considering work were slim. The keyworker intimated that although there was support for physical and mental health issues, it would only be offered for physical health OR mental health, but not both. In my case, I feel the two are very much intertwined. As the impression given in the Work & Health Programme literature is that it is tailored to the individual, let's just say that I was left feeling thoroughly unimpressed.
To cut a long story short, my dealings with the organisation running the Work & Health Programme did not do my health any good whatsoever, to the extent that my work coach removed me from the programme, told the organisation running it not to contact me, and insisted I go down the Limited Capability for Work route.
The content of the e-mail I received yesterday is irrelevant, but the fact I received it more than 12 months after being removed from the Work & Health programme is what I find almost laughable. It doesn't exactly fill one with confidence when the organisations the UK government seems to favour to deliver such programmes would be completely incapable of organising a p*ss-up in a brewery.
I hate to say it, but why does this not surprise me?
With a lot of these schemes, I think aside from a lack of awareness and understanding about autism, there can also be a lack of communication between the job centre and the organisations the DWP awards the contracts to.
Bon.
I was put on the old work programme and was sent letters demanding I must turn up at the providers office or I would be sanctioned. When I did turn up I was asked "Why are you here?" They seemed to have no idea what to do with me other than to look on a computer for work. The whole system for finding work for for autistic people is flawed as there is little understanding of our needs. No wonder there is an unemployment rate of 97%.
Prior to being awarded Limited Capability for Work, I think I had been incredibly fortunate to have a work coach who was incredibly understanding. I suspect this may have had something to do with the fact that she often suffered from depression and anxiety, and therefore could relate to some of my issues. From my perspective, it was as though she went the extra mile to avoid putting me in situations that were likely to exacerbate my issues.
It's a shame that the work coach you encountered appeared to lack understanding and empathy.
It's going back some years ago, but I remember the job centre referring me to an organisation to assist me with my CV. This was before ASD had become part of my vocabulary. My experience was not that dissimilar to yours Allyboo.
On account of being a mother, it was assumed that I obviously excelled at time-keeping, multi-tasking, conflict resolution, etc. I felt the CV I had ended up with did not accurately describe me at all, and I made my feelings clear.
In my case, it would appear the DWP Work & Health Programme had been delivered by two charitable organisations (Steps to Work and Shaw Trust).
To the best of knowledge, my limited dealings had only ever been with Shaw Trust, but according to the e-mail I received, it was Steps to Work that had been my Work & Health Programme provider.
The purpose of the e-mail had simply been to notify me that Steps to Work is exiting its contract with the DWP. Irrespective of which organisation had actually been my provider, that e-mail was completely irrelevant considering I was withdrawn from the Work & Health Programme over 12 months ago.
Anyway, I am pleased you found cause to laugh too Goosey.
Maybe she's in denial of herself.
I was great at French at school.
Yes, the world's gone mad indeed.
It's a mad world. At one job centre interview I informed my work coach that I had autistic tendencies, she dismissed my words and told me that in her opinion I was 100% normal. Five minutes later she told me off for having slightly unorthodox body language.
This might be why I failed french at school LMAO :D
I've had similar experiences going through DWP unemployment system. I started with them around 2009 as a regular unemployed person (I had no official diagnoses at that time) and was on JSA. I was therefore expected to do a lot under this 'regime' (as I heard them describe it themselves) e.g. Intensive Activity Period for a month or so I think it was. As it all inevitably went badly for me it became apparent even for them that it wasn't working (for them or me). At one stage I mandatorily had to attend one if the contracted out finding work/training type organisations very regularly each week. In their first appointment letter it stated 'we look forward to our appointment and helping find the right job for you'. I thought 'they sound very confident'. In time the letter wording changed to 'help find a job for you'. My time with them ground to a halt i.e. disintegrated completely and I hear from them all extremely rarely at all these days (especially with the coronavirus pandemic I guess). I wondered if had I continued with them a future letter would've said something exasperated like 'just get a job you lazy git!'. I've had two diagnoses via NHS during this time and am 'parked' on ESA support group (whereas I was previously in the work related activity group) limited capability to work due to mental illness. Nowadays they don't bother me and I don't bother them, a bit if a status quo. With one governmental services type support worker she criticised me when I described myself honestly as having dysfunctional behavioural tendencies generally, 'you shouldn't describe yourself as dysfunctional, you should be more positive' 'ok, I'm positive I have dysfunctional behavioural tendencies' I replied. She was being dysfunctional about dysfunction imo. I wanted to laugh and was able to resist it. During my time with it all I have also noticed that sometimes it seems to be unacceptable for me to behave with them in certain ways e.g. 'we do not accept angry aggressive behaviour' and yet I've experienced such behaviour from them, a bit like at school in 'the olden days' etc #hypocrisy
It's not French Goosey, I think it's Romanian.
BUT... DON'T CLICK ON THE LINK!
Ben
Spam
French spam lol XD
Lol XD that genuinely made me laugh as well. For once insomnia has brought me something good....
I wonder why it took so long to get to you
Better late than never :P