Mental illness

The job centre have now referred me to the government RESTART scheme, run by a private company called Maximus.

Yesterday I had my induction, phone appointment.  As part of this induction they asked about my health and disabilities and the women on the line often repeated what I said, to double check the accuracy.  I mentioned autism, she repeated, ' you suffer from the mental illness autism.'


  • Next job centre appointment in 5 days time.  The bus fares are starting to be a financial drain.

    https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/restart-provider-guidance/chapter-6-expenses


  • i remember getting bus tickets paid for me but that was years ago

  • I went to my 10am appointment.

    Next job centre appointment in 5 days time.  The bus fares are starting to be a financial drain.

  • Update.

    This week I only have two face to face appointments.

    On Monday I visited Maximus and received some useful information.  That is that it doesn't matter what experience or qualifications one has, or how well you answer interview questions.  What really matters is how likable you are.  The job will go to the person that the interviewer actually likes.  Unfortunately I am very unpopular, unlikable and a social outcast.

    Today I have my universal credit, job centre appointment.  The reminders are driving me nuts.  I have an online journal which I check every day and it clearly informs me of any appointments. 

    Yesterday I received.

    1. An email reminding me of my 10am appointment.
    2. A text message reminding me of my 10am appointment.
    3. Finally an actual voice phone call from the job centre reminding me that I have a 10am appointment.

    I'm tempted not to go to my 10am  appointment and say I forgot.

  • thats like a TV sketch !

  • Let me elaborate on this insanity.

    They were trying to get round the limitations of the computerized booking system.

    I am on UC and I can only be booked into seeing a UC workcoach.

    The person I was supposed to see on the moving forward scheme is NOT a UC workcoach.

    So they booked me into seeing a UC workcoach and the moving forward scheme.

    I arrived and was shown to the moving forward scheme, meanwhile, simultaneously a UC workcoach in a different part of the building was expecting an appointment with me.

    Chaos and confusion.

  • thats doesnt surprise me at all.  they are all disconnected  and you are like a pawn. 

    Dont let them get to you

    once u have attended everything, they will have exhausted their options.

    but keep your eyes open for genuine people who perhaps can get you work you would enjoy,,,,,, or be just good people to know and when something comes up they'll contact u.

  • You need to contact your local Autism Advocate and get them to assist you into making a formal complaint, because they should already of had autism related training as they are subcontracted by the government. I do have to admit that because i am now an autism advocate and have witnessed neurotypical training other neurotypicals about Autism extremely poorly they focus on the low functioning and children and they still educate using outdated and false information I have managed to get three people sacked who where educating doctors, support workers and government workers. their is a massive problem out their with this.

  • An update on this madness.

    Last week's session with the Moving forward scheme at the job centre was cancelled at short notice and rearranged for this week.

    So this week, my diary reads.

    Monday, Maximus, Restart scheme at the deaf and blind centre.

    Tuesday, Moving forward scheme at job centre.

    Thursday, universal credit job search review at job centre.

    Yesterday's moving forward scheme at the job centre was 'mad', I was there ten minutes, on job centre premises on the moving forward scheme.  when I received a phone call from the job centre asking where I was because I was missing my job centre appointment and my benefits would be affected.

    It turned out that the individual running the moving forward scheme was not a universal credit work coach, and a universal credit client can only see universal credit work coaches, so my moving forward appointment was booked to see a different person, rather than the person I was actually seeing.   Confused?   It's how their computer system works.

  • That's what they are trying to do, get me into work.

    Unfortunately when I find work I get fired very quickly because of my autism/body language/behaviour/other unspecified reasons.

  • As unfortunate as the phrasing is, I expect that this is nothing more than a faux pas. Remember that there are going to be certain generational and educational differences with people and that not everyone is up to date with the PC terms.

    I expect that the woman you spoke with was probably taught in early life that it is an illness, or at least phrased as such, and probably doesn't understand the difference between illness and disorder. 

    This might be a really good opportunity for you, to explain your autism to them and educate them for the future so that this doesn't happen again Slight smile

  • Well I wish you all the best Robert 123 with all this,  they love to keep everyone doing hoops. They used to call it playing the game when I was still in the UK. But most places you end up playing the game in one way or another, alas. 

    I couldn't stand being in a position where others had those forms of power over me,  and wish I had seen from the outset that unemployment was no place for me. But in the early 80's there was a lot of underground literature suggesting that paid employment itself was on the way out. Until Lord Young brought in the Restart scheme in the mid 80's.

    I do wish anyone caught up in this kind of circus the best of luck. 

  • I would rather get a job, instead another thing like that, if I did not have a job

     I mean I would expect that from them

  • blimey what does DY do ?

  • I was also 'invited' by the Jobcentre to join an online DY ( Developing you) course.

  • maybe they think,

    you need,

    a Kickstart to Restart and get Moving Forward

  • Just an update.

    This morning I was on my way to the latest scheme, run by the job centre and I got a phone call.  It's been postponed because they've had a positive COVID test and the offices are closed for a deep clean.

    Currently I am on three similar schemes.

    • Kickstart, run by Scope.
    • Restart, run by Maximus.
    • Moving forward, run by Jobcentre staff.
  • Ah, I see.

    So they were seeing you as not being an effective or productive worker, or that you were causing problems in the workplace?

    I gave up on trying to work for people a long time ago, and became self-employed instead. But that comes with its own problems...

  • Of course it's discrimination.

    But, officially I was fired because employing me, with my "bizzare behaviour", was not cost effective.