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keiko78

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  1. Starting a new thread as my work programme one was finished with and I'm relieved about that. I've contacted Ingeus requesting a copy of their exit report. It's been a week so I think I need to contact them again. The Ingeus adviser recommended to me to call a number for 'mandatory reconsideration into the support group' after they'd spoken to the jobcentre as my condition had gotten worse on the programme and they haven't been able to help me. Since leaving the programme I received a letter offering me support from the jobcentre DEA but that this was voluntary. I've had too much stress and pain lately to agree to see their DEA. I received the WCA form through for reassessment and its been filled in and sent back some weeks ago. So they'll be updated on my new condition. I don't know how long this will take or when will I get called in for an ATOS assessment? My reassessment is slightly complicated because my partner has just started part-time work so they have 2 issues to sort out. I don't even know if Ill get ESA because he works 21 hours per week. This has had a knock on affect, his carers allowance has stopped and my housing benefit has stopped. My latest 2 letters from them 3 weeks ago said; firstly that my claim for ESA had cancelled. (We think this happened because my partner started what he thought was part-time work but was over the limit making it fulltime, then he got changed to another department taking him under the limit). The 2nd letter said I was entitled to ESA but only £35 per week. I've received a WFI from jobcentre but had to get my partner to argue the fact that I'm totally unable to get to the appointment as usual so a phone call. Again a problem but we got through it. The 'work coach' wanted to know how I got on in the work programme, so I explained I'd made it to a large amount of the appointments but much less in the last section of it. I told her I'd finished a course at college with great difficulty and with advice from my gp to concentrate on pain relief for my condition rather than start a new course and was told by the work coach that as I'm currently in the WRAG I need to be in some kind of training. I have told her I'm unable to (I can't do it, I can't afford it and I can't access most places and I'm over 25! I've done the free courses like functional skills and gcses. I felt so angry ]when I came off the phone. Am I still mandated to take part in these unhelpful interviews while I'm in the reassessment process? Any comments/advice are welcomed and I thank you in advance.
  2. Quick reply, updating because it's been ages. Ingeus reduced my regular appointments gradually to 4 weekly, I was given an end date that I went along with but knew I'd be there longer. Then early in the year was told a mistake had been made and I'd have a further 6 months or so to actually attend. I've received a new diagnosis from my consultant and been on a course of medication that's messed up my system and I've been out of sorts. Hopefully this period of stabilisation will remain. Because of my overall condition getting worse I wasn't able to maintain contact by attending appointments, my partner having to reschedule. Then I was assigned another employment adviser whom I would call more of a heavy weight. First she knew very little about me but by the end she'd admitted that she'd previously spoken to the job centre about my case so could advise me! I had to tell her I have the right to a private room and no I have done nothing to look for work because I'm incapable of working that's why I'm in the ESA WRAG! That place seems to use different people to approach using repetitive questions. I have since spoken with my partner to her over the phone and next week should be my last appointment. She has recommended a mandatory reconsideration and to be placed in the support group.
  3. Thanks Mr. P that's a damn fine response to give them, I wish I could have thought of something like that at the time. This has to be my new mantra if (or should I say when) she tries it again. *Goes off to scribble it down on memo pad* I didn't expect to get asked such personal questions, it's so intrusive.
  4. With summer and one thing or another I've been unable to get online to add my last appointment to this thread. So here is a short version of what I remember. The new woman arrives in the private waiting room, she says who she is but not what she does (This seems to be the norm). She goes straight into asking me ''How are things with you?'' and ''Has anything changed since attending my last appointment with xxxxxx (the previous Employment Advisor)?'' I said that I was looking at courses and will start a new one in September when I've decided. Then she asked ''And have your meds changed?'' to which I responded ''Errr no.'' (I haven't told her I do or don't take meds) So she came back with ''What no they haven't? Or no you're not taking any?'' It was very awkward because I do take meds but I didn't want to talk to her about it. Towards the end of the appointment she offered me 'my' travel expenses of £xx.xx (saying it like I always receive travel expenses) to which I told her I don't travel by public transport and I've never received any travel expenses. A few days later I received the follow-up standard Ingeus letter through the post telling me the date of the next appointment, which also included the 'agreed action' at my last appointment which has now become mandatory! There was no agreement in it, I was going to do a course before I went to the appointment and that didn't change while I was there or when I left. My next appointment is coming up soon.
  5. Well I attended my appointment this week, to find out at reception that I wasn't on their list to see anyone today. Great, so I had a stressful day for nothing. Grrr! The receptionist then went away and came back to tell me that my next appointment date is in 6 weeks time, didn't I get the letter? Err no I didn't! They just confuse me. The letter arrived this morning from Ingeus, 10 days after the letter date, stating my activities for the next appointment will be "to attend appointment with new advisor (full name) and start 2nd year". Anyway, it was good to learn that I can now be Ingeus stress free for 6 weeks, phew!
  6. I've been back to the Programme Manager for a meeting and the Access course can not run part-time and if it could (like it used to for all students) it would still be too intensive for me and that I would be better off looking at other courses instead. So back to the drawing board. I'm on the 'Steps to work' programme because I was looking into doing the next level course, I'm unable to do the next level course because it's too intensive so I shouldn't surely be on this programme. Grr!
  7. This letter is from the current Employment Advisor. Which tells me that the date of my next appointment is this week not a different week. The Employment Advisor informs me that "my next appointment will be with a lady who will work with me for the last 12 months of the Steps to Work programme." That's all I'm being told. I'm wondering if it's normal for a change of Employment Advisor in the last 12 months of this type of programme? Or whether it is going to be somebody in a different role?
  8. Bonus! I was able to change to another advisor. Phew! At least this one is approachable and there's two way dialogue. Problem solved
  9. I received a letter this week out of the blue telling me that the usual Employment Advisor will no longer be seeing me. I am now invited to attend an appointment this week at their office but have not been provided with a name or job title for this new mystery person so I'm feeling somewhat left in the dark! So frustrating. A new chapter begins...
  10. I treat anybody with respect who treats me with respect and when they don't I find them difficult to work with because of the imbalance. Unfortunately people who are WP Advisors or in my case a Steps to work Advisor they don't have a very good reputation for being respectful to their clients. When advisors work in underhanded ways, throwing out sanctions to manipulate people in a bullish way and not working in a transparent way they surely have an agenda just to meet targets and keep their jobs and it is not the wellbeing of the client thats the focus. I'm disabled so without going into detail on a public forum, I like to know my rights so that I'm not a push over and don't end up feeling more unwell due to the programme's agenda, I try with the help of my own medical team to manage my condition. So I always appreciate the feedback to my queries about whether I have to provide an email or how often I am mandated to go in.
  11. Yep I checked his address where he was living at the time and nothing was registered. (It just sounded like too much of a miracle ending, I couldn't believe there would be any law on the side of the people in this day and age.) Thanks so much for putting my nightmare problem into a new perspective. Much, much appreciation.
  12. I've got the dates muddled up. It was Sept 2008 my partner was made redundant due to the company closing the branch. This was when my partner was unable to make payments. So if a CCJ was registered it would have been just in the period after redundancy, so it would still show on the list waiting to come off. So then a CCJ might not have been taken out against my partner?
  13. Thanks, I will drop by on your thread too as its good to learn from each others experiences. Yeah the form is too loosely worded and only seems to benefit them. I wouldn't trust them over the phone either. Jeez, checking out this HCP on the register has been a real eye opener for you, with gross misconduct in NHS and now employed by Ingeus.
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