Showing results for tags 'ingeus'.
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I always fill out the typical Ingeus template forms when doing a jobsearch at the Ingeus office, I fill in the job i've applied for and the website I have used but have never filled out the space where it asks the name of the company/agency the job belongs I've applied for is with. Today I was told in pretty harsh terms I had to start filling this out or it was a sanctionable offence. I record my jobs applied for on the Universal Jobmatch website and I have email evidence of all jobs applied for which I produce every time I sign on at the local job centre. Does Ingeus have a right to see which company/agency I am applying for when I produce this evidence each fortnight when I go to the job centre and can they send a sanction to the job centre for me not putting down which company/agency I am applying for work at? I'm applying and recording proof of at least ten jobs each day at home and when I'm on a "jobsearch" activity at the actual Ingeus office too. Their claim today is that this is for their "records" but surely the only people who have a right to know which company/agency my applications are for is the job centre adviser when I sign on each fortnight and whom I provide the evidence of job search to every time? Could anyone please provide any feedback or information? Thanks.
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my friend cancelled his JSA claim today and has appointment booked with his ingeus advisor tomorrow, he has asked me if he can still get sanctioned for not attending as he is switching from JSA to ESA? sorry to keep going on but he keeps asking me. -
Early this year i went on the sick due to illness and depression, so i was sent to the working well group at ingeus met my key worker who at the time was lovely we went into a room on our own as am a very privet person and dont like others knowing my business, so we got chatting and i told her all about what lead to my depression and illness about the abuses i suffered in the hands of my husband, after this meeting with her i then became aware she was the cousin, of the girl that is going out with my husband When i found this out i went to my job center and told my adviser, so she then phoned her manger up to tell her i could not work with her, so in the mean time i was given an other key worker but on the day i went back to Ingeus my new key worker was unable to see me but was asked if it was ok for me to see this bloke instead of her for this one time i said yes its ok , so me and this bloke went into a room and sat down, and the first thing that came out off his mouth was spill the beans on why you cant see LB which was the key worker i first met and told all too which i found then they all new why i could not see her, he then wanted me to fill in a booklet and sign so they had my permission to my data which i did not sign and i walked out. A few days later i got an nasty inbox off my husbands girlfriend saying she knows all about me and that i do not work and she is paying for everything for me as she works for a living and that my husband did not abuses me nor my children at all and that her and her cousin have a laugh about people like me that go to Ingues, What a joke i must say that my husband as not known that i was out of work or that am going through mental health and as not known anything about what i have beaning doing for the past 2 years up until i went to Ingues for the first time and saw LB my key worker who is her cousin now thanks to her he and his girlfriend knows everything' I told my work coach at the job center about it all and she as told me i dont need to go back there, i asked her for an email so i can complain but that was over 2 weeks ago and still nothing as been done, i will be going to the police about this and i will be seeking advice on this matter as LB should loose her job over this as anyone else had this happen to them
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Hi, on the 13th August I was referred to Ingeus by my JSA Advisor and told to expect a call off them. On the 15th August I had a severe epileptic seizure caused by stress and was given a sicknote for 12 weeks by my doctor. He thinks, due to me being severely depressed and prone to more seizures, that I should be on ESA. I closed my claim for JSA on the 17th and opened my claim for ESA on the same day. Later that day I had a letter from Ingeus telling me to attend on the 27th. There were no mentions of sanctions or anything like that, but it caused me to become very agitated. I called the number on the letter (their general enquiry number I think) and the man, without asking for any details, told me I still had to attend. Is this correct? My JSA claim is now closed and my ESA claim is being processed. I've never met nor spoken to Ingeus before, so do I still need to go? I'm very ill at the moment and this might make me worse I fear. Obviously in 13 weeks if they put me in WRAG, that's a different situation but right now I am very ill. Any info on this would be very very appreciated! -
Hi, apologies if this is the wrong place to post this but just thought I'd ask for some help. A few weeks ago I was referred to Steps to Success (N.Ireland) with Ingeus being the provider. Having heard bad press about them I Google'd a lot and came across this great forum. The massive Ingeus thread was a massive help and calmed my nerves and I've saved a bunch of information from it such as Freedom of Information posts, operational guidelines from DWP, etc. giving me more confidence on how to deal with them and not be bullied into doing anything I don't have to do just so they can earn a few extra quid. I'm just wondering does the operational guidelines posted from the DWP cover the work programme over in N.Ireland regarding Ingeus? The reason I ask is when I went for my referral meeting I didn't sign the form that allows them to send your data to companies as a lot of people on here said not to do. Of course, the person tried to lie to me and say it's mandatory and I need to sign it, but I pointed out that it said on the form itself that I could withdraw my consent at any point, so the form can't be mandatory and it was dropped. The only issue now is that the whole form signing thing has popped up again and I just wanna make sure those operational guidelines about me not having to sign this form cover me in N.Ireland so I can continue to refuse to sign it? Thanks. tl;dr... Does the operational guidelines for the work programme posted by DWP cover the work programme in N.Ireland in relation to Ingeus? -
Hi, I'm unsure if I am posting this in the right place but I am looking for some advice or if anyone has been through anything similar and what happened. I applied for ESA, and after a health assessment I was denied ESA. So I appealed and won the tribunal and was placed into the WRAG group. I had an interview at my job centre and was told I'd be starting the work programme at Ingeus. 2 years later I am at the end of my work programme (ends 2nd October) and I have not managed to secure a job. I have been looking for jobs as a TA in a school, or as a last resort going back to work in a nursery. I have epilepsy and suffer from both grand mal seizures and absent seizures, so I didn't really want to go back to a stressful nursery. I also suffer from bad anxiety which can sometimes trigger my seizures. Up until about 6 weeks ago my advisor hadn't really been helping much on the job front. But she has then started pushing me to apply for jobs which are either miles away or are full time when I specified I wanted part time only. The other day she told me that my only option now was to sign off and start doing Avon so I could keep getting support from them at Ingeus, but that would mean I would lose my ESA and have to wait months (her words) for my working tax to start, so I'd be depending on an income from Avon. I also received a letter from the JC with an appointment to see a work coach and discuss my options. The letter says that the work coach will set me work related activities and help me prepare for a return to work when I am ready. My advisor told me that this was a meeting to get me ready to be put on jsa. Now I don't know what to do. I have heard people say she is pushing me to sign off because it benefits her. Do I sign off? Or do I refuse to do so and see what happens at the work coach appointment? Surely they can't just stop my ESA and put me onto jsa?? Any help/advice will be greatly appreciated. Rebecca.
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I am mightily confused. I have been signing on for 12 months, at the start of my claim I signed a claimant commitment stating I will do X number of steps each week to find work, IE look in papers, ask family and friends, use UJM etc. I completed my job search online and always filled in my activity history on UJM, ensuring I recorded X number of steps as required in my claimant commitment. Part way through the year I was told not to use UJM instead I was given a paper template to fill that stated I must do 35 hours job search per week, this had a section to fill stating the time each task took. Some time later I was issued with a pie chart diagram which showed different activities I could include in my 35 hour job search. Now I have been given another paper template form which states I have to apply for and record 10 vacancies jobs per week. What the heck as happened to my claimant commitment, no where in that did I agree to a 35 hour week job search nor did it state when I signed it that it was a requirement. Secondly, I would never agree to applying for X amount of vacancies per week , what if the only suitable vacancies are ones I have already applied for. And now they have just reissued me a new claimant commitment to sign which is basically same as my old one except they have added “ engage with the work program” Can they enforce this 10 job application rule and what is in place to prevent me from just jotting down bogus applications. Obviously I am fulfilling my claimant commitment still but as there is no actual way to record that activity any more am I even obligated to carry it out. From what I can gather the 35 hour per week is only a suggestion and not enforceable as long as client shows they have took reasonable steps they cannot be sanctioned but I cannot find any info at all regarding the 10 vacancies per week.
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Hi guys, making this post for a friend of mine. Wondering if any of you awesome folks could offer some experience/helpful advice. So basically I was mandated to attend an Ingeus appointment last month, however on the day of my appointment I was suffering with a terrible migraine (I get them occasionally and they can be quite bad). I have phoned in sick before and never had a problem (I think last time I missed an Ingeus appointment was last year). However I phoned in sick this time on the day of my appointment early in the morning (my appointment was some time in the afternoon I think) explaining I was ill and if it would be possible to rearrange. I rang them and tried to speak to my advisor but he was busy so I spoke to the receptionist at the main desk on the phone said that would be fine but they would have to inform JSA that I was phoning in ill and missing my appointment which I said OK that's fine. Fast forward a week later after I phoned in I got a letter in the post from JSA with a page of questions just asking why I was off ill, who I spoke to, did I phone in before hand etc? 6 or so questions just asking me to state the reason I missed the appointment. I filled it all in explaining the situation exactly and sent it off thinking that would be the end of it. Some time passes and I now get a letter saying they are stopping my JSA for 4 weeks "We have now decided that you did not comply with the requirements of the scheme to which you have been referred and that you did not have sufficiently good reasons for doing so". What are my next steps here? I know you are allowed 2 periods of sickness in a a year up to a maximum of 2 weeks each. I've had no other periods of sickness this year. I phoned in ill as I've done in the past last year as normal. Yet now they've acted like I did not phone in and just skipped my appointment and sanctioned me. As I said i've not been ill at all this year and attending my JSA appointments etc as normal. I have always followed the rules correctly so I just don't understand how they can sanction me? it seems to be a case of shoot first ask questions later.... Thanks for any help.
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I had an assessment for ESA and like 90% of my fellow ESA claimants I have been placed in the WRAG. I suffer from mental health issues (bpd (and possibly schizoid? my social anxiety is not social anxiety...it's a complete aversion) paranoid thoughts, depression, severe anxiety, agoraphobia) and a heart condition that causes me to blackout. I got sick when I was 18 and have never been able to work since. I told them I would ideally like to be self-employed in the future or get back into education - however, I don't know how possible that is. My conditions are very debilitating to the point I cannot leave the house unaccompanied for both physical and mental health reasons. I have an upcoming appointment with Ingeus. I have heard nothing but negative things about this company: how they bully people to take part in programmes and workshops, how they get paid for every person they manage to shove off the list, how they use coercion and social control to get people to sign their rights away, sanctioning people for weeks at a time. Even their employees seem to hate it according to their GlassDoor reviews (an average rating of 1.5 stars out of 5!) In fact, the advisor at the jobcentre told me to apply for PIP and DLA so I can get Ingeus off my back and wouldn't have to go through all this nonsense! He said himself he didn't think it was fair at all: forcing an agoraphobic to attend weekly meetings. Anyway, from what I've gathered, at your 1st appointment, the Ingeus advisor asks you to sign two waiver forms. One of these forms gives Ingeus the right to contact your GP and access your medical records anytime they want. Of course, to someone who already suffers from paranoia, this sounds extremely fishy to me. The person I will be speaking to will definitely not be a registered health professional, so I don't see why they should be granted access to my medical records? To me, that is an incredibly private matter. Why would I want someone who works for a greedy, private, international corporation who has nothing but my worst interests at heart accessing my medical records?! My question is, am I really required to sign this form? If I refuse to sign it, can I be sanctioned? Or am I within my rights? The other issue is, I have seen cases of Ingeus bullying people with severe mental health issues into 'training workshops' and self appointed group therapy workshops, as well as CBT. Apparently there are no real regulations or training when it comes to such mental health workshops and really, anyone can open one and call it 'therapy', and that none of the workshops Ingeus runs are legitimate. I am in touch with my own private therapist and I want it to remain that way - I do not want to attend a workshop where they lump all the unfortunate souls the DWP considers 'nutters' together and force them to talk to each other as if that will magically cure their mental health issues. My therapist has told me my mental illnesses are permanent and can only be managed, not cured. However, I'm worried that refusing will also cause me to be sanctioned. So, do I have the right to refuse any such suggestions made by my advisor? Because I know their knowledge of personality disorders and agoraphobia is going to be very limited. I know a girl who was agoraphobic and her advisor told her that her 'task' for the next week was to go for a 30 minute walk every evening and say hello to 5 people on the way! How ridiculous, an unqualified pencil pusher telling an agoraphobic to 'get out more!' I really don't trust this company, I have read all about how heartless and devious they are, and I want to keep my contact with them to an absolute minimum. However, I also don't want to p*ss them off and end up being sanctioned for it. So how do I work and comply with them while also remaining within my limits?
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Can i ask, is anyone able to give me some advice ? I'm currently getting JSA and having to see Ingeus. I've had a letter from then to say as from next week, instead of going in every two weeks they want to see me twice a week; i'm to keep a daily calendar to say what i've been doing to find a job, and they want me to give them my computer passwords. I've got different passwords for the Dwp Universal Jobmatch, and Monster and Reeds (????) job agencies. The JobCentre has my password for their sits and they've told me that they do regular checks but even they have never asked to see the private agencies. A bit of background i had been on longterm sick for quite a number of years, but had to have a ATOS medical, only got 9pts and has to sign-on. At first i saw an advisor who never put any pressure on me 'cos i had medicals, but she told me after 12mths i'd be transferred and life may become harder. I think it was last Nov/Dec i was put on the work programme and made to sign wth Ingeus. The first day i went the young girl looked at my details then whispered so nobody could here....... "If you're entitled to start claiming Pension Credit soon i don't suppose you really want a job, do you " I just said that i couldn't answer that question. And the girl smiled and said don't worry, it will be ok. Since New Year things have changed i'm being told i have to take any job they send me fore, i'm not allowed to say i can't do that, i'm not allowed to say i don't fancy that, i'm not allowed to make a mess of an interview, or i will be sanctioned I had to go to a group interview early this week, the job was 5 days of 12hr shifts, one week days the following on nights. With an hours travel at the start/end So a 14hr day. The guy taking the interview said i know not everyone is going to be able to do 12hrs, so i don't want to waste your time, you can go if you want. A few of us said Thank You and left. I feel now this letter from Ingeus is my punishment and they're going to make life hell. They know in less than 5mths i'll be able to claim Pension Credit and they wont get paid for me. Earlier in the week when all this started i was really stressed and depressed 'cos i felt they have me over a barrel. And one of the ways i hope may get me out of it is, by claiming for Esa. Last time going back perhaps a couple of years before my Atos medical i only got 9pts, so may fail again. But i was thinking...... Doesn't this assessment take a long time while the paperwork is being processed, and my Pension Credit date is the beginning of July, so only 5mths. I've made an appointment to see my Gp, but that's not until next Friday, another week. I'd planned to fill this Esa form that's just arrived over the weekend. I'm sorry this has been such a long story but would be glad of any advice. Thanks.
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Hey All. I am currently on ESA and have been with Ingeus for 18 months. I have done all the in house courses and my advisor is now banging on about other courses that could help me, with outside providers ie: College courses. There is one course I have agreed to do which is with another training provider (the qualification will help me in the long run). My advisor pulled out this form to sign which was written in 'legal speak' ie: completely incomprehensible to the average person. I told him I don't understand this but he assured me I was simply agreeing to do the course. My 'suspicion radar' went into overdrive and I told him I would sign it just before the course started and not now. If I sign this form and it turns out I have unwittingly agreed to do a fortnightly job search (ESA claimants are not mandated to do this) as part of the agreement, what happens if I refuse to do the job search? Or am I just been paranoid?! Thanks. Mooney.
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Hello I've been on the Work Programme with Ingeus since October 2013 and up to now most of the people there have been OK with me. Some of them have been really helpful. Earlier this year, arthritis in my neck and shoulders started to get worse and I am currently getting physiotherapy for it. I have other problems with chronic back, leg and groin pain, so some days I am as stiff as a board and find it very difficult to move about. I am on a lot of pain medication. Ingeus know about this. About a month ago they changed my advisor. In my first appointment with her she seemed OK, but was a bit aggressive in her manner. She booked another appointment with me for two weeks later, but on that day I woke up and was in a lot of pain and could hardly move. I called her about four hours before the appointment time to ask if she could rearrange the appointment because I was in a lot of pain. She said “well, anyone could say that couldn't they?” and “I've only got your word for it”. She went on to say that I may get sanctioned because of this, and booked another appointment. I am worried now because this seems to me like Ingeus want to punish me for being in pain. My GP has told me that these health problems will probably get worse, so its even more worrying. I’d be very grateful for any comments or advice on what to say to Ingeus, because I don't know the rules of the WP and I'm scared to say anything that may cause them to sanction me. -
I didn't want to hijack the thread I started responding to (Which is where information can be found concerning my unfortunate experience with a HCP Physiotherapist.) I'm opening this new thread to put my voice out there for others to see how the new Ingeus 'steps to work' programme doesn't seem to be working for people who are medically unfit. So after the Physio said she couldn't work with me because I refused to sign the consent form for her to not only store my assessment but to provide my consent for a number of other things I went back to the Employment advisor who said nothing about my previous experience. I wasn't asked to provide another assessment, or sign this form again. http://i1177.photobucket.com/albums/x351/MaulIce/IMG_0002_zps274791c5.jpg This time I was asked to provide my email address so that the Employment advisor can converse with me. Not sure if I have to provide it? Also asked at my next interview, to just wait in the private room and then move to sit in the main office. I feel they are now trying to provoke me to see my reactions because I have numerous stress issues in busy places. They don't have laptops in this private room so I think the Employment advisor wants me to go to the main office to access the desk computer but I don't know what for. I said I didn't want to speak about anything personal in a public office, I was told I wouldn't be speaking about anything personal. I also got the impression that the frequency of my appointments is going to increase after my next appointment which is a few weeks away. -
Hello all, I have been claiming JSA and have been referred to Ingeus just recently so far i have avoided signing any paper work as to not fall into their trap. luckily enough i have now found a job that i am due to start so i need to stop my JSA claim however as i will be paid monthly i would really need the housing benefit 4 week run on for help with rent and c.tax. what is the best route for me to go as i really do not want INGEUS contacting my new employer as it is rather annoying plus i haven't signed anything so dont feel it is fair if they did. can i tell the job centre that i have simply just found a job without giving them the actual details? and give the local council details of my job in order to get the run on or will the council tell the job centre my details and they then pass it on to ingeus? any help is much appreciated. thank you. Dean -
Yes everyone my family has a lot of bad luck. I never mentioned this before because I forgot. About two years ago my adviser at Ingeus put me on self employed, because I found a leaflet job. Which I never went for because I didn't know how to do the self tax thing. Last year I got a letter asking for £30, I phoned back up and said 'I am not self employed my adviser did this for me'. He said it was OK and everything would be sorted, well it wasn't. Last week I receieved another letter now asking for £100, my dad said instead of phoning them we can send the letter attatched and I filled out the form, saying I hadn't worked in over 5 years and have been actively seeking work with the help of the Job Centre. Two days ago I got another letter now asking for the £100 and no reply to my form. I will call them and explain the situation, when I see my adviser at JC can I bring in the Self Tax letter asking for the money? I don't know what to do, what happens if it's not solved? -
Hi there, I hope it's OK to post this issue here on a new thread. So my situation is this: Today, to my surprise, I received a letter to my house from Ingeus *shudders*. I have officially been off Ingeus for a year now, after completing their 2 year "programme" by April 2014. In this letter they are telling me that "we have a duty to contact you periodically" and that they've been "unable to reach you on the contact details we currently hold" so "therefore we are writing to you today to notify you that we intend to visit you at home to obtain an update". Are you serious?! I haven't heard anything from these people for over a year and now they're going to visit my house? Can anybody tell me what rights I have because I feel that this is harassment. I actually signed off welfare early when I was with them because of their harassment (I'm back on now) but this is a step further in coming to visit my house. They've left a number to call to "let us know whether you are looking for work and if you would like support, or if you are already working". I would call this number but I feel that I shouldn't be obliged to tell them anything and that they have no right to know my business, since I'm not even on their programme. Do they expect to be on my case for the rest of my life? And can anyone here offer advice as to the best course of action to take? If they show up at my door I plan on telling them to p*ss off and will happily get the police involved if they persist. Many thanks.
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She suffers from panic attacks and has never worked due to being on the sick. She has 3 children one under 2. She has a partner but Ingeus or JC has told her it is up to her to go to work not him. My Dad has just got off the phone from my sister because she has an appointment today. She can't go in because her boyfriend has gone out knowing she had an appointment and left her with her son. Ingeus has moaned at her because she can't come in, but they also moan at her because she has to bring in her son. She can't work, has no expirence. Her boyfriend would rather go drinking with friends a few times a week then look after their children. What can she do? She was denied PIP.
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I was under the WP and the lovely INGEUS from Feb-14 until I signed off JSA and moved to ESA (assessment) from August 2014. In the last three days I have had letters about appointments and four missed calls from them. The number still comes up on my phone and although I reject it and block it somehow it still gets through - I never answer and they leave no message. They are annoying me now, whilst on ESA I want NOTHINg to do with them and I presume that is my right? Even when back on JSA I struggle to take them seriously and all they do is make me ill. Should I email their head office and state all of the above (not the bit about them being useless of course even though I would like to) and ask them to stop harrassing me? I assume I have no obligation to them whilst on ESA and everything is voluntary?
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Hello Everyone, My friend has her first work programme appointment on the 24th June 2013 and was unable to attend due to being very anxious, being sick and had panic attacks! I rang Ingeus and spoke to her Employment Advisor, he was busy when I rang so I left a message that is was important he call back because it was to do with my friend's appointment and that she was unable to attend that day! He did call back and I duly answered the phone call, I told him why my friend was unable to attend and if she can have another appointment date and that I will come with her, I've explained about her anxiety and panic attacks and also told him her advisor at the Job Centre knows of her circumstances as I've had to cancel an appointment she had with her job centre advisor before, I requested that my friend will need a private room as she will not cope being in a room full of people! All what we asked was granted and I also told Ingeus advisor to send me a letter to confirm my telephone conversation with him! Today a letter arrived there was no mention of speaking to me nor mentioned about requesting for a private room all the letter says! 'We have attempted to contact you by telephone but was unable to reach you. We have therefore arranged an appointment for you on such a date etc, etc. I couldn't believe what I was reading' Good job I wrote a letter confirming my telephone conversation with him on the 24th June and mentioned everything we spoke about, I've kept a copy of course and sent the letter to him! I need to write a letter to him about the letter I've received today not mentioning anything of our telephone conversations, my brain has gone pickled at the moment and I want to be careful how I write the letter! He has lied and also not stating the fact of out conversations has anyone come across this sort of problem with Ingeus it will be good to know about them a bit! Thanks helen
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I've received an appointment letter from Ingeus which gives the usual date and time of appointment but underneath has the following:- "Your activities for your next appointment are: Please attend appointment to review your work related activity, alongside providing evidence of job application. During your appointment you will undertake job application activity providing documentary evidence of vacancies applied for during this time." I am aware I am under obligation to provide my job centre adviser with said documentary evidence of job applications each fortnight to be paid my JSA, which I do, but do Ingeus have a right to ask me for the same "documentary evidence" that I provide my job centre adviser each fortnight? Am I under any obligation to provide this "documentary evidence" to Ingeus? Also, at a previous appointment with Ingeus I had a face to face interview with an Ingeus adviser who spent their time typing up what I was saying on the computer, I could see her typing notes into boxes on screen under my name and I was wondering if I have a right to see what is being typed into these boxes?
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Just got my post Letter word for word is: IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR YOUR NEXT APPOINTMENT This letter contains the details of your next appointment. We look forward to seeing you again and continuing to support you to find the right job. APPOINTMENT DETAILS HERE It is very important you attend all appointments. If you cannot attend, you must contact us as soon as possible so that arrangements can be made for a new appointment. Out relephone number is: xxxxx Your activities for your next appointment are: To discuss current circumstances (a) Legally do I have to attend or rearrange being on ESA (not had ATOS yet) (b) Ironically I have a medical appointment that day anyway © This REALLY is not helping my recovery (d) No mention of MANDATED (e) My circumstances (A&D & surgery) are NOTHING to do with them (between me and my health professionals treating me with impending surgery) (f) Can I email them a response and if so can I quote any legal jargon to help me not attend in the short term whilst I get sorted Basically, my circumstances when on ESA are nothing to do with them - they can offer no help or support and I do not want to discuss anything like this with them. Am I legally obliged to attend or rearrange or not whilst on ESA assessment phase? I want to get something off by email today if possible as well as copy my old JCP adviser in on the email. Many thanks in advance
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Hi there, I am new to this forum. But I have read a few threads about Ingeus and their uselessness. I was appointed a new advisor last week. I have been attending for about 1 year, I am claiming income based JSA, Atos deemed me fit for work over 2 years ago and now I'm facing a sanction. My previous advisor put me forward for a job that was contracted for 8 hours a week and left the day before my interview with the company (he was transferred). I attended the interview, passed and got to the induction when I found out that it is a lot more than 8 hours per week, more like 30+ the thought of this totally wiped the floor with me and I walked home in tears deeming myself a failure. This is a problem with me because I have serious mental health issues, and after a seemingly endless battle I am starting to recover. My old advisor put me forward for this job because he knew about my health issues and thought it would be a great opportunity for me to get back into work at a gentle pace and be rid of the job centre. I actually really liked my old advisor I could talk to him and be sure that I had his support all the time. Having him as an advisor was like finding gold in a slate mine. However I now have this piece of slate to contend with. After I came back from the induction I called my newly appointed advisor, I was expecting him to be understanding, wrong. He told me I wasted his time and he was constantly hounding (trying to hard-sell) me into going back to the induction, I was in tears, he wasn't listening, I was clenching my fists so hard I made my palms bleed. I was so close to smashing my phone against the wall, I haven't ate or slept properly since. I don't remember the whole conversation because I was literally seeing red. I just remember him saying things like "We would all like to stay at home and watch Jeremy Kyle but we have to work wherever we want to or not" (I don't even have a TV!! And he was insinuating that I have nothing better to do other than watching TV) And to top it off, I had an appointment with him the day after, when I arrived he said "Oh you sounded really worked up on the phone" I said "Yes, I was, I have a lot going on in my life now if you checked the system you would see it" He said "I cant see anything wrong with you" "I have put you forward for a pre-screening at **** Factory" I replied: I have worked there before! They sacked me after I fainted on the factory floor" "Really?!" he said "Yes" I replied. This just proved that he hasn't even looked at my CV and put me forward for a job that I didn't even agree to, however do not threat, I would happily work there again it was a nice job. He then took me away to a private room to talk about my problems. I wont list them here as they are very personal. However I felt sick to my stomach after telling this snake such information. He concluded "Well it's no excuse I came out of a six year relationship when starting this job" my problems are hardly the same, I don't blame his ex for dumping him either. He then said "I will have to tell the jobcentre" I said "Okay, at least they might listen to me" He replied: "I dont think so and hope they dont, it's no excuse to refuse employment" After this conversation he dumped me on a computer to job search and conveniently disappeared when I wanted my travel costs refunded. I still have the tickets and I intend to get it back. As I was leaving (to go to the jobcentre) he said to me "YOU have to tell the jobcentre about this" I was puzzled, he was harping on about him telling the jobcentre "especially because the job was provided by a4e???" I am so confused, what is going on? PS I submitted a complaint on Saturday via email. Any help will be appreciated
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Hi, I'm on JSA and currently attending the Work Programme at Ingeus. My question is about my JSA Agreement, I looked through the site yesterday and the replies to a similar question just confused me as there were so many different answers. My JSA Agreement states I have to apply for 2 jobs per week. Yesterday my Advisor at the WP told me I had to apply for 8 jobs per week (3 more per week than I have currently been applying for - I was told to apply for 5 per week when joining the WP). As I live in one of the areas of the highest unemployment in the UK; applying for 8 jobs per week is pretty much mission impossible. I was struggling to apply for 5 per week. I was also told to set my sites lower and apply for entry level jobs! My questions are: is my JSA Agreement still in effect?- I read conflicting advice about this when looking for an answer yesterday. I can't remember if I signed an agreement with the WP Provider but I must have done. Can the Advisor I'm dealing with (who seems to be a right a/hole) get my JSA sanctioned if I'm unable to apply for 8 jobs per week? I will appreciate any replies/advice given. Thanks
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I've just finished the work programme at Ingeus two weeks ago. Absolute waste of my life. But I think everyone who's been on it agrees - even the JCP advisers I've had agree but say it's just a hoop we have to jump through if we want our money. But my question is why do so many people who have nothing - no money, no stake in society, no job, etc, get so obsessed with data protection issues, like it's the CIA trying to gain information on them? Who cares? Why does it matter if you sign a form or not? Is it just a way to hold on to a sense that we are still important even though we are at the bottom of society's barrel? Surely there are bigger battles to win in the fight against getting sanctioned than just being adversarial all the time on data protection technicalities? I'll sign any form they want if it means I can keep getting my meagre benefit each week, short of the form that authorizes them sending me to the gas chamber, (Which judging by new reforms doesn't seem that long off). Serious question though - based on my fellow WP contestants, why do the disempowered always get such a bee in their caps about 'data protection' all the time? The successful/rich people I've met never cared less about signing Data protection forms. Any insight? -
I'm a single parent of a wonderful 12yr old . I unfortunately became unwell & had to undergo the ordeal of claiming ESA. I failed the atos medical assessment, appealed & won only to have another atos medical assessment sent to me a few week later. Even though the GP & Medical professionals had written to say my recovery would take no less than a year the job centre was told by atos i would be better in less than 3mths! I was then referred to Ingeus. Ingeus gave me forms to sign & I didn't sign any of them. The jobcentre gave Ingeus details of my address & phone numbers. I attended Ingeus only once every couple of months as they could see I was too unwell to work & two of the ingeus advisors kept deferring the work programme so i could get better. Unfortunately those two advisors left & I was given a different advisor who has made my life hell. He has insisted that I have signed all the documents but I know i didn't as i have them in my possession unsigned. He called me 6 times a day every day (Mon-Fri) from September 2013 to Dec 2013 each time asking the same questions, even when i was in hospital he would call 6 times asking why i was still in hospital & sending me appointment letters & sanctioning me whilst I was in hospital. I had had enough and asked my previous employer if he would give me some part time work & explained everything going on with Ingeus. He couldn't believe what i was going through so organised a lot i could do from home. Unfortunately due to my poor health i'm only earning £60 a week a lot less that what i was getting on ESA & sometimes I earnt nothing especially when in hospital & am now having to get prescription vitamins because In jan & feb I kept collapsing due to not eating properly as my son comes first for me to provide food. Thankfully I've been able to earn £60 a week every week from March so I'm making sure I eat as well now & its been 18mths since my first medical & slowly getting better yay!!! I wrote to the Jobcentre to complain about Ingeus but no reply as yet & also cancelled ESA on 1st Dec, they cancelled it without asking me for any job details. I told Ingeus not to contact me again & stopped answering calls but since December 2013 to present they have called me several times during the week every week, I have blocked all the numbers I know belong to them from my mobile but still receive some calls & appointment texts every week & my landline number was changed for free as telephone provider classed it as Harassment calls. I am unable to change my mobile number it is on all my business cards & would cost me a fortune to replace them all. 2 weeks ago i received a letter stating that Ingeus has been unable to contact me & must keep in contact so would conduct a home visit. I ignored it & didnt think they would turn up but they did. I told them at my door "you have been harassing me with calls, texts & letters do not contact me by any means ever again & do not attempt to visit me again" I then closed the door not allowing them to speak. This didnt work & Im still getting calls & texts from them. I know ive gone on a bit here but please please please can someone help me its making me very anxious & I jump out of my skin every time the door or phone rings!!! how do I stop Ingeus calling my mobile, texting me, sending me letters & coming to my house. I just don't know what to do Thank you in advance
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