Help regarding JSA mandotry 13 week course & recurring agoraphobia

[markus2010]

Hi - a bit about my situation, I have been out of work for over a year now, I recently completed a hopsitality course at college & I was sent to a place called Kennedy Scott which is just CV work & intensive Job search, I've been put onto it for 13 weeks now.

During the course we were left unnattended for most of the time & the computers were scarcrely working, I haven't had panic attacks for 6 or 7 years now & I started feeling bad at the end but managed to keep it hiddne, we wasn't given any medical forms to complete but I did state I'm on medication for migraines & some other reason(not really keen on saying I'm agoraphobic).

 

I had some volanteer work lined up to gain some admin experience as catering & bar work is this on the ground. My job center advsior has been pretty cold as are the staff at KS, there people skills are poor. the problems arising are I'm struggling to go to this place & feeling bad. they are arguing that I can attend or without any benefits for 13 weeks. also they are saying because I attened college & I have been appling for work my agoraphobia is - well basically they saying its fake.

But being in a room with a large group of people where half have been pretty cold & the rules are strict is completely different to doing volenteer work for my local CAB(which is 3 hours a day & going through forms 1 2 1 with clients).

 

I'm in a quandry of what to do really, I've asked a lot of forums & people 99% have been unsympathetic or helpful, I spoke to a lady who works with law based issues & she has said I have a few options & the best is to do the CAB work & declare it as unpaid work then claim income support. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

lastly I won't answer to rude comments like other forums have done, agorphobia IS A medical condition & it can come on all of a sudden.

[loopinlouie]

I have bouts of it which on one occassion shut me in my house for two years and can very from months depending on how I feel after seizure. We dont ask it to come on, it is a real condition, but unfortunately those in power dont seen to rate mental conditions very highly whihc is disgusting. No one will be rude to you here.

 

Have you seen a doctor to discuss it, you need to xxx

 

Better advice will follow xx

[ErikaPNP]

Hi Markus. Is this a new deal course?

 

You may be able to do the volunteer work whilst claiming Income Support, you can only claim Income Support if you fall within one of the prescribed catagories. On what grounds would you be claiming income support?

 

What other options have you been advised of?

[markus2010]

Yep its a new deal course,

no options have been discussed, when I asked my advisor to explain what my LAP form was she said I can sign it or be dismissed, when I asked to sign the new payment so I'll be paid under new deal & not JSA I asked to read through it all proper because al ot of info was being given & no options discussed she said I'll sign it now or I'll be dismissed, she got her manager who was a lot nicer but was in a rush.

[ErikaPNP]

Sorry, Markus - I was referring to this in regard to what options you have been advised of:

I spoke to a lady who works with law based issues & she has said I have a few options

 

On what grounds would you be claiming Income Support?

[markus2010]

Sorry yes - well the options I've been told are finding work for a few hours a week & claim income support, volanteer work won't count but I've been told by 3 people now that if we arranged it as unpaid work - if the employer hires me directly & cuts out the volanteer bureau I could claim income support.

I've also got a lot of info on permitted work, if I did further education which I am open to & the ESA/signing off route which I'm not keen on at the moment because it limits a lot of what I can do.

 

Finding a few hours work is harder than many expect, I'm always weary of the ones which say start tomorrow so I aviod them, the earliest interview I have is for an after hours bar worker (just cleaning up the furniture after it shuts) for 10 hours a week but thats not until the first tues in Sept.

[ErikaPNP]

Sorry yes - well the options I've been told are finding work for a few hours a week & claim income support,

 

Claim income support on what grounds? - this is important. What prescribed category is it that you fall within? Have prescribed categories been explained to you?

 

S volanteer work won't count but I've been told by 3 people now that if we arranged it as unpaid work - if the employer hires me directly & cuts out the volanteer bureau I could claim income support.

 

You have been misadvised here. Volunteering is ok. Unpaid work is not. This leaflet might help in regard to volunteering.

 

ESA is an option if you have limited capacity to work due to the migraines and agorophobia, yes.

 

Do you have any care or mobility needs which arise as a result of your conditions? If so, you may be able to place a claim for disability living allowance.

[markus2010]

No - none of this has been explained, my advisor the arkward sort shall we say & the KS place seem to take to more people than others.

 

As far as I understand - VB work or education would make me a candidate for income support as long as its under 16 hours a week & pending a interview with the job center.

[ErikaPNP]

One of the prescribed categories does include relevant education but for this the person also needs to be:

a parent or

a person with limited leave to enter or remain or

 

an orphan and there is no one acting in place of the parents or of necessity living away from the parents and anyone acting in their place

because they are estranged from them or there is a serious risk to their physical or mental health or

no longer living in accommodation provided by a LA and are of necessityliving away from the parents and any person acting in their place or living away from their parents and anyone acting in their place and the parents (and anyone acting in their place) are unable to support them financially because they are chronically sick or mentally or physically disabled or detained in custody or imprisoned or prohibited from entering or re-entering GB

 

a refugee learning English

[iccarus1969]

Have you asked at the job centre if there is an alternative place to go to.

I went on one of these 13 wk courses for 4 hrs per week with PeopleServe which basically was the same, you couldnt search for jobs, if you could get on a computer, as many of the sites had a filter on and was basically a waste of 13 weeks of my life.

I am currently on a 40 week course with a4e, as i asked for an alternative to peopleserve.Its more orientated to small groups or one 2 ones.

If you ask at your job centre they may find an alternative. If they say they cant help you ask for the number of the stage 3 team in your area they should be able to help you better.

 

I hope this helps

Paul