My experience of Salford Jobcentre Plus

he Purpose of this blog is to promote The Dyspraxia Foundation E book' "Dyspraxic Adults Surviving in a Non-Dyspraxic World" self help book for dyspraxic adults. All proceeds go to the Dyspraxia Foundation Adult support groups. Available on Amazon for £9.99

This year during dyspraxia Awareness week from October 9^th -16^th , the  Dyspraxia Foundation is Focusing on Employment for Adults so it is relevant that today’s blog is about my first few days of claiming Jobseekers Allowance and what kind of support is available for Dyspraxic Adults at Salford Job Centre Plus.

I was unsure which benefits I was entitled to. I went on the Government Welfare Benefits website to see if they had rolled out universal credit for single claimants in Salford yet.  They haven’t done this in my area. https://www.gov.uk/apply-universal-credit   

 I knew that there was no point in applying for Employment Support Allowance. I had been thrown off it last time I was out of work and I haven’t’ been signed off sick. I had just held down 2 part time jobs and supported my Mum who has Dementia. So there is no way I would get that.

I was directed to Jobseekers Allowance (JSA). I was going to get help from the Unemployment Centres drop in in Eccles as I thought the online form would be very long and complicated like the old paper ones used to be with questions to catch you out. But I found it really easy and straightforward to fill in. Especially as I had my wage slip and bank statement details ready rather than searching high and low for them in the middle of filling in the application.

 I got a phone call and a text a few days later saying which day I had to go to the Job Centre Plus to complete the claim. The day before I received a reminder phone call and which was just as well as I just assumed it was a Bridge Street , but it had been moved to the Job centre near Salford Precinct which is much less institutional and intimidating as it is a smaller job centre.

I have been told all sorts of negative stuff from various people that isn’t true like:

.” Its all changed now it will be harder for you your expected to spend 35 hours a week looking for work”.

“There aren’t any jobs about for the likes of us so you might as well claim for Employment Support allowance”.

“ You’ve looked after your mum why not get a low paid job as a care assistant in an old peoples’ home? there are no jobs about at the moment.”

Well although I am not suffering from acute anxiety at the moment which is just as well :my anxiety levels were quite high my about current situation without hearing from Jobe’s comforters. 

So on Wednesday 17^th August I thought I was signing on. Some of the same staff that used to be on reception at the other job centre where I had signed on had been moved there. Things had changed technology wise in three years. You have to sign on on a small screen with an electronic pen. It took ages for me to sign a consistent signature  but the computer eventually said “ yes” and my signature matched up. Just in case I get someone else to wear a curly wig & glasses to impersonate me because I don’t feel like signing on.

I asked my Job Centre Plus Adviser if I was expected to spend 35 hours looking for work, she told me they had stopped doing that as they were getting a bad reputation and that employers were complaining because they were getting inundated by applications from people who didn’t have the skills or had no intention of really getting the job they were applying for. I’m supposed to show I have made 25 steps each week to show I have increased my chances of looking for work. I mentioned my disabilities and there were certain jobs I would find difficult to hold down, so she said I didn’t have to apply for those. I also told her I could only work up to 30 hours a week which she accepted. I was advised to use Universal Jobs Match website so she can see my progress. I told her that the type of Jobs that I apply for are on Salford CVs Jobs page, and the Guardian Charity Jobs. So it will look like I’m not looking for work, but she says I can still record other websites searches on there.

I thought I has signed on but that was just part of the process so I had to come back to sign on the next day.

The next day it was a different Adviser as mine was on leave. He seemed much more helpful and approachable than the last on but he didn’t advise me to make an appointment to see the Disability Employment Adviser (DEA). So I asked him to make me an appointment. I am the Adult Adviser for the Dyspraxia Foundation and wrote a chapter on Employment for the e book ‘"Dyspraxic Adults Surviving in a Non-Dyspraxic World". I know what services I’m entitled to but what about those who don’t? To be fair maybe I would have been referred eventually. I wanted my back to be covered in case after 3 months if I’m still out of work I won’t get mithered to look for unsuitable jobs.

 So the next week I saw my DEA. He was very keen to know the best way to communicate with me so I advised that if there were a list of things he wanted me to do due to Short tem memory issues he would need to write it down for me. He asked my how my Disability affects me as an Individual in the workplace and what support I needed. He was interested in me sending him some information in dyspraxia but not buying the e Book as they don’t get funding for that sort of thing. He also told me if there are problems with my signature they can override it.

He told me I only need to spend 3 days a week looking for work but I still have to make the 25 steps each week. This must be very triggering for anyone on JSA who has anxiety or other mental health issues. I can do up to 16 hours of Voluntary work so I’m not going to be punished for doing my dyspraxia work. He gave me suggestions about what a step can include such as networking while I’m doing my voluntary work with the DF. So I found out if there were any free exhibitions, conferences. Information days, consultations about health & social care in Salford or courses I could go on to network and put that I had looked for these as some of my steps. I have actually found a useful course on responsibilities for Trustees at Salford CVS but I doubt a job will materialise from it.

 My other ‘actions for getting work’ are:

• · Log into my Universal Jobsmatch Account to find & apply for jobs I can do. (very little in Community development) 3 times a week
• · Contact employers directly to ask and apply for Jobs I can do (easy enough) Weekly
• · Respond Promptly to contacts and notifications from employers and Jobsites.
• ·Continue to attend the Job Centre to provide evidence of my work search activities. Ongoin
• Go on at least 2 jobsites daily (but I was told I only need to look for work 3 days a week.
• Consider workchoice
• ·Maintain up-to-date profile on Linkedin ((never got me work up to now).

I was given the choice if I wanted to do Workchoice with Remploy. I have had mixed feedback from my Manchester Dyspraxic Adult support Group, most being positive. So If I haven’t got work after my Holiday in October. I have to go back to the DEA and get booked in with Remploy. So  my experience of  Workchoice & Remploy will be a topic for another blog..

So seeing this Year’s dyspraxia awareness week is focusing on Employment Please If you are currently an unemployed Dyspraxic adult on JSA, please let me know if your experience has been different, if you have received appropriate support at Job Centre Plus or you have access to a DEA. Or what type of support have you been given from workchoice?