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 9th
-16th , 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 17th 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?
