This site is an archive of the OneSpace Forums. Return to forum index.
Good luck Cazzz80, let us know what the jobcentre says. Easier said than done but try not to worry, you can only do what you can.
How often are people usually seen by there work programme providers? I first went for induction type meeting end of March, and have not heard from them since. I chased them up a few times at beginning, as they mixed up appointments etc, but still not heard from them. I asked at job centre, but they just say to chase them up, and probably as busy arranging training for people etc.
Not sure what to do, as I have lots to ask them, but Im reluctant to chase them up, as school holidays are such a prob anyway. Think Ive fallen through the system :/ lol.
I don't know how often appointments usually are. Maybe you could wait till after the school holidays? as long as you are getting your JSA....
yeah, thats what I was thinking. Was so worried when I first went on WP, now here I am 2 months later, and not a word. Trying to chill out about it all now.
Dear all,
I am just drawing up a timetable for interviewing single parents about their experience good and bad of the Work Programme. Do get in touch if you want to be interviewed. There is a £20 voucher on offer for around half an hour of your time. The interview is conducted over the telephone at a convenient time for you (day or evening). If you are a single parent currently on the Work Programme and have a child or children under 16 then I would love to hear from you. I will not share your personal details and the results of the research could help improve the services offered to other single parents and their children.
Go on have your say!
If you want more information or want to arrange to be interviewed then please email me L.dewar@spanuk.org.ok
Laura
I started the work programme last month and have to say i was shocked at the pityful state of both staff and premises, a small room without windows crammed full of computers and an advisor who was more interested in telling me about her hangover! I was given paperwork to sign and told i would have to go back in two weeks but she couldnt tell me my appointment time and i would be sent a letter regarding this, when the two week mark came and went i went into seetec to find out why i had not been given an appointment and was told by the receptionist my next appointment was on the 6th september. Then i come home from my part time job yesterday to a letter telling me that i have an appointment tuesday at 10am, as a single parent of an 8 year old in its impossible for me to get child care so i ring seetec to rearrange the appointment only to be told i couldnt speak to anyone and they would call me back. I finally heard from them this morning to be told that i couldnt take my daughter with me and if i couldnt find childcare and attend i would be sanctioned so what do they suggest i do? I rang jobcentre plus and explained to them and was told its between me and seetec and they are free to impose sanctions when a person fails to keep an appointment! Fuming i thought to myself why should i be sanctioned because i have no childcare all seetec had to do was rearrange a new appointment for the week after next when my daughter is back at school! so i went to there head office and told them the situation the guy said that he would change my sppointment there and didnt seem to impressed that he had to do instead of the center itself. Just cannot believe that this so called "flexible" help can be so cold towards single parents after all if you have an appointment at the job centre they are only to happy for you to rearrange or to take your children with you!
Well done for insisting on getting it changed. Myself I would take my child if there were no other option and say "but you said you would sanction me", The situation is so ridiculous. Of course the Work Programme scheme is trun by a provider rather than the Job Centre Plus people, hence the anomalies.
That is exactly what i was going to do at least then i would have turned up and they would have had to send me away as i was told on the phone not allowed to bring my daughter due to safeguarding. I just wonder what will happen when they send me an appointment that clashes with my job as if i have to keep taking time off to attend the wp i will lose my job and that surely defeats the object of the wp!
I also wonder when you recieve a sanction do you get your entire benefit stopped even if you are a single parent?
Sanctions are discretionary and can be appealed against on the grounds of hardship. Have a look here at some more information about single parents and The Work Programme.
Just a reminder to say that I am interviewing single parents on the Work Programme for a short project (over the telephone - it takes under 30 minutes). You will be given a £20 shop voucher for your time. Your personal details will not be shared. I will use evidence from the work to inform the DWP about how single parents are experiencing the Work Programme and push for improvements where these are needed.
Please get in touch
Laura (L.dewar@spanuk.org.uk)
Hi Everyone,
I am new to this site but have gone through alot of posts about the work programme! I have been on the WP since December last year and have not been given alot of info about what I should be doing other than I have to go in for appointments with advisor and weekly job searches in there. My appointments with advisor dwindled off after a few months but still had to go in for job searches even though I go online evry day and night looking for jobs. My son is now 11 and his primary school doesnt have any after school clubs for him to goto just breakfast club which starts at 8am, I have told my advisor that I can only do hours that tie in with school hours as there no child care after school that I can use as I am a single mum. So I worked out that I could do around 20 hours a week as I got informed that I had to do more than 16 hours as I couldnt claim working tax credits if i did 16 or less anymore. During the sumer holidays I was let off with appointments as I had my son with me on the first one and its against their health and safety to leave children downstairs while we were upstairs doing jobsearches, yet i informed them that i would have to bring him with me due to no childcare, they said it was ok, till i turned up with him. So i was informed they would make a new schedule for me, didnt get that till summer holidays were over yet i went in every time i went to sign on so they could photocopy my joblog.I have been told that every appointment they send me is now mandatory and if i dont turn up i will be sanctioned, yet i have done research and not all of them are mandatory they are voluntary. They have tried to force me onto a course that i didnt want to go on as i went for a tour of the place and i was disgusted by the way the staff spoke to everyone there including eachother, plus i didnt like the way it was run, so i refused to go on that. WP accepted this. Now I get told i have to go on Routeway course and I have been informed that I need a confidence building course and a motivation course! I have recently signed up to college to update my qualifications to help me get a job and WP told me that I couldnt do this as THEY come first! So they only go and make appointments on the days i have college (I do 10 hours week college) I do all my job searches at home and ask around everywhere i go when im out and about, I apply for alot of jobs but never hear anything back off most of them, which just puts me into a downer as this is like a knock down after the time i spend filling in forms and updating CV etc. Anyway I am fed up with it all and what makes it worse is knowing all the hard work I put into finding jobs by myself, is that they get paid when i get a job that i have found myself they will end up with £6600 for having me on their books. My CV was drawn up by myself they have looked at it and said its fine. they fill in their so called employment plan saying i have agreed to this and that when i have no clue what they are on about and i have to sign things then get given a copy and when i read it i see things i dont ever remember agreeing too.
Sorry for the long rant,I hope it makes sense as I tend to go off on a tangent when i get stuck into things.
I really hope that anyone who gets informed they have to go on WP gets a job before they do get sent on it.
Hi Fedup_mumof1, it is all so messy isn't it. Have you contacted Laura on the email address above your post as I am sure she would be interested in your story 
Hi Anna,
Thanks for reply, Laura has replied to me on another post and I will be getting intouch with her soon to do this study with her.
Just a note on todays appointment for my Motivation workshop. I turned up to find a lot of other single mums there and when we went into the room we found that it was a local childrens centre there to give us leaflets on the courses they run, took all of 30 minutes!
That was a brilliant motivation workshop...NOT!
I dont understand how they class that as a Motivation workshop.
Hi Fedup-mumof1, hmmmm motivation workshop interesting, I am sure nearly all of you are pretty motivated already. Although this sounds like a signposting enrolment drive!
Did anything sound interesting though? I hope that you spread the word about One Space and getting £20 for an interview with Laura 
Hi Anna.
It was sort of interesting!! they just gave leaflets on courses they run and childcare they have, which doesnt count for me as my son is 11 and they only do childcare for upto 11 yrs old. So can't help me there. the voluntary work they do isnt in the departments I would like to join so they were going to look into it for me. plays the waiting game there lol.
I have spoken with Laura for her study and hope more people will get in touch with her to help her study out. I will be passing on One Space details to others at WP while I'm there 4 days this week. Sick of the sight of this place and only through 1 appointment this week! 
Hello fedup_mumof1
I think you have hit the nail on the head, a "waiting game" I feel sure that you will find something that YOU want to do before too long.
My friend (not a single parent but aged almost 60) was recently made redundant, she signed on and was told she had to go for a night shift job. I think she will be signing off again pronto.
Well today I went to my second appointment out of 4 for this week. To be told after I asked why I was there so much as this was taking up time into my job searching that I could be there every day the way things are going!!!
How am I supposed to go around places handing in CV's like they say I should if I am in there doing "courses" they say I am mandated to do when the letters they send out dont say mandatory on them?
They have argued that they ARE mandatory even though they dont say it on them as they get sent from another place.
I am back there tomorrow for another "motivation" workshop that none of them know what it is about! I have asked 3 of them what is going to happen on this one and none know, how good is that. One said she didnt sit in on that meeting so doesnt know what it is this time (last one was leaflets handed out). Then on Thursday I have been told that I have an appointment for a Video CV workshop, yet I still havent received a letter with this appointment! this is an all day workshop and if it turns up tomorrow then I havent been given enough time to sort out childcare.
I am sick of telling them this and they wont listen to me. How do I find out the complaints procedure without kicking off in there?
Louise, sorry didnt reply to your post.
That is awful. I think the whole thing is a joke. Take us back to how it was, I didnt like the job centre but I was treated better than I am now. Hear more complaining in there now since WP was started than you ever did before.
oops put wrong name in sorry. 
Helo fedup_mumof1
I would like to encourage you to keep a journal of all this, in terms of facts as it becomes ever more ridiculous and keeping a record might come in useful as things pan out....
Hi there
I find it tragic that these work programmes dont see that they could actually be a fantastic thing, if they were run by trained advisors, with above everything else, empathy. I am actually scared to comment about my experience on here. My advisor has returned me to the anxious person I was when my ex left me. It took me a year of counselling to get through that and now I am back at square one. My daughters anxious behaviours have also triggered again becasue she can sense my anxiety. It is a nightmare and all down to the bullying I face every week from my advisor. I have gone passed my "breaking in period" (her words) of 6 months, where she was nice. Now I see the other side of her.
I could go on and on about things she has said and done, but I would take up the whole page. I am trying to get through it but I live my whole life now with it hanging over my head. I cant do anymore than I do to find work, believe me! It's beyond a joke.
Single Parent a...
I am so sorry to hear about your experiences. I agree that the Work Programme has the potential to do good and support people to move into work. Please do not feel scared about sharing your experiences on the site. Your personal details are not shared and you sound like you could do with the support of other single parents on the site.
As part of the work of the charity that runs One Space we are undertaking a short study about single parent's experience of the Work Programme. We want to share good practice and show where things need to improve. You are welcome to contact me to be interviewed. The interview takes about half an hour over the phone and you will be given a £20 shop voucher for your time. I will not share your personal details. Single parents are given the opportunity to have a voice and help influence how single parents will be treated on the Work Programme.
All the best.
Laura
Dear All,
Last Chance to Have your Say and get a £20 shop voucher
Parliament have announced that they are going to do an enquiry into how different groups are doing under the Work Programme. This is an ideal opportunity to feed in single parents' experiences. However, I need to respond early next month. If you are interested in being interviewed for my short stucy over the telephone for thirty minutes then do get in touch. I can offer a £20 shop voucher for your time and I will not share your personal details.
This is a real opportunity to show the people that run the country what the Work Programme is like for single parents.
Please get in touch by email so I can arrange a suitable time to interview.
Laura L.dewar@spanuk.org.uk
I completely sympathise with you. I'm in exactly the same boat. I'm a single dad who shares custody of my 2 boys. The arrangement we have is Friday to Friday ongoing. The six weeks holiday are next week and I'm being told that I'm expected to attend work programme. My question would be, can they enforce this knowing my circumstances? Even worse, up until now, they allowed it, they just can't change the rules like that surely?
Ryo1974 i think that if you can't find childcare and can prove that, then they can't force you to go, have you spoken with your advisor about it?
Hi Sally, thanks for the reply. Yes I did. But they moved the goalposts and say it's ok for children to be on site, even though last month they specifically said no children as they not insured? It seems they just being funny with me. I spoke to head office and they said I'm allowed childcare time to look after my boys. Also, was told that as my boys are under 13,I'm legally allowed to limit my hours, something they strongly dispute and threaten to report me to job centre for not agreeing to 9-5 job. I'm honestly getting ill over it all. My job centre and I both signed my job seekers agreement, 9.30 - 2.30 for working hours. My work programme again say they can change that and request a sanction if I don't do what they say, rather than me following the agreement with job centre. This is still after speaking with job centre and being told I'm at no risk of sanctioning, as they fully know the situation at home. The constant intimidating attitudes of the work programme taking its toll now I'm sffraid
Oh Ryo1974 that does sound stressful. I always hate hearing of the intimidation and the effects it is having on individuals for so many dealing with the Job Centre and the Work Programme. I am not experienced with issues around the Work Programme I'm afraid. Laura, our parliamentary officer is currently on annual leave until August however I am in no doubt that she will comment on this thread on her return.
I only wanted to suggest that you have a read of our article on Jobseeking or Work Programme over the school holidays, it has a useful .pdf that you could take with you to the job centre.
Please keep in touch with us and let us know how things go.
Hi. Many thanks for the reply. Unfortunately this matter had become worse. I saw my "advisor" last Thursday and they are now saying I've got to produce 10 "realistic" job matches and bring my children into the building on Friday. I'm sure they can't enforce that as it's been stated before they not insured as they deal with many type of persons like ex offenders. They also not taking into consideration my original JSA work agreement I signed with the job centre. Clearly stating I'm a single father who has restrictions on my job searches. How can this work programme be so intimidating by repeatedly quoting that I'm in breach of agreement and could be sanctioned if I fail to accept a job offered. I was offered a job 2 weeks ago, warehouse job that I clearly can't do as I've a back problem, highlighted again on my JSA agreement. Hours were 4am start! She threatened to call job centre on me. I really don't know what to do. I'm beginning to get physically sick and depressed again. Something that will effect not just me, but my children.
Hi Ryo,
I am so sorry you are going through the rubbish with your WP provider. Can I suggest
that you join Consumer Action Group and go to Benefits and HMRC forum to psot a new thread. The caggers who are on there will help you enormously. They have masses of experience and have been or going through the work programme too. Personally I put in a complaint to the WP head office and branch manager with a copy to your MP.
Hi Ryo1974,
You can do as HELLY13 has suggested and make a complaint, You are only required to do what is on your current Job Seeking agreement you will need to make sure that this is specific about any restrictions and your child caring requirements etc, you can then use this to appeal any sanctions they decide to impose on you unfairly.
Did they explain what they meant by the term "realisitic" job matches?
Try not to worry, i know this is easier said than done, but as along as you are doing what is required of you and that is agreed on your job seeking agreement there won't be anything they can do.
Would you be able to call the DWP and ask them to send the information they gave you in writing?
Thankyou both for your replies. I've actually produced a hard up to date copy of my js agreement but still they continue to ignore it's relevance. I actually asked what they consider a realistic job search, and was told flat "that's not for me to decide. You are creating barriers so you need to consider that when you apply" - her words. Basically, all I know is warehouse work. It's the only experience I have. However, due to slipped disc, I cannot do that kinda work anymore. I've just completed a customer service course but with absolutely no experience what so ever, it's very hard to get any response from applications. What should I be applying for? A "realistic" job I can do in theory but not in practice , or a job I've no experience in but what I trained for? Either way, I'm really unsettled what they are gonna say Friday when I attend with my children. I don't know what to do for the best now.
What are they doing to support you in getting a job, it does not sound like they are offering any help, i thought that the work programme is supposed to be supporting people with cv's and job applications etc.
They are getting tough on people regarding what types of jobs you should be applying for, i think the first 13 weeks you are able to apply for jobs that you are qualified for or have experience in after that you will be expected to apply for pretty much anything regardless of the fact that you have no experience in that area/field.
You could start by calling the prospective employers regarding the type of work that would be required of you and write this down as evidence as to why you have not applied for that specific job etc, i.e job requires lots of heavy lifting which i can't do due to back problems, rather than just not applying.
I would attend with the children and wait to see how they respond to it, lets us know how things go? Really feel that you should be making a complaint about the advisor though.
The person i see at the work programme is on holiday until Monday so speaking to her is out. I can however try contact the office and ask them what their rules are. Maybe they can suggest something. I don't have a named advisor at the Jobcentre but i will contact them if i can't get through to the programme. I'm just worried about getting a sanction for lack of childcare.
Thank you for your response. It's been very helpful. :)