More work programme provider shamelessness… – Kate Belgrave
Angela Smith is a woman with a Master’s degree and a long history of working in policy and disability support, writes Kate Belgrave.
She also has cerebral palsy and uses an electric wheelchair to get around. I’ve been accompanying Angela to her compulsory fortnightly Wembley jobcentre signons and meetings with the Reed Partnership, her work programme provider in Harrow. We’ve shown how difficult London buses can be for disabled people to use. We’ve also shown how pointless those fortnightly meetings at the jobcentre and the work programme really are when it comes to finding work.
Anyway. Angela has a new job. She got it without any help whatsoever from the jobcentre or the Reed Parntership. She found the job advertisement, filled in the application form, went to the interview and got through.
She did the whole thing entirely by herself. But that hasn’t stopped the work programme provider from trying to claim the result for itself. I went with Angela to her final meeting there a couple of weeks ago and saw this in all its glory. Her work programme adviser – a pleasant enough woman – congratulated Angela on finding a job. Then she said something along the lines of: “look, I know we haven’t helped you get this job at all – but would you be prepared to be featured in our Success Stories poster campaign? We could get your photo done and get a poster made. That would be really good.” There were posters on the office walls of people working at various jobs and saying things like: “I’m now running a successful business.” Angela and I decided that they must have been a bit short on successful-placements-of-disabled-people-in-work stories so they’d figured they’d have hers.
Pity they had nothing to do with it.
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They have the answer – do not tell your job provider where you found a job if they had nothing to do with helping you find it so they cannot claim the payment!!
Well done! Lovely to hear a success story despite the difficulties.
xxxx
I’m so pleased for Angela and for Kate :) I’ve been following the story and have been horrified at the things that have happened to Angela.
I hope the job is wonderful and that they told Reeds where to shove the “Success Stories”!
can we bring back hanging for all these con artist crooks?
If they’re allowed to carry on much longer, they’ll all end up being lynched, I expect.
It has gone past being a joke how much more money will be thrown at these non-jobs advisors? Have any of these MP’s have ever had a proper job? None have any business sense whatsoever, it is they that should be lynched for misuse of public funds. Well done Angela I wish you every success in your new post.