About

Firstly, I’m gonna be honest and up front about this – I’m not going to reveal my name. That might make me seen either paranoid or cowardly – it’s actually a combination of both. As anyone who has ever attempted to have a level-headed discussion with a JobCentre Plus “Advisor” will know only to well, if you attempt to question what you’re being told by that particular member of staff, you’ll very quickly find yourself threatened with Benefit Sanctions. It’s like a Little Britain sketch brought to life.

So that’s why I’ll be doing my best to keep my name off the blog. Now that’s out of the way, it’s time to address the main reason for creating the blog in the first place – my experiences with the JobCentre Plus, and the “Flexible” NewDeal, as an ex-offender.

I should also take this opportunity to add a few other quick disclaimers – First things first, this page will contain a lot of background information. As a result, it will undoubtedly take a long time to read – by all means feel free to skim-read it Joking aside, I felt it appropriate that I be as detailed as possible when detailing my background, and the events that have led me to be in the position that I currently find myself. I should also point out that although I intend to explain some of the difficulties caused by my conviction, I won’t be detailing the actual conviction.

I was arrested by West Midlands police in the summer of 2004. After a few months I was eventually charged and sent to trial. In December of 2004 I was convicted, and although the sentencing guidelines for my conviction allow for a custodial sentence of upto 10 years, I was given a 3 Year Community Rehabilitation Order. This was due to my co-operation from the point of my arrest, with the Police & Forensics officers, my immediate admission of guilt, at the earliest available opportunity, and my genuine guilt (I admitted my guilt not just from a legal point of view, but from a moral standpoint.). It was also my first (and I’m planning, last) conviction, and the police were able to verify that I was of previous good character.

As a result of my conviction, my employment was immediately terminated. Prior to my conviction I’d worked for 4 years within a busy IT Department, initially joining after finishing my GCSEs, and had, through on the job training, developed a number of IT related skills.

As part of my Community Rehabilitation Order, I was required to attend regular appointments with a Probation Officer – initally once a week, however over time these sessions took place every two weeks, then eventually once per month, for the remainder of the Order. During these appointments I discussed my actions, as well as my methods to prevent me from relapsing and offending again, as well as looking further ahead, to what life would be like once my Order finished.

During this time, I had been regularly attending my local Jobcentre Plus Office. I first visited the Jobcentre after losing my employment, and after filling out all the relevant paperwork, I eventually started receving JobSeekers Allowance, as well as Council Tax & Housing Benefit (As a consequence of my conviction, I had to move out, and find my own place to live). After about a year of signing-on, I was told that I was now eligible for the NewDeal Programme, and that I would be sent onto a Programme called GateWay. Gateway is a sixteen week programme, that’s designed to offer intensive support and advice, as well as regular jobsearch focused interviews, with a Jobcentre Plus “Advisor”. I was told to attend my Gateway induction, at a company called Steps to Work (website) and report to the manager, Pat Williams, to discuss my options.

So, as directed, I turned up for my induction, along with I’d say 15 – 20 other people who were around the same age as myself, and we were told about the facilities that Steps to Work offer. At the time (It might be different now, this is just based on my experience when I attended) Steps to Work offered basic skills training in English and Maths, ESOL Training (Wikipedia article on ESOL) and the chance to gain a qualification called The European Computer Driving Licence (Wikipedia article on ECDL). They also had a number of old computer terminals that were available for jobsearch related activities, regularly delievered newspapers, and the use of two phones, for persuing employment opportunities.

Now, at first hand that might sound brilliant. However, in my circumstances, it wasn’t. The following table basically re-caps the above, but also outlines why a number of the opportunities that were available were unsuitable for me.

<<Table>>

fter the introduction to the company, and their facilities was over, we were let free for a coffee / tea brake, before being taken over to the actual “Jobsearch area”, where we’d be shown how to use the computers, to access the various jobsearch websites. I took the opportunity to have a word with Pat, and explained to her the details of my criminal conviction, as well as the restrictions that I’m subject to.

Twenty minutes after first talking to her, and one phonecall to my NewDeal “Advisor” and I was on a bus back home, having been told that it would be “inappropriate” for me to continue on the Gateway programme. A month later, however, I received another letter from the Jobcentre, this time telling me that I was to report to a organisation called SCVO (website) where I would begin the second part of the NewDeal Programme: Options (The irony of that name should become aparant later on)

I turned up at SCVO as directed, where I was introduced to the NewDeal Options Manager, Trevor Swingler. Trevor explained that Options, is a thirteen week programme where I would be offered a work placement, in a local company, doing the kind of work that I was looking to get into (At the time I was looking for Office Admin type work). Trevor told me about the facilities that were on offer at SCVO, which basically ran along the same lines as those offered at Steps to Work (and so from my own perspective came with same problems). After informing Trevor of my Criminal record (I’ll be writing at length, about being forced to regularly disclose such information, at a later date) he told me, quite openly, that his team at SCVO would struggle to provide me with a Work Placement, as companies are unwilling to take on clients with such restrictive criminal records. He then phoned down to the Administration Department, and set up  an interview with the Admin Manager, Karis.

After talking to Karis, it was agreed that I’d work at SCVO for the 13 weeks, within their Admin Department. Although Karis was made aware that I had a criminal record, she wasn’t told the exact specifics. I contacted the Probation service, who eventually cleared me to work there. And so that was that – for 13 weeks I was pretty much given the same role and responsibility as a worker from a temp agency would have – initially it was basic admin work, however towards the end of the 13 week I moved onto more advanced work.

I’ve gotta say I really enjoyed my time there, even though everyone, including myself, was aware that SCVO were basically using NewDeal clients to cut down their operating costs – in fact I found out that the NewDeal deapartment were told to be on the look out for people who already had proven office experience, who would then be offered the opportunity to work within the Administration Department, to “gain experience working in an office environment”

After the 13 week period, I returned to the Jobcentre, and was told that, under normal circumstances I’d be moved onto the final stage of the NewDeal Programme, called “Follow-Through“. This is a 26 week programme that functions in the same way as the initial Gateway programme, and so because of that it was agreed that I could skip this final part of NewDeal, and simply return to signing on, and conducting my own jobsearch activities.

And that’s what happened for the next 12 months. I continued to jobsearch, occasionally being invited to attend interviews, only to find that potential employers couldn’t get me out of the door quick enough, once they were aware that I have a criminal record – and in none of those cases were they actually told what my conviction was for, just that I’d got one. Eventually, the “call to NewDeal” came again, and given my experience the first time through the programme, it was decided to refer me to a different organisation – Pertemps PPDG, in West Bromwich.

As instructed in my letter, I attended an appointment at the Jobcentre, only to be told that I wouldn’t actually be going onto New Deal, but instead I was being referred to a new programme, called Programme Centre. Programme Centre, it would eventually transpire, is remarkably similar to the Jobsearch element within the New Deal Programme, with the exception of the number of hours attendance that’s required.

The contract that the JobCentre have with PPDG, to deliever the Programme Centre course, requires “clients” to attend twice a week, for 4 hours at a time, for a total of 8 hours per week. During that time, peole referred there are required to look for upto 3 jobs per time, and as with the Jobsearch element of New Deal, can do so by accessing the jobcentre plus website and / or looking through local newspapers. Help is also available in the form of mock-interviews and CV Preperation.

I attended Programme Centre for the required 13 weeks, and during that time I applied for roughly 70 jobs, which astute readers might note, is less than the Jobcentre minimum (3 jobs per session, two sessions per week, 13 weeks in total = 78). With regards the amount of time that I was supposed to remain there – 4 hours per week, twice a week, in actuality the sessions ran for around 2hrs at a time. As for the much-promised additional support? Well I did ask for a mock interview, but was told that this would only take place, once I’d secured an interview.

I also asked the programme facilitator if he had any advice regarding how to address my conviction, when approaching potential employers – he told me he’d have a think about it, however despite repeated reminders I never did get any advice. Further more there were a number of vacancies to which I thought I seemed ideally suited that I was “advised” not to apply for, due to my criminal record.

So after 13 weeks I finished, and returned to signing-on. Around one month after finishing the Programme Centre course, I received the letter informing me that I’m “eligible” for Flexible New Deal.

Which just about brings us up to date

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