To the Lords Committee on the Welfare Reform Bill –
what people with disabilities have to say

Woman with mental health problems hounded by Jobcentre staff

A woman with acute depression and behavioural problems (attributed to brain damage from a road traffic accident), unable to cope with official interviews, had an “unfortunate experience” at the hands of Jobcentre staff, the Dept. for Work and Pensions admitted.  Under Employment and Support Allowance (ESA), people with disabilities now have to attend a work-focussed interview, then an assessment, followed by compulsory “work-focussed activity”.  Only people whose disabilities are extremely severe are exempt.  ESA claimants have to deal with a bewildering three different offices – the DWP Benefit Delivery Centre, privatised Medical Services (Atos Origin Ltd.) and the Jobcentre. 

Having to repeat information about her health history, on forms and by phone, was making the woman more anxious and suicidal, and aggravating her behavioural problems, so she was unable to complete the required form.  She had sick notes covering her claim.   

Jobcentre staff ignored phone calls and letters from WinVisible, from concerned medical practitioners and even a letter from the woman’s MP.  They insisted that attending the work-focussed interview was obligatory, suggesting that WinVisible should accompany the woman if she had behavioural problems which they were not trained for.  Interviews were automatically rescheduled, culminating in a “Pathways to Work” interview. 

Finally, Compliance Officers came to the woman’s home.  They pushed a letter under her inner front door, which threatened that her benefit would stop unless she contacted them to explain herself.  WinVisible immediately phoned the Jobcentre, telling the Compliance Officer that we had notified the Adviser she could not attend.  The Officer maintained that the interview could not be waived -- their actions were government policy.  WinVisible answered that Compliance Officers are responsible if, as a result of their actions, anything happened to vulnerable claimants who are already suicidal.  The Compliance Officer put the phone down on WinVisible.  (She later said the call was unexpectedly cut off.)

After our complaint, the DWP acknowledged that Jobcentre staff applied the wrong rules.  They had not taken the extra steps which, according to officials, are there to safeguard people with mental health problems.  They had delivered the wrong letter at the home visit – the ESA letter is not supposed to contain any threat to stop benefit.  Jobcentre staff could not threaten to cut the woman’s benefit, as no decision was yet made on whether her lack of compliance was wilful or a result of her illness.  She was at the assessment stage, before the main stage when sanctions could be applied.  The DWP acknowledged that claimants perceive the home visit as a threat, and that staff should have acted to alleviate that threat, but described such powers to visit as “support”. 

The woman was made distraught by the threatening letter.  ‘When I found the note from the Jobcentre under my door, it added to my feelings of fear, panic and distress.  It made me feel that if the people I thought were there to help me worked against me, that there was no point in going on.  It has only been with the help of WinVisible, my friends and my psychiatrist that I have started to pull myself back together.’ 

WinVisible was on hand to support her and to phone the Jobcentre immediately.  But what is happening to vulnerable claimants who don’t have anyone to help fight their corner?  Prof. Peter Beresford reported* about a man terminally ill with cancer, in his last days in a hospice, pressed by the Jobcentre that he had to go there for the sake of his ESA claim, and who died before payment.  It is shocking that there is no legal duty of care towards claimants, to protect us from official bullying and brutality.

Statement from the mother of a child with a disability

As the mother of a child with a life-threatening disability I say the Welfare Reform Bill is no good for children or their mothers.

I’m a mother of a young child who has disabilities.  I also myself have a long-term illness.  I have been struggling to care for my daughter and myself.  Because of my daughter’s disability (Sickle Cell Anaemia) she can go into a life-threatening condition suddenly.  To look after a disabled child, a mother works harder because of the added worries of health issues.  It’s very stressful for both of us.  With the Welfare Reform Bill, I’ve got the added worry of my benefit being cut anytime and what I would have to do get it reinstated.  I’ve already gone through this and it is now a constant worry which makes my struggle as the mother of disabled child really hard.

I was wrongly cut off benefits for not attending a work-focused interview even though I rang to cancel.  After two cancellations they automatically seem to cut mothers off with no concern about the difficulties or the disabilities we and our children have, how our children are going to survive and how we are going to explain to a child that there is no money for food.  Then our Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit also get cut and we are left homeless.  It’s a huge job to get it all put back, on top of the work of the disabilities that we are dealing with.

I know other mothers this has happened to.  We are not taken into account, we are just a number; we are treated as targets to meet.

There is the work of getting Disability Living Allowance for my daughter.  It took us over a year to finally win DLA for my daughter, because they turned us down and we had to go to Tribunal.  We had help from WinVisible, imagine someone without help.  They treat us like we are not entitled, but we are.

And now there is the Welfare Reform Bill.  If I was told today that I had to go into waged work it would be very difficult not only for me but especially for my child.  I wouldn’t want to leave her in the care of someone else who may not have her needs at heart as her mother does or be as aware of her condition – it could be fatal for my child.  If I was in waged work I would have to leave suddenly if was my daughter was ill – not a lot of jobs let you do that.  And if my daughter was very ill I would have to leave the job and go back on benefits.  I’m already working caring for my child but the work I’m doing is not paid, so now they are asking me to do paid work on top of all my unwaged caring work, which is devastating and exhausting.  And how would my daughter feel knowing that I was no longer able to be there for her as I have been?  My love and care have been life saving as well as a reassurance during the most difficult times, when she is facing terrible pain and distress.  The Welfare Reform Bill doesn’t take any of that into account.  That’s why it isn’t good for mothers or children.

Stella Mpaka

 For more information, contact WinVisible (women with visible and invisible disabilities)

Email: winvisible@allwomencount.net    Tel: 020 7482 2496

 22 June 2009