Restart Advisor don't listen to my concern only on her ****Wishes****

What is the best way out. Had enough made a few complaints, the management cannot fight her way out of a paperbag; they will shift the blame onto you. 
What is this one month into the programme, and they have destroyed my mental health? 
It is good if you are able to work.Ignorant and very little or no training for people with disabilities.Friendly at first, their true colours come out like other participants in the job club said they turn really nasty yes I have witnessed my advisor talking down to me infront of other staff members. They are also very patronising, very put-on, and tell false lies by your advisor; they talk so much rubbish makes my ears bleed. It literally does more harm to me going to their offices.
Also, if you have a poorly off-school child with autism in a state because they are ill, they will try to make you take them with you to the appointment rather than accept that you want to cancel they don't allow to cancel your appointments reason must be some sort of funding.
Also, why did I not use to go to the job centre but still go there for so long, saying the same crap every appointment about how I couldn't work?I still had to go a little about getting ready for work when my health was down the toilet and my world tipped on its head with personal circumstances. Very arrogant.I tried explaining countless times that a spot of light counselling would not help with my mental disorder, yet they still insisted I try it out ‍�I also did not fully appreciate how difficult it was to get to these appointments, and back with the extreme tiredness and pain, getting these appointments to the restart office takes me two train rides. 1 hour and 20 minutes of travel, I think I had enough of them going to withdraw my consent forms and limit what they could do with me in the next 11 months, as I witnessed. They cannot be trusted to do anything.
The job centres are more professional. These are just shady sales merchants wanting you to turn up to every appointment, course, and any rubbish so they can gain some sort of funding from you. I had this with A4E when I became unemployed at that time, it seems. Like the cycle has returned to scam. The taxpayer's money billions wasted in this programme these parasites need investigating.

First off, you have my genuine sympathies.

I was only on my Restart course for 12 months and they were okay for the first month or so, but then they pulled courses out of their arses, the majority of which were in-house, but sometimes an external tutor would come in from an independent training provider. Then I found at the 6 month mark they really put the pressure on me, nearly pushing me over the edge on several occasions.

All of this was in spite of them knowing about my health conditions. One or twice they even accused me of using my health conditions to avoid getting a job - they absolutely hate it when you put your own health first and tell them you're not going to make the condition worse by applying for or going for the jobs they suggest.

One example was them knowing of my health conditions and they said they'd found a job that wouldn't affect these. Once I got the name of the employer from them, I phoned the employer up directly and found out that it would affect my health conditions - the lady from HR even said she wouldn't recommend me for the job knowing my conditions! The icing on the cake was when I found out the shift patterns were outside of public transport hours and the job was about 10 miles away in a small village.

I know the above won't help you too much, but perhaps knowing what you're in for might help to prepare you mentally. Sometimes it's better not knowing, especially if you're a worrier, but forewarned is forearmed.

There are many people who can offer you some rock solid advice on here. God knows how posters on here have put up with my posts sometimes - have a search on these forums and you'll see I was in a state last year.

Good luck and I'll try to remember to keep an eye on your thread.

Intincroi wrote:First off, you have my genuine sympathies.

I was only on my Restart course for 12 months and they were okay for the first month or so, but then they pulled courses out of their arses, the majority of which were in-house, but sometimes an external tutor would come in from an independent training provider.  Then I found at the 6 month mark they really put the pressure on me, nearly pushing me over the edge on several occasions.

All of this was in spite of them knowing about my health conditions.  One or twice they even accused me of using my health conditions to avoid getting a job - they absolutely hate it when you put your own health first and tell them you're not going to make the condition worse by applying for or going for the jobs they suggest.

One example was them knowing of my health conditions and they said they'd found a job that wouldn't affect these.  Once I got the name of the employer from them, I phoned the employer up directly and found out that it would affect my health conditions - the lady from HR even said she wouldn't recommend me for the job knowing my conditions! The icing on the cake was when I found out the shift patterns were outside of public transport hours and the job was about 10 miles away in a small village.

I know the above won't help you too much, but perhaps knowing what you're in for might help to prepare you mentally.  Sometimes it's better not knowing, especially if you're a worrier, but forewarned is forearmed.

There are many people who can offer you some rock solid advice on here.  God knows how posters on here have put up with my posts sometimes - have a search on these forums and you'll see I was in a state last year.

Good luck and I'll try to remember to keep an eye on your thread.

Wow, incredible! I hope you recovered This is terrible. It's literally harassment towards the most vulnerable people in society. Thank you for your heartwarming message. They have already damaged my mental health and my son's health. He is only 4 years old, and the advisor I have is a stone-cold person who has no empathy or heart and doesn't care one bit. She said you must turn up, or I will report you to the job centre. I had to take him out of bed at 8 a.m. in the freezing cold morning to travel for the restart appointment last week at 9.45 a.m. The advisor said there was no afternoon appointment. Yeah, right. The next appointment will ask for those contract withdrawal forms. I cannot have the advisor have the power to set me up for all sorts of dodgy things. I've already received a number of phone calls from my advisor with jobs they want me to do outside my area, miles away. Also, I have no experience or skills for, e.g., being a sales assistant at Boots 30 miles away, selling glasses. What the hell? I clearly told the advisor to take travel and my son into account and look for work locally after hours. Who the fuck is going to look after my son? I cannot afford childcare. Etc., they don't care; they only care if they get paid and the advisor claim some commission for Job starts. Can anyone confirm the contract withdrawal? I only turn up for appointments that way. Can they do anything else? I'm very out of the loop on these things. 

Remove all your consent as soon as possible. This will get their back up as they will not get paid if you do not have a contract with them. Also, get them to contact you by post ONLY. Immediately (this is allowed as I did it). This slows everything down as they have to allow for postage time, it also costs them. You will soon be parked and they will leave you alone as soon as they realise you're not going to make them any money. If they still harrass you then contact your MP and let your work roach know about any problems and ask them to record what you say. No legislation states you must go to Restart when sick and they must take all your situations into account and make a reasonable adjustment before threatening you with telling the job centre. How do you get on with your work coach?

oneman wrote:Remove all your consent as soon as possible. This will get their back up as they will not get paid if you do not have a contract with them. Also, get them to contact you by post ONLY. Immediately (this is allowed as I did it). This slows everything down as they have to allow for postage time, it also costs them. You will soon be parked and they will leave you alone as soon as they realise you're not going to make them any money. If they still harrass you then contact your MP and let your work roach know about any problems and ask them to record what you say. No legislation states you must go to Restart when sick and they must take all your situations into account and make a reasonable adjustment before threatening you with telling the job centre. How do you get on with your work coach?

Thank you, Oneman. excellent advice taken onboard everything you said. I emailed the advisor to withdraw my consent contract forms this afternoon. Stopping them from making funding out of me is a bonus they deserve no money of me. These so-called professionals, who say everyone gets treated with the utmost respect, have to be both ways also think they can mistreat their customers like this and get away, which caused me to have a nervous breakdown. I will also let my provider know they are only to communicate with me through post-method appointments and only burn into their profits. I get excellent support from my work coach, who is very respectful. Never once had an issue always seem to be these schemes. I will also update my work coach on any upcoming issues and contact my local MP. This scheme is waste of time. Hope they park me up I'm done.

It will take time to park you up. But if they are not making money then it will happen very fast or they will just throw you off the course. How long have you been on now?

You said, "I will also let my provider know they can only communicate with me through post-method appointments." NO! All communication should stop as you only want to be contacted by post only. No email! No phone! No. CALLING ROUND!!! (this happens)  Ask for your contact details to be removed and ask To speak with a manager only and raise an official complaint with them and put in an FOI for all the info they hold. ( they will lie and try to fog you off but int up to them to provide it) CC your MP and let them know about the situation. You might find MPs lack luster but mine is great and I did not even vote for them.

Restart staff are unqualified scum who just follow orders, from unqualified managers, who all sit in the same office harassing Jobcentre clients into taking any jobs as long as they are all paid for by your employment results only!!

https://www.gov.uk/make-a-freedom-of-information-request#:~:text=You%20have%20the%20right%20to,the%20right%20to%20see%20information.
These people are not your friends and are worse than the work roaches at the job centre.
It comes to a point when the Workroaches at the job centre are better than the obnoxious little diseases that work for Restart.

At the end of the day, depending on the time of bad news and government popularity with the rich, they both work for bonuses on top of their salary.

Government Cronyism with Restart or other work programme providers will always happen. Labour will be worse, Sorry but true..

oneman wrote:It will take time to park you up. But if they are not making money then it will happen very fast or they will just throw you off the course. How long have you been on now?

You said, "I will also let my provider know they can only communicate with me through post-method appointments." NO! All communication should stop as you only want to be contacted by post only. No email! No phone! No. CALLING ROUND!!! (this happens)  Ask for your contact details to be removed and ask To speak with a manager only and raise an official complaint with them and put in an FOI for all the info they hold. ( they will lie and try to fog you off but int up to them to provide it) CC your MP and let them know about the situation. You might find MPs lack luster but mine is great and I did not even vote for them.

Restart staff are unqualified scum who just follow orders, from unqualified managers, who all sit in the same office harassing Jobcentre clients into taking any jobs as long as they are all paid for by your employment results only!!

https://www.gov.uk/make-a-freedom-of-information-request#:~:text=You%20have%20the%20right%20to,the%20right%20to%20see%20information.
These people are not your friends and are worse than the work roaches at the job centre.
It comes to a point when the Workroaches at the job centre are better than the obnoxious little diseases that work for Restart.

At the end of the day, depending on the time of bad news and government popularity with the rich, they both work for bonuses on top of their salary.

Government Cronyism with Restart or other work programme providers will always happen. Labour will be worse, Sorry but true..

Thanks for being a star; this forum is amazing and has great knowledge and information. I have 11 crap months on this. I did ask my work coach to make a referral; you cannot turn down help in life. I wish I had come to this forum earlier and done my research. This is the biggest wrong decision ever. I should have asked for the work and health programme or something else instead, hoping they would park me up sooner rather than later. Every communication will be by post. Yes, they are scum on earth. I noticed that on the first appointment, I couldn't have my say because the advisor kept talking over me. I told her about my education in college; I didn't finish drama level 3, which she said wasn't good enough. I knew she was a massive problem.

Third-party subcontractors advisors are not even qualified and have failed to become employed in the civil service. So they pick and do these scumbag jobs, pick on the unemployed, and bully them because they are vulnerable. Guess what you picked on the wrong person? I'm not that type of person who just gives in life.
Advisors do is throw them all into any unsuitable jobs, do what the management says job starts we want and monitors their work for pattern for 6 months till they get paid. Scumbags deserve to make no money in return. I will do my own and not provide any work information once I'm back to employment.

Thanks for that. People don't tell me I'm A star. Robots and AI do!!!!!!!

Don't hate yourself. People Only need help when it happens no matter what they have looked up and tried to understand. Shit happens no matter what.
It's not your fault.
This is no wrong decision from you and certainly not your biggest!

They don't want your history because they don't care, but they do want to change your CV as they get paid for that as part of their assessment.

When did you understand that the removal of your consent was important?

Are you still on the Programme?

Explain what happened with your 3 advisors, please?

From what you've posted, you need to be more assertive at any future appointments.  This is the hard part - don't be nasty or aggressive, as they will turn this against you.  Be polite and let them talk for as long as they want.  When they finish say something like "sorry, but you were talking for so long I wasn't sure if I was allowed to speak at my appointment".  They'll probably either ask if you've something to say or give you a lecture.  But either way, you're wasting their time and they're too dumb to even realise it.

I think some of the advisors hated me because I was friendly to them, despite the shit they gave me.  The last advisor I had before leaving Restart, I swear they just said what they wanted their colleagues and manager to hear.  But I truly believe that there was an unspoken mutual agreement where if I let them speak to me like that, they'd let me do whatever - just as long as they were seen to be giving me a talking.  They would ask me to do things, I wouldn't do it, nothing was asked about it at my next appointment and on it went.

Be careful of the friendly advisors, they are true snakes.  They're trying to sweet talk you into singing like canary to them, only for them to later turn around everything you've said and spit it back in your face.  In some ways I could see why the harsher advisors were doing what they were doing, but that didn't make it any easier.  In the office I went to, there were a pair of Hitlers who always sat near each other - they were renowned by advisors and claimants alike for being true jobsworth cunts and making your life hell.

oneman wrote:Thanks for that.

Don't hate yourself. People Only need help when it happens no matter what they have looked up and tried to understand. Shit happens no matter what.
It's not your fault.
This is no wrong decision from you and certainly not your biggest!

They don't want your history because they don't care, but they do want to change your CV as they get paid for that as part of their assessment.

When did you understand that the removal of your consent was important?

Are you still on the Programme?

Explain what happened with your 3 advisors, please?

Hello, your right They don't care; if they had, they would have taken my 4-year-old child into account and looked for local jobs between school hours. I told them this at the beginning, and she looked disinterested and wrote nothing down in the notepad. She literally said, Here is a job. Take it in a rude tone. No information—location, pay, or hours—sounded like a setup. I heard they edit people's CVs and add information, trying to get you employed quicker and put you forward to job interviews for job starts, which is all they are after. I only found out the job she wanted me to do was 30 miles by the management team. After I filed a complaint about her dodgy actions about the consent forms, I found this out on this forum. Yes, I'm still on the restart scheme and have to take the next 11 months remaining pain. The second advisor messed me around with appointment times and kept changing them frequently. I had enough; I don't have time to waste. I'm on to my third advisor, not having any high hopes; they all have some serious faults. 

Intincroi wrote:From what you've posted, you need to be more assertive at any future appointments.  This is the hard part - don't be nasty or aggressive, as they will turn this against you.  Be polite and let them talk for as long as they want.  When they finish say something like "sorry, but you were talking for so long I wasn't sure if I was allowed to speak at my appointment".  They'll probably either ask if you've something to say or give you a lecture.  But either way, you're wasting their time and they're too dumb to even realise it.

I think some of the advisors hated me because I was friendly to them, despite the shit they gave me.  The last advisor I had before leaving Restart, I swear they just said what they wanted their colleagues and manager to hear.  But I truly believe that there was an unspoken mutual agreement where if I let them speak to me like that, they'd let me do whatever - just as long as they were seen to be giving me a talking.  They would ask me to do things, I wouldn't do it, nothing was asked about it at my next appointment and on it went.

Be careful of the friendly advisors, they are true snakes.  They're trying to sweet talk you into singing like canary to them, only for them to later turn around everything you've said and spit it back in your face.  In some ways I could see why the harsher advisors were doing what they were doing, but that didn't make it any easier.  In the office I went to, there were a pair of Hitlers who always sat near each other - they were renowned by advisors and claimants alike for being true jobsworth cunts and making your life hell.

Thanks very much for the advice to be friendly to these advisors. I hate taking all the abuse; it is very hard for me to take. Some people can stand this, and some people cannot. 
I tried to be friendly and reasonable with them; for a few appointments, I never swore at them or spoke over them. How I come across that you respect me? I respect you, and as you mentioned, these snake advisors take advantage of your politeness and friendliness. Once they cross that line,. I'm done being the polite one. 

#Grilledmars, the only trouble with 'I'm done being the polite one.".. Is you get painted as the Villain 🤬. Best to 'Keep Calm and Carry On' ( but know your rights). And finish the scheme, without too much agro...?

You do not need to cease being polite. Restart is an employment agency. They are the contracted out arm of the JCP's employment agency side. Due to them being an employment agency they cannot mandate that any job seeker does anything at all. Whatever they claim to be able to do is bullshit.

All employment agencies fall under The Conduct of Employment Agencies and Employment Businesses Regulations 2003. The DWP and their contractors are not exempt from this legislation.

Consent is required for everything. Withdrawal of consent cannot be refused. They won't like it, but they can't stop it. They might get nasty, but they are already nasty, so you have nothing to lose and everything to gain. If Restart agents aren't aware that they are subject to the law, that's their problem, not yours.

https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2003/3319/contents/made

Restriction on detrimental action relating to work-seekers working elsewhere

6.—(1) Neither an agency nor an employment business may (whether by the inclusion of a term in a contract with a relevant work-seeker or otherwise)—

(a) subject or threaten to subject a relevant work-seeker to any detriment on the ground that—

(i) the relevant work-seeker has terminated or given notice to terminate any contract between the work-seeker and the agency or employment business, or

(ii) in the case of an employment business, the relevant work-seeker has taken up or proposes to take up employment with any other person; or

(b) require the relevant work-seeker to notify the agency or the employment business, or any person with whom it is connected, of the identity of any future employer of the relevant work-seeker.

The DWP may mandate you into joining an employment agency, but not which one and certainly not the one they fund themselves.  The contract between the job seeker and the employment agency is none of the DWP's business. This is why they can't force any job seeker to sign Restart paperwork.

One of the actions you can take is to join a different agency, one that isn't funded by the DWP. The DWP can't sanction you for sacking their funded employment agency in order to join one that isn't funded by them. It's no different to the DWP funding a taxi to work and you sacking the taxi firm due to their shit attitude towards you.

Absolut wrote:e. Restart is an employment agency. They are the contracted out arm of the JCP's employment agency side. Due to them being an employment agency they cannot mandate that any job seeker does anything at all. Whatever they claim to be able to do is bullshit.

If I may make some hyperthetical point's here.
Being Restart providers are technically a 'employment agency' is there not some competition/monopoly issues here. Of the DWP getting insentives to award contacts. Not a free and open market is it!?! We keep hearing about Customer choice. You can choose where you receive medical treatment. But not which  Restart provider to attend.
https://www.which.co.uk/news/article/patient-choice-how-to-choose-the-right-hospital-and-consultant-amBVv6l6kdnx




And secondly, if this is the case. Could a customer choose which provider to be sentenced to or transfer to another Restart company(Employment agency)?

While, I know this won't happen as claimant's are just  'payment outcome'🤮... To the DWP🧻/Provider's...‍

Professor Pintel , your treatise about consumer choice is correct. We are always told consumer choice creates competition which in turn drives up standards. But claimants are seen as a sort of sub-human thing to which the accepted rules need not apply.

I doubt there would be any competition issues arising from participants having no choice of provider. Concerns about monopolies would likely arise with the bidding process to get the contracts.

Your too kind Ignatius...

However, before we get blown️ off course. The original question was "Restart Advisor don't listen to my concern .."
If there was ever a market that needed some Consumer competition. The unemployment training sector ( or however you wish to define this sector). Would be high on the list?  
You only have to look at the Costs to Outcomes. To see the DWP 🧻, isnt exactly getting value for money....

The DWP value for money metric probably places a premium on participant bashing, rather than actually helping people.

The whole sector certainly does need competition and is at odds with other types of training provision. In my area, there are various companies/colleges that specialise in the post 16 apprenticeship sector so a person gets to choose which in turn must make the companies get their act together. As we all know because people are conscripted by the jobcentre on pain of sanction, providers have no incentive to listen to people. Also, the day to day delivery is usually done by a smaller company who have to keep the likes of Reed, Maximus etc happy, providing yet another reason to not treat the participant as an individual. Until we have a government that values public sector investment in training, and stops proclaiming zero hours and 8hr contracts as a sign of a strong and prosperous economy, I can't see anything changing in the unemployed training sector.

Compare with those personalised care awards (sorry, don't know the correct name) where the service user gets an award of £xxx from their council to meet their additional needs and then gets to choose who/how their care is delivered. But no way could I see any politician proposing a individualised training fund for the unemployed. We'd only all blow it on iPhones.

Well said #|gnatius...

"Also, the day to day delivery is usually done by a smaller company who have to keep the likes of Reed, Maximus etc happy, providing yet another reason to not treat the participant as an individual"

Again, its pass the buck between the company's, so no one is to blame. Has there ever been a time, when retraining of the U/Emp. Was actually taken seriously, and not just a way of making easy money? Just whenever I hear in the media, 'Skills Shortages''. I roll my eyes .

Your preaching to the choir here #Jobber..

As you suggested these programs/scheme's are a "Rinse & Repeat" money laundering operation? Whichever name they brand it with. Correct me if I have sailed off course here. But isn't the Retread (Restart) scheme 'Allegedly' for the 25- 65( retirement age). As opposed to the Kickstand (kickstart 18 - 25) scheme.

🪴You could argue the Apprenticeship model, is another Rinse & Repeat concept? The amount of times I've heard after the apprenticeship, has run its course/duration. The apprentice was laid off, and replaced with a new apprentice...

Yes, restart to nowhere. Long as the great coffee shop economy remains, no matter about age discrimination, results will be the same. Low wage, low skill, insecure and never enough good quality jobs become available due to massive increase in population. But let that little fact not cloud things, when millions will be forced to plough on regardless. It's a disgrace, and not the fault of the unemployed, sick or disabled.