I am sooooo angry

**welshcake** · 01-11-2010, 08:44 PM

Back in Jan 2010 i started working voluntary at a school to get a feel with working with children. i am on incapacity long term benefit and a lone parent was told they dont expect me to work so i didnt need to.

i said i wanted to work and do something for a few extra pennies to take mine out. Lone parents agreed to pay childcare for my youngest to go to a child minder one day and a4e (action for employment) were recrutied to pay for the other day. this mainly was for me to get 6 months behind me in order for me to enrol on my nvq 3.

Did my 6 months and never heard from A4e at all, i then set up as a childminder paying for everything myself had no help at all. then in september A4e got intouch to see how things were and i told them what i had done and said i couldnt work yet until i could afford insurance. they said no problem we will pay for that so u can get sorted.

Nothing mentioned about anything else apart from providing a receipt to show i had paid for this which i did. 4 wks later get a call saying they want a copy of my registration certificate and a copy of an invoice.

now you prob think whats wrong with that but they were going to use my paper work for another success story they helped set up in business. firstly i didnt want my registration number on show for obvious reason's secondly the invoice is private between parents and me and am sure comes under data protection and thirdly i am really

cos they want to take all the credit for setting me up in business when infact they did not.

The manager phoned back after i refused to give it and said that i was being awkward and should provide it. and thats what i promised to do when i initially went to them. which is not true.

I agreed to photo copy my reg certificate leaving off any details under data protection and the same with the invoice, faxed it to him to which he rang and asked me to put on it how many hours child is coming my details etc etc. i refused and basically said i am providing u with a copy of an invoice issued minus child and parents name. how i set it out is my business and i was not providing an invoice which had not been issued and fake. "he then said that i should put how many hours down and it was good practice". this really annoyed me as i pout down the date and then the hours they attend with a fee. the reason i had to leave them off as the child in question is under protection order with SS so no details can be passed on.

He then had the cheek to tell me i was awkward and should calm down as it was only a job similar to a paper round ie pocket money

i pout the phone down.

You could of pulled me off the ceiling. am still fuming now x

**Pixie dust** · 01-11-2010, 08:48 PM

He then had the cheek to tell me i was awkward and should calm down as it was only a job similar to a paper round ie pocket money i pout the phone down

That is awful I would make a formal complaint!

**welshcake** · 01-11-2010, 08:50 PM

Originally Posted by Pixie dust

That is awful I would make a formal complaint!

I have to which job centre plus said they could not comment and they could already see on my file that i was being uncooperative

**welshcake** · 01-11-2010, 08:52 PM

Surely that sort of paperwork with childs details and hours is confidential x

**sarah707** · 01-11-2010, 08:58 PM

How dare someone in that position say you are working for pocket money like a paper round?

I suggest you make a formal complaint about the way you have been treated and the manner in which you have been spoken to.

You are absolutely right to protect confidential information and nobody has the right to tell you that you are being awkward.

You have every right to be uncooperative if you are being asked to divulge confidential information as well.

Hugs xx

**welshcake** · 01-11-2010, 09:13 PM

Thats exactly what i thought sarah, i put his rudeness down to not realising data protection issues with childrens names and details etc but he spoke to me and treated me like i was doing a basic un-important job.

**charlie potato** · 01-11-2010, 09:22 PM

I know from working for the Job centre that that will be their attitude. DWP discriminates against its own employees. xx

Pipsqueak · 01-11-2010, 10:42 PM

that is shocking behaviour and how rude and ignorant.

I agree formal complaint is necessary. Sock it to them - actually I would perhaps be speaking to your local MP and perhaps local papers...... shocking.

**Jayse74** · 02-11-2010, 02:00 AM

Well I can understand how you feel as I was on that a4e once and they just treat everybody like.... poo to put it politely! They harrass and push but when you show any initiative they stifle it. The amount of carp I had to put up with when I even mentioned the word childminding was just crazy, the staff tried hard to put me off saying it wasnt even a job let alone a career and would stuff orange packing agency job leads in my face.

I stuck at it and only my advisor actually stuck her nose out and got me the training I needed to get things going. But why did she have to go on holiday the very day I signed off? lol. I will never forget walking into that place and telling them I signed off and wont be coming back. I didnt even get a pat on the back they assumed I was being a twit and would get no dole money and stared at me like I was wearing my birthday suit. So a few weeks later I get a phone call from them asking for proof we were running a business. I kindly told them where to jump and promptly got nagged and then some abuse lol.
It turns out they get a nice wad of commission for anyone that leaves without being pushed or referred back by the dole office! They never had any faith in me let alone anyone else so why should they profit from me or my partner. This was 3years ago and from what I can gather nothing has changed!

Penny1959 · 02-11-2010, 02:36 AM

Sorry to hear about the treatment you have had from those who are supposed to help.

Are you a member of NCMA? If so I would contact them as sometimes they will send a official letter about childminding being a professional role - and may back you up re data protection. At the very least (even if not a member) I would send this unprofessional person the link to NCMA website as proof that childminding is not just a pocket money job.

When I was unemployed and looking to go back to childminding - I had fab support from job center and was supported to claim JSA even though I had left my job as they said I had been discrimated against by the council (was a childminding development officer). I did get JSA AND in my area support was provided via Business Link and a company called Balancing Business - again fab - details about how to set up free website and access to a local grant of £500 - and the person bothered to do her homework and had looked at NCMA website so knew all about the process to become registered and the difficulties in getting first clients.

Just sorry you did not get the same support and consider myself very lucky not to have had your experience.

Penny

**Jayse74** · 02-11-2010, 02:47 AM

Penny that sounds great

I think our local job centre isnt that good tbh, they didnt exactly care about what we wanted to do. My partner got a small grant for the ncma toolkit stuff but that was it! The rest was funded out of our own pocket and in a way im glad we did!

Also getting NCMA involved should be a good idea, get them to harrass a4e for a change