Fedcap Fails

Today was the day I had what I had assumed would be my latest Work Focused Interview. I don't think it was however. Instead, and to cut a long story short, Fedcap Employment, who had failed to respond to 4 messages, decided to contact the DWP over 'concerns' I had withdrawn from their scheme. I have already discussed that scheme, suffice to say that a combination of it being lacking, the advisers failing to connect, and the pandemic situation, wer ebehind my decision to quit.

This has annoyed me. Not least of all because, in my view, this is a breach of trust. I asked them, at least twice at the outset, whether or not, if I chose to quit, there would be consequences. I don't know what they told the DWP and the caller did 'assure' me that I wasn't in any trouble. But we all know how they operate. Anything that can look bad can be a problem. I was told that, having self referred, that it was my decision and there would be no consequences. However they since chose to ignore all communication and go to the DWP. If they were genuinely concerned (as opposed to concerns over their funding, which does come from the DWP) they should have replied to one of the four messages I set. I know they received at least one of them because it was to cancel what would have been my last appointment. Given that they didn't call me for that appointment they must have read the email. But they didn't respond.

This is frustrating. Trust is the most important aspect in all of this. If you don't feel that you can trust these organisations, when they are ostensibly there to help, then how can they help? We all know the DWP isn't even a neutral organisation. It doesn't have people's best interests at heart. While there may be many well intentioned staff, the overall timbre of the organisation is to ensure people get as little as possible. That's just how they operate. We all know this. Therefore anything that can mark your card is problematic. But wht does it say about a duty of care that one of their customer support partners ignores messages and goes behind the customer's back? That's obviously what happened. They made no effort to contact me, but, perhaps concerned abotu payments generated by my presence as a client, went to the DWP instead. As if the DWP is set up to properly help people in distress (if that was their concern). I don't buy it.

I remain happy to work with organisations like this going forward. Something I have always said and have always proven; after all it wasn't the DWP that referred me to Fedcap. I did that myself. However I will be guarded in the future. These organisations have to earn my trust. I do not provide that simply because they think they deserve it because of who they are and what they do. Too often that is abused. Especially when the climate for the unemployed is such that it won't be the claimant that's trusted, it will be the organisation. By quitting the course you are seen, in the context of this dreadful striver/skiver dichotomy, as being lazy. We all know the consequence once that's how they see you.

Of course the concern now is that, if that wasn't a proper Work Focused Interview, I could get a letter tomorrow telling me I've got another call. No thanks.