[Survey] Have your say on [UK] welfare benefits reform

I have filled in the questionnaire for myself and for my daughter. I felt the questions had too much focus on 'what would make it possible for you to work' with a list of options, rather than the fact that for the majority of pwME are simply too sick to work, whatever support is provided.

It felt like they are doing the DWP's job for them, but tricking us into saying we might be able to work if we had this or that support in place. It is of no relevance to most of us that the DWP might offer job coaches, employment support workers, training in writing CV's or employer workplace adjustments.
 
Trish said:
I have filled in the questionnaire for myself and for my daughter. I felt the questions had too much focus on 'what would make it possible for you to work' with a list of options, rather than the fact that for the majority of pwME are simply too sick to work, whatever support is provided.

It felt like they are doing the DWP's job for them, but tricking us into saying we might be able to work if we had this or that support in place. It is of no relevance to most of us that the DWP might offer job coaches, employment support workers, training in writing CV's or employer workplace adjustments.
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Especially worrying given this survey was created by a Long COVID charity that should surely be aware most pwME can’t work.
 
Trish said:
I have filled in the questionnaire for myself and for my daughter. I felt the questions had too much focus on 'what would make it possible for you to work' with a list of options, rather than the fact that for the majority of pwME are simply too sick to work, whatever support is provided.

It felt like they are doing the DWP's job for them, but tricking us into saying we might be able to work if we had this or that support in place. It is of no relevance to most of us that the DWP might offer job coaches, employment support workers, training in writing CV's or employer workplace adjustments.
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It has been designed to give us support to lobby MPs urgently about just how unfeasible these cuts are, how much they just are not listening and how impacted pwME and pwLC will actually be.

It was a joint project with pwME and pwLC involved. It is impossible to get the questions "right" and capture everything correctly but hopefully we are managing to capture important information for the community and take action.

Thank you to everyone who has used precious energy to fill it in.
 
Thanks, I don't doubt it was designed with the right intentions, I just gave my personal response to filling it in twice over for me and my daughter.

I can't remember the questions, but I think I remember being asked twice for each of us about the various ways to help someone into work, one of which tricked me into filling it in as if going to work would be possible. I should have copied the question so I could discuss it sensibly instead of based on my faulty memory.
Have I misremembered?
 
Trish said:
I have filled in the questionnaire for myself and for my daughter. I felt the questions had too much focus on 'what would make it possible for you to work' with a list of options, rather than the fact that for the majority of pwME are simply too sick to work, whatever support is provided.
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One of the options was biomedical research to lead to effective treatment, though!
 
Trish said:
Thanks, I don't doubt it was designed with the right intentions, I just gave my personal response to filling it in twice over for me and my daughter.

I can't remember the questions, but I think I remember being asked twice for each of us about the various ways to help someone into work, one of which tricked me into filling it in as if going to work would be possible. I should have copied the question so I could discuss it sensibly instead of based on my faulty memory.
Have I misremembered?
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There is an option to say "none of these would help"

There are some reasonable suggestions of things that we don't seem to have been able to get so far, and might help those with long covid or mild ME who might be able to do a limited amount of work, but one option is "biomedical treatment" and another option is "none of these would help"

I think the idea is that enough people are going to select "biomedical treatment" that it will demonstrate that even reasonable adjustments are just not going to help.

As someone who has had some very traumatic experiences with DWP I fully understand and appreciate your concerns :hug:

This project was initiated by some very worried people who desperately want to take action and be able to demonstrate to the DWP and ministers the absolute insanity of their proposals.
 
Trish said:
Thanks for clarifying and for your work on this. Maybe I approached it in the wrong frame of mind, being so accustomed to the stuff the DWP and politicians are saying. I hope it proves useful.
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I completely understand your perspective on this. We have been screwed too many times.

I will do my best to bring the pwME perspective to how the results are used and our lobbying.
 
Filled it in but i seriously doubt anyone in our present political system will care . The D W P has been a nightmare to deal with since 1997 . not that it was pleasant before that but some staff actually showed some compassion and common sense .
 
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