The work coaches specifically in Govan Job Centre are horrible, they bring you down to within an inch of yourself looking down on you and your circumstances with zero compassion or thought to why you may have a mental health issue. They speak to you as if you are a piece of gum on their shoes, they show no empathy towards anyone and seem to not want to actually do their job: they do not help in any way, actually they hinder you because they leave you feeling worse than when you first walked in.

I have not experienced a work coach.

But to the best of my knowledge l think a work coaches - he or she - is aiming to provide personalised support and to help individuals overcome and achieve their employment goals.

I think that's all l have to say about work coaches.

My Experience with the Jobcentre and the DWP After My Son’s Suicide

In November 2021, my life changed forever. My 19-year-old son died by suicide after suffering domestic abuse. In the aftermath, I was left traumatised, grieving, and completely unable to work due to severe, complex PTSD.

It was at this most vulnerable time that I had my first experience with a Work Coach at the Jobcentre.

I had to apply for Universal Credit, and during that first appointment, I was open and honest about my circumstances. I disclosed my dyslexia, ADHD, and the fact that I struggle significantly with form-filling, technology, and online systems — especially without support, which I don’t have at home.

I explained that I found the online journal system extremely difficult to use. I asked for reasonable adjustments, like communicating over the phone instead of through the online portal. My request was ignored.

Instead of empathy, I was met with hostility. The Work Coach responded with shocking insensitivity. When I explained that I was struggling mentally because my son had taken his own life, she dismissed me. “You can’t keep throwing that around,” she said, referring to my son’s suicide. This wasn’t just upsetting — it was retraumatising and deeply wrong.

There was no understanding of how trauma and neurodivergence affect someone’s ability to engage with rigid systems like Universal Credit. Despite my formal complaint, nothing changed. The online journal remains the only point of communication, and it’s not designed to be accessible for people with dyslexia, ADHD, or trauma-related conditions.

If a workplace failed to make these kinds of reasonable adjustments, it could be taken to court for disability discrimination. So why is the DWP exempt?

Living in a rural area adds another layer of difficulty. Public transport is virtually non-existent. I rely entirely on other people to take me to appointments. I can’t travel alone — particularly when I’m having suicidal thoughts. Despite this, I’ve been told I must attend the Jobcentre in person or risk losing my only source of income.

There is no flexibility. No safeguarding. No understanding. I fear that as even stricter benefit conditions come in, more disabled people like me will fall through the cracks — punished for not being able to do what the system demands, regardless of how hard we try.

What’s even scarier is that many Work Coaches seem to have no lived experience of trauma or mental ill-health. Some, like the one I encountered, are actively dismissive and harmful. People like me are left feeling powerless. How do you argue with the DWP? You can’t. They are a law unto themselves, with no external oversight or accountability.

I believe there must be an independent body overseeing Work Coach behaviour and DWP decisions — especially when disabled or bereaved claimants are involved. No one should be re-traumatised for simply asking for help. And no one should be forced to choose between their safety and their survival.

It's a hostile environment in the job centres, not many job coaches I met were empathetic more were authoritarian and I felt they had power over me as if they are paying the benefit from their pocket. Not all people understand everything about the physical or mental health challenges they are not professional in this regards but still they get to make the decisions.

It's very stressful, will have detrimental affect on people's mental health.

The Scottish Gov have announced a new payment for families in Scotland that are impacted by the 2 child benefit cap from March 2026

There's been an awful plane crash in India, the warmongers are bombing each other crazy and the cost of living in the UK continues to rise. Yet the government continues to fail when reading the room.

They are so high up on their egotistical horse in a quest to rescue the country for their mates to exploit us.

Then they wonder why Reform are doing so well - who by the way will be far worse than Labour.

Will the adults in the room please call time.

UC is currently cruel and divisive. It pits disabled people against other people by imposing arbitrary limits on how many people can claim it based on a minister's ideology or instinct. UC needs to be a compassionate system, not punitive. Where is the evidence that threatening people with poverty motivates them into employment?

The government needs to read the room.

The financial bonus approach has never worked in the past. In fact if the government did their research they would know it drove up benefit claims.

UC needs to offer real security. Rather than forcing people to prove their worth through further suffering.

UC needs to value people for who they are rather than what they have to offer. We don't hear enough about unemployability rather than joblessness. UC needs to be a system which readily acknowledges that some disabled people simply cannot work at all and there's no adjustments that can fix that. UC needs to be a system that is OK with the fact that not everyone can be made work ready.

Treating people as a commodity is inhumane. It's not policy it's cruelty disguised as economy efficiency.

Assessors for disability benefit need to categorically stop making assumptions or speculation about a person's health issues. They need to stick to the facts. This would save time and money at tribunal where 80% of claims are upheld. Assessors and the government are very good at ignoring evidence presented to them. This also needs to stop.

Benefit levels don't cover essentials. Often we can't get food that will keep, or delivered food is too expensive, or we don't feel well enough to eat or cook or can't afford the storage. Please bear this in mind when setting fiscal targets that are not rigged to fail people living real lives in real bodies.

One major part of Universal Credit that desperately needs reviewing is the five-week wait, it’s devastating for families like mine. As a full-time unpaid carer to a disabled child, I can’t just “bridge the gap” or take on extra hours. That wait puts people into crisis from the start, creating debt and anxiety that takes months, sometimes years, to recover from.

The automatic deductions are also unfair. By the time they take repayments for advances or overpayments, what’s left isn’t enough to cover food, heating, or school costs. It’s like being punished for needing help in the first place.

And when it comes to work, the system doesn't understand the reality for carers or parents of children with additional needs. We’re expected to meet job-seeking requirements or risk sanctions, even when we’re already working harder than most people realise, caring 24/7 with no breaks and no pay.

If Universal Credit is going to work for people on low incomes, it needs to be built with real life in mind, one that’s flexible, compassionate, and actually helps people live with dignity.

Well had my universal credit claim review and I'd spent £9.99 on vinted and they were trying to get that classed as an income even though I'd explained this is the way I try and save money in school clothes etc for my son, wanted to know how much l'd sell in a month and how much I purchase. What does it matter? The person who did was okay didn't make me feel a certain way for once. It's unbelievable.

The system of sanctions can feel harsh, especially if someone’s dealing with health issues, mental health struggles, or childcare. A more flexible, supportive system would help people get back into work rather than punish them for struggling.

I'm on u.c we only get support for 2 kids n we have 4, 1 with poss maskin adhd and a 8 month old, these 2 seem to need most support especially my son poss adhd and bowel issues.

Increase access to advance payment by ensuring that advanced payments are made available and accessible to people facing financial difficulties during the initial wait.