Difficulties in the Job Centre

Difficulty being in the Job Centre sequence. Bokja Hansen (49 years old) has had a depression and an eating disorder. I took an education as an auxiliary nurse in 1990. And that is what I did until I lost my job, because I became ill and fell into a depression and could no longer do my job, so I had too much absence due to illness in 2006. And then I went through the sequence with the Job Centre and caseworker and everything in relation to myself and my course of illness.

I would say that the cooperation I had with the Job Centre was very, very difficult. Luckily, I had my support contact person who helped me and went with me to some of the meetings, but I could not really get myself together. My caseworker did not seem very interested in helping me. He mentioned one time – when I was actually about to end the cooperation with him – that I was also almost at the bottom of the pile, because he was not really concerned about me and that I would manage.

And he was actually not really there during the entire sequence. I was the one who had to find all of these job tests and so on. And he just filled out the paperwork with that, so I actually do not think that he was of any help.

I think that it was quite hard being in this job system, where I really felt a bit threatened that my unemployment benefit was in jeopardy, you know? That I would not get any money and have it hanging above my head. If we could stay in our house and such, because we did not know....with my job situation and all.