You have been sent to the xx (name of advice agency) by the Jobcentre. You told the Jobcentre that you can’t concentrate on looking for a job because you are behind with your rent and are worried that you might lose your home. The Jobcentre have told you to come here. You have brought some letters with you, which you think are from the council (you are carrying bits of paper) to show someone. You think there are more somewhere at home, but you can’t remember where you’ve put them. You are concerned that there is red writing on some of them, but your reading and writing isn’t very good, so you’re not sure what some of the unfamiliar terms mean.
You really want someone to sort things out for you, because the Jobcentre are threatening to stop your Jobseeker’s Allowance and you are worried about losing your home.
You are feeling very stressed and anxious. You want to make sure you can keep on claiming Jobseeker’s Allowance and that you can stay in your home.
You have arrived at the Advice Service at xxxx (name of advice agency) and have been waiting in the queue outside in the rain for 30 mins. You have just got to the reception desk and are really angry, especially as you’ve seen others who arrived after you being called in to a side room. You want to tell the receptionist how cross you are. You want to see someone right now.
You have some money problems. You lost your job a few weeks ago and you are now claiming Jobseeker’s Allowance. You are finding it very difficult to manage on benefits. Last month, you borrowed £500 from the Shark Loans Company, but now their debt collectors are calling at your house demanding that you pay £30 per week which you can’t afford.
You have already been to the xxxx Money Advice Centre but they said they were too busy to help you today and to come back tomorrow. Now you’ve come here and have had to wait in the rain outside. You have to ‘sort things out’ so you can pay back Shark Loans.
You are the receptionist on duty at xxx (name of advice agency). This morning, you have a busy open door service, plus some appointments for existing clients.
In addition to staffing the reception desk, you must answer the telephone, record client contacts on the computerised database, deal with advisers in the back office & ensure the appointments system runs smoothly.
The reception area is full and the queue is snaking out of the door.
In this role play, think about how you might help a caller who is angry and/or anxious, in particular:
Issues to pull out:
Issues to pull out:
