u/OutrageousOutcome880

I recently joined the Civil Service and I’m a bit worried about something that I’m hoping someone with Civil Service/HR experience might be able to advise me on.
Before starting, I had to complete a health questionnaire asking about any health conditions and whether I was fit to work, etc. I have endometriosis, but I didn’t disclose it on the questionnaire.

The reason I didn’t disclose it wasn’t because I was trying to hide it for any particular reason. I knew that disclosing it would potentially mean having an occupational health assessment or having to provide further information, and I was desperate to get into work quickly. I had previously lost out on a job because of delays/issues around my circumstances, so I was worried that disclosing it would delay my start date or potentially affect the job offer.

However, since starting, my endometriosis has actually been affecting my ability to work. I’m experiencing quite severe pain and I’m realising that I probably do need to tell my manager and/or HR so that I can get the appropriate support and potentially reasonable adjustments.
My concern is whether I’ve now put myself in a difficult position by not disclosing it initially.

Could they later ask why I didn’t disclose it on the original health questionnaire and see that as me being dishonest or not being transparent? I obviously didn’t suddenly develop endometriosis after starting, I’ve had it for years.

Also, if they ask for medical evidence, most of the evidence I have is from years ago because that’s when I was diagnosed/being investigated. Would old medical evidence be sufficient, or would I need to go back to my
GP/specialist and get something more recent?

I’m not trying to get out of anything or mislead anyone. I genuinely just panicked about the possibility of the recruitment/start process being delayed, and now I’m in a position where the condition is actually affecting me at work.

Has anyone been in a similar situation in the Civil Service? Would you just disclose it to your manager/HR now, or could the fact I didn’t disclose it during the pre-employment health questionnaire come back to bite me later?

I’m looking for some general UK legal guidance on what I might realistically be facing following an arrest after a relationship ended. I appreciate nobody on Reddit can predict what the police/CPS will do, and I am getting legal advice, but I’m trying to understand the possible outcomes.

Background
I recently ended a relationship with my ex-partner. After the breakup, he made allegations to the police which resulted in me being arrested.
As I understand it, the allegations are essentially:
Theft of his phone
Fraud by false representation/misrepresentation relating to use of his accounts
Harassment, relating to alleged contact with his workplace
I have denied the allegations and explained my position to the police.

1. The phone/theft allegation
My ex alleges that I stole his phone.
The circumstances are that he had previously bought the phone for me as a gift. The phone was in his name, but he had given it to me and I understood it to be mine.
I explained this to the police during my interview.
My understanding is therefore that the issue is likely to come down to whether the prosecution could establish that the phone was actually stolen, including whether there was dishonest appropriation and an intention to permanently deprive him of it.

2. Alleged use of the phone/social media
My ex also alleges that I used the phone to post allegations about crimes that he had committed on social media.
I have been open with the police about the circumstances and explained my position.
I am concerned about whether anything I allegedly posted could itself result in further offences, but the main allegation I was arrested for appears to relate to the alleged theft of the phone and what I supposedly did with it afterwards.

3. Uber
There is also an allegation that I used his Uber account to order Uber journeys after the relationship ended.
However, during the relationship he had given me access to his Uber account, so me having access to it was not unusual or something I had obtained without his knowledge.
I explained this to the police.
There was also a history during the relationship of us occasionally using each other’s accounts. For example, he would occasionally accidentally order things through my Amazon account. This wasn’t treated as fraudulent at the time because we were partners and had access to each other’s accounts.
I’m therefore unsure how the police/CPS would approach the question of whether using his Uber account after the breakup amounts to fraud, particularly if I had previously been authorised to use the account.

4. Alleged contact with his workplace/harassment
The other allegation relates to harassment.
My ex alleges that I contacted his place of work and told them about crimes he had allegedly committed.
This is apparently the basis for the harassment allegation/arrest.
Again, I have explained my position to the police. I understand that harassment generally requires more than a single isolated incident and that there are specific legal requirements around a course of conduct, although I’m not sure how those requirements apply to the facts of my case.

What I’m trying to understand
Taking all of the above together:
• How realistic is it that I would actually be charged with theft, fraud by false representation and/or harassment?
• If I am charged, what would the prosecution actually have to prove for each offence?
• How significant is the fact that he gave me the phone as a gift, despite it remaining in his name?
• How significant is the fact that he had previously authorised me to use his Uber account?
• Does the fact that we previously had access to each other’s accounts affect whether using the account after the breakup could constitute fraud?
• For harassment, would contacting someone’s workplace about alleged criminal conduct potentially amount to harassment, and would there need to be a specific pattern/course of conduct?
• If charges were brought, what factors would determine whether the CPS thought there was a realistic prospect of conviction?
• Finally, if I were actually convicted of any of these offences, what sort of sentence would realistically be possible, assuming no previous convictions and the facts were broadly as described above?
I’m particularly interested in hearing from people familiar with English criminal law/CPS charging decisions, rather than just general opinions.
I’m not looking to avoid responsibility if I have committed an offence. I’m trying to understand objectively how the allegations would likely be assessed based on the evidence and circumstances.

*The phone in question was subsequently seized by the police, so I assume there could potentially be forensic or other evidence on it relating to the alleged social media posts, account usage, messages, etc., which may ultimately be relevant to how the allegations are assessed.

Hi everyone,

I’ve recently started my first Civil Service role in the Department for Education, so I’m completely new to how everything works.

I’m currently at EO level, but I’ve seen a couple of HEO vacancies that really interest me, both within DfE and in other departments. My question is: if I applied and was successful before I’d passed my probation, would I still be able to transfer?

If I moved to another role within DfE, would my probation continue from where I left off, or would it restart? And if I moved to a different department, would I have to start probation again?

Just trying to understand how it works before I decide whether it’s worth applying. Thanks in advance!

I was made redundant on 6 May 2026 and only received around £600 from my employer at the end of May.
My Universal Credit assessment period is from the 12th to the 16th of each month.

On 12 June, I received £201 towards my housing costs, even though my rent is £700 per month and is due on the 1st of every month. My full housing entitlement is around £560 per month, which already doesn’t cover my entire rent.

The main issue is the timing. My rent is due on the 1st, but my housing element isn’t paid until the 12th, meaning I’m effectively receiving my rent money nearly two weeks after it’s due every month.

This seems like it’s going to become a recurring problem and leave me constantly in arrears.
Is there any way to change the payment date, have the housing element paid earlier, or otherwise fix this situation? Has anyone else dealt with something similar?