Virutal reality
He'd survived childhood
neglect, sexual abuse and years on incarceration in mental health institutions.
He'd grown in confidence, got married, had a child, started a part-time degree
course and was really enjoying being part of a social enterprise start-up team.
The benefits system knocked him out.
You see nobody could give him a straight answer. If he left Incapacity Benefit to start an enterprise, there was no guarantee he'd be able to revert to the same support package if things went wrong. He wasn't expecting the business to fail, but when you've not been loved for most of your life, protecting those who love you now is of paramount importance. He's now ill again and perhaps years from re-reaching a point where he can leave benefits. Of course the real loser here is the benefits system. I challenged a group of senior local policitians, a JobCentrePlus manager and his local Mental Health Trust to reflect on my friend's plight. By sticking to the rule book and refusing to take a risk, the system would now be paying him benefits for years longer than would have been necessary. That's a waste of money, a waste of talent and frankly cruel. Read more... |