‘Never for me the lowered banner, never the last endeavour.’

Posted in Kevin's blog on 12 March 2010 | 0 Comments

These words of the great Antarctic explorer Earnest Shackleton have been at the forefront of my thinking in the last week. Welfare rights work can be so exhilarating when things are going right and so frustratingly disappointing when they are not.

As a welfare rights officer I find myself acutely involved in other people's hopes and aspirations. Often people come to me when their hopes have been dashed. My job is to evaluate their hopes and if realistic to believe with them that obstacles can be overcome. This week has been no exception.

On Monday I was due a meeting at the Jobcentre with a client who I shall call Michael. Michael has become very disillusioned with the benefits system. He has lost his entitlement to Incapacity Benefit and is struggling to meet the requirements of the work-related activity group of Employment and Support Allowance. I hold to a hope that he can turn his life around, but the reality is that he is a long, long way away from being able to work again. I don’t want him to lose his benefits so have made a special effort to attend the mandatory work-focused interviews with him. With him missing one interview, which we managed to rescue, I had an intuitive feeling that he might not turn up again. The consequences would be disastrous.

Andy is another client with whom I share his aspirations of getting back into some kind of work after a traumatic loss of sight. He needs support, and the Jobcentre should be providing this. We have only now, after 7 months, won his right to entitlement to Employment and Support Allowance. Without having had any support from the Jobcentre, for some mysterious reason he was required to attend another medical on Thursday.

Louise is going through a very difficult period, having rapidly lost much of her sight. She has managed to get back to work but is having to cut to three days a week. An award of Disability Living Allowance, to which I shared her hopes of entitlement, was turned down last month. This extra income would have cushioned the blow of lost income.

You probably know the feeling. Sometimes you feel like throwing in the towel. It is then that the words of Shackleton return to me - 'Never for me the lowered banner, never the last endeavour.'

Five minutes after the interview time, Michael had not appeared. I begged the Employment Adviser to give him a bit longer. As I left the office he was there in the queue, so hope number one was salvaged.

Andy went to the medical and showed the examiner the appeal decision and evidence from his ophthalmic consultant. The examiner was quite put out by the fact that the DWP had wasted everyone's time by sending him again. Our hopes are raised that he might finally get the support he needs.

Louise, having given up on getting Disability Living Allowance, reluctantly agreed to appeal. Today she was awarded £65.75 per week, and as a result can expect another £30 per week increase in her Working Tax Credit despite reducing her hours.

Good old Shackleton! Towels are for drying yourself, not throwing in!

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