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Jobcentre bosses warn of suicide risk among benefit claimants
The Guardian reports that senior jobcentre executives have warned staff of the risk of benefit claimants attempting suicide as controversial changes to sickness benefits are being pushed through.
The warning, contained in an internal email sent to staff by three senior managers of the government-run jobcentres, warns staff that ill-handling of benefit changes for vulnerable claimants could have “profound results” and highlights the case of one suicide attempt this year.
It emphasises the need for the “utmost care and sensitivity” when dealing with customers, as a result of “difficult changes which some of our more vulnerable customers may take some time to accept and adjust to”.
The email, adds: “Very sadly, only last week a customer of DWP [department of work and pensions] attempted suicide” – which it adds is “said to be the result of receiving a letter” informing him that his sickness benefit would be cut off.
For the full story, see Jobcentre bosses warn of suicide risk among benefit claimants
That conference, in respect of work capability assessments (WCA) as performed by ATOS Healthcare, believes that the:
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(ii) WCA should end with immediate effect and be replaced with a rigorous and safe system that does not cause avoidable harm to some of the weakest and most vulnerable in society.”
I can maybe help the conference on that one. Do away with all the descriptors and let the WCA be this:
A person has limited capability for work if there would otherwise be a significant risk to their physical or mental health or to that of others.
Remarkable really that in 21st century Britain the law implicitly tolerates a significant risk to a person’s health by requiring a substantial risk.
[ Edited: 21 Jun 2012 at 10:39 pm by Tom H ]There is also the question of what ESA is all about: is it simply a hatchet job designed to reduce the benefits bill or is it a system to support people with health conditions and/or disabilities into work.
If we are serious about supporting people into work then we should spend our taxes to enable people to become employable, instead of endlessly cycling them through WCAs and tribunals. For example, I have been told that dyslexia is often a presenting problem at jobcentres, but JCP staff do not have a budget to get someone assessed.
How many employers know about the JCP Access to Work scheme which has been around for ever. How many people know that the scheme now includes specialist support (through Remploy) with mental health issues. And where is the investment to retain people in the workplace when they become ill? How many areas have free and effective self-employment support schemes? In some areas of Devon we have Outset http://www.outsettorbay.co.uk and we also have Opportunity Plus SW http://www.opsw.co.uk
Locally, we also have some highly experienced employment support agencies with dedicated and highly trained staff, one of the largest being a social firm, that came joint first in the DWP’s Work Choice national outcome stats for 2011/12.
Surely, if you really want to support people with disabilities into work it is obvious that you need to increase and focus investment on the specialist providers and the Jobcentre staff who are the gatekeepers for much of the provision? You also need to treat people with dignity and encourage them, rather than demean them.
On the other hand, if politicians simply wish to slash the benefits bill then they will carry on regardless while in power, but wouldn’t it be politically more honest to explain what they are actually about?
And what exactly is Labour’s position on all this? After all, they were the architects of ESA.