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Community Welfare close to collapse, urgent action now
Posted on June 24, 2009 at 12:45 PM
All over the country community welfare offices are being put under massive strain with the growing numbers of people joining the dole queues. As a result there have been long delays on recipients receiving payments and huge stress placed on social welfare staff.
This issue was raised today during Leaders' Questions by the Labour Leader Eamon Gilmore TD who asked the Taoiseach what the Government is going to do to relieve the pressure on the social welfare system for both recipients and staff.
Eamon said the problem is the Community Social Welfare system is cracking under the strain due to the large number of people turning up and the impact of the Government recruitment embargo.
He examples where community welfare officers are ill or on holidays and as a result social welfare recipients are attending the centres with no one there to deal with their claim resulting in no payments being made to them.
"There are two problems here that are going to have to be addressed urgently. First of all many of the people now turning up at social welfare offices have never had any contact with the social welfare system and never wanted to have contact with the social welfare system.
"It is a pretty grim experience for them to find themselves out of work and their social welfare payment not coming through and the emergency service that is supposed to apply not kicking in and nobody to deal with their problem.
"There is a problem I suggest with the degree of pressure and stress on the system as result of the large numbers attending and the complicated circumstances people are presenting, coming out of self employment and so on and with varying types of social welfare records."
Eamon went on to ask:
What is the Government going to do when someone who is already in a bad enough situation having lost their job that they are going to get the service they are entitled to?
Will there be sufficient staff drafted into this area to ensure that an adequate service is provided to the increasing demand?
You can view Eamon's full contribution in the You Tube video and the full debate will be available on the Oireachtas website later today. Have you experienced the problems outlined by Eamon in today's Leaders' Questions? Do let us know in the comments section below.
Tagged with Social & Family Affairs
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Comments
I work three doors down from the community welfare officer here in Castlebar, the strain that the staff are under and have been for over six months now is awfull to watch. extra staff have been requested but due to the embargo, replacement staff cannot be got. similarly, support staff canot be brought in cos the unions have advised other staff not to cover for vacant posts [however temporary]. my clleagues in com welf have been coming in at 8 in the morning to deal with the clients who are in this small town our friends family and neighbours. they have worked [and continued today even] during their break times, through lunch hours and after home time. they bring work home with them. their line manager/principal has worn himself down trying to get support from HSE/social welfare/unions to little avail. he has attended to clinics all over the county to give his staff a break, and has ended up off on sick leave himself. the system is very close to break-down in many areas because the staff are worn down and feel bad if they take well earned holidays, cos their clients will be left in the lurch. It is an inhumane system on all levels. these clients have already queued for hours at the social welfare offices, they have already given all their details and been assessed, why should they have to suffer the indignity of it all over again. most community welfare officers are located in HSE clinics where patients attend for other services, dental, public health nurse, speech therapy, mental health services, social work, opthalmic etc etc. it can be distressing and embarrassing for all concerned and is inappropriate today. I would suggest IMMEDIATE relocation of CWO to social welfare offices and proper joined-up liason between the two. IMMEDIATE and EMERGENCY lifting of both the recruitment embargo and the unions lifting of their refusal to allow replacement staff from other areas into CW are needed for the health, welfare and safety of the current staff in CW. Thank you for your attention to this, I feel passionate about it cos I see it every week and know many of the people involved, staff and clients.
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