Skint - part 2

[Sleepingbunnies]

AIBU to have switched it off as it gave me such rage to hear that a 21 yr old who has never worked a day in her life had 5 kids, free rent and £1600 on top of her free rent! Knew I shouldn't have started watching it....

I think you'll find there are loads of initiatives and support agencies but it sounds like people want something that isn't 'official' as well. Mind boggles at level of hand holding and providing services on platter that seems to be required.

Many wont need that hand holding but some will. ....and as sugarmouse says, sometimes people have to reach rock bottom before they have that "wake up" moment.

Gosh, did I just agree with sugarmouse?

I think we're all in agreement that individuals have differing levels of motivation, integrity etc

Thing is, systems need to be consistent and equitable. It's not right to throw lots of money or resources at one family until they feel 'ready' to respond, while other families are expected to step up and meet the support half way.

The real world doesn't wait for people to be 'ready '... You can't get a job and then just show up when you feel in 'the right place' to do it. Most people have to do things every day which are difficult and which they'd prefer not to do

I also think that while support is vitally important, it's equally true that in many cases setting the expectations higher and not treating people as if they are incapable of helping themselves, can be the spur for them to want to improve their life

The state hand holding is required for those people who don't have family hand holding/shoving/dragging in the right direction.

Ifonly I would love to imagine that magical world where every successful functioning adult has been brought up in a warm supportive family that breeds ambition and provides support for choices. That must be the case otherwise they wouldn't be functioning, correct!

It just isn't like that and the reason people get tired of this kind of black and white assumption about the life of some but not others. Total Social Worker-speak.

Not necessarily warm and functional actually-could quite as easily be hugely judgemental of anyone who is not "successful". I know plenty of those. My family is a combination of intolerance of unemployment and support to get a job. And in amongst all that, plenty of miscellaneous dysfunction.