The UK benefits system: cruelty is the point

Particularly in my volunteering I’ve worked with clients who are trying to navigate the UK benefits system, whether it’s that they’ve been made redundant themselves or support a partner who has. Things have gone wrong, and it’s impacting their mental health.

In theory the UK benefits system is there as a safety net which we’ve all paid into through our taxes and it’s there for us if something goes wrong. It should be supporting us, helping us to cover what we have to cover, until we can get things back on track. No shame, no blame; we’re there for you.

And again in theory it should work very well with what we do in counselling; both helping someone recover and get back on their feet.

But the reality is, the experience of the benefits system isn’t like that at all. In fact it’s quite the opposite.

Time and again clients in crisis who had been making progress through counselling are triggered by bad experiences with a sudden universal credit meeting at the job centre, new forms to complete, or punished for not fulfilling supposed obligations. More time is spend navigating the system and justifying the small amount of support that they receive than the benefit of receiving it in the first place. And ultimately more time is spent preventing you getting support than actually giving you help.

It’s particularly challenging for neurodivergent clients already struggling. Clients can go quickly from getting by to feeling hopeless as a direct result of a system that’s supposed to be supporting them.

How have we got to this point? I remember signing on years ago when I left university it not being a great experience, but it’s somehow got worse; more degrading, more invasive and more confrontational and demanding. I think ultimately, as many have said before me, that the cruelty is the point. It’s meant to be horrible so that we give up and money is ‘saved’, ignoring that genuine support would mean we’re more productive and able to pay back into the system.

It’s incredibly frustrating to feel that a welfare system, supposedly there to help, is actively working against someone who is struggling with their mental health.

We need to do everything we can as voters, as mental health practitioners, as decent human beings, to push for reforming the welfare system to something genuinely designed to support us when we need it, and to hold the current system’s many failures to account.

I’m reflecting on how I might be able to offer more direct assistance for clients with money problems, and certainly at the moment I will continue to support the excellent LCCC in Coatbridge and LGBT Health and Wellbeing in Glasgow. If you are struggling, please see below for some additional support links.

• Money Talk Team  (0800 028 1456) - Help to make sure you're claiming everything you're entitled to and advice to help you make the most of your money.

• National Debtline (0808 808 4000) – Free, confidential and independent debt advice

• Citizens Advice Scotland – Visit your nearest CAB office in person or call 0845 450 0351

• Money Advice Scotland – Details of agencies that give independent financial advice

• Cost of Living Support – Advice on debt, money, bills and benefits

• LCCC - Heavily discounted or free counselling for people on low incomes

• LGBT Health & Wellbeing - Free help and support for members of the LGBT+  community.

If you’d like to work with me on your mental health, get in touch by completing the online form or emailing me directly at mckellarCBT@gmail.com