For all the benefit advisors and other that give their expertise!

space_rider

ESA wrote: »

A couple of claimants threatened to do that when I worked face to face with the public - had they gone through with it I would have rung the police and tried to get them done for neglect.

Although I would have never done that with my children my mum was not neglectful. She was under 25 by the time she had all of us and she eventually threw my dad out when he gambled the money she gave him to get baby milk. I watched Angela`s Ashes a few years ago and that brought back some of the memories of seeing my mum being upset when he came from work late on a friday with no money. She did go back to work before my little sister was very old and I can remember looking after all my siblings before school and after school depending on what shift my mum was working. There is 9 years between me and my sister who is the youngest.

NASA_2

space_rider wrote: »

Although I would have never done that with my children my mum was not neglectful. She was under 25 by the time she had all of us and she eventually threw my dad out when he gambled the money she gave him to get baby milk. I watched Angela`s Ashes a few years ago and that brought back some of the memories of seeing my mum being upset when he came from work late on a friday with no money. She did go back to work before my little sister was very old and I can remember looking after all my siblings before school and after school depending on what shift my mum was working. There is 9 years between me and my sister who is the youngest.

I'm not saying life isnt hard for people, but trying such a cheap stunt, its totally deplorable. Using children to emotionally blackmail someone is just sick.

I wouldnt say your mum was deliberately neglectful, but, leaving a child or children in one of those offices, especially as they were then, isnt a good thing to do.

space_rider

Thankfully we came to no harm and working paid in the end, as she took early retirement and has bought a big house in the tropics so that we can go for holidays. She could have stayed on benefits and not had the lifestyle she now has. Just need to afford the flight!

elainey_2

bestpud wrote: »

My mum and dad used to run a pub just down the road from the DSS offices in the 80s and lots of people used to sit over a drink and decide how to word their hard luck story. :rolleyes: Mostly it was how to convince them they needed a cooker, or a new bed etc.

A woman who came in one day though, with her small child and asked if she could leave a bag behind the counter. She was a regular so the barmaid said yes.

The woman then took off the child's shoes and replaced them with a pair of wellies that were obviously too small, before openly saying she was off to the DSS to get some money for new shoes. And sure enough, she came back a couple of hours later with money for shoes!

People regularly took their children along and dumped them on the counter in protest. I haven't know anyone leave them there though - most used to wait until they were hungry and had a stinking nappy and then go in and plonk them in front of the advisor and threaten not to move until they had some money to feed their 'starving' child.

It's a shocking way to behave imo and you have to wonder what effect this had on the children don't you? I was a teenager at the time and remember being appalled by it.

Perhaps the worst part of it was they didn't hide what they were doing and obviously felt no shame.

A few were caught out though as DSS staff often came over for their lunch, and they didn't always spot a new staff member, or one who they'd not met on reception.

It's amazing what people do to "play" the system - if there's one thing that annoys me about what I do, is that you do get a small minority who think that all benefits are their god given right, regardless of thier situation. I had one client who gave me quite a bit of grief because they couldn't claim a crisis loan, yet when they left the bureau, they drove off in a top of the range BMW!!!:mad:

Yet you get clients, who desperatly need the money, yet can't claim anything! The benefits system puzzles me at times!

Love Elaine xxx

Mrs.Metallica

woodbine wrote: »

Going back about 8 or 9 years to the old style dhss offices i remember being in there one day when i young man was arguing the toss about a crisis loan,he suddenly got up went outside and came back in with a very young baby,handed said baby to girl behind the desk and said "here you feed her and buy her nappies" and walked out.
I was utterly gob smacked

holy mackeral!! !!!!!!.. man that sure musta got thru to the dhss girl at the counter..

..mind you i remember tho's day of the ''grey'' offices.. omg.. endless rows of metal seats back to back, the water cooler in the corner.. with water if u were lucky.. the 4 or 5 booths normally only 3 ppl on... the crappy lil kiddies play house in the corner.. and then there was the tonnes and tonnes off ppl waiting.. baby screaming and auld men and junkies.. your jakey's and the neds.. offtt.. yes i might of been very young but i still remember.. especially mums award winning oscar performances at the desk when it came to getting what she wanted.. omg.. that woman has taught me so much.. *all hail mother* lol

elainey_2

Mrs.Metallica wrote: »

holy mackeral!! !!!!!!.. man that sure musta got thru to the dhss girl at the counter..

..mind you i remember tho's day of the ''grey'' offices.. omg.. endless rows of metal seats back to back, the water cooler in the corner.. with water if u were lucky.. the 4 or 5 booths normally only 3 ppl on... the crappy lil kiddies play house in the corner.. and then there was the tonnes and tonnes off ppl waiting.. baby screaming and auld men and junkies.. your jakey's and the neds.. offtt.. yes i might of been very young but i still remember.. especially mums award winning oscar performances at the desk when it came to getting what she wanted.. omg.. that woman has taught me so much.. *all hail mother* lol

Hi,

I may sound thick here but - what on earth is a Jakey???:huh:

Love Elaine xxx

elainey_2

All this talk of old style DHSS offices reminds me of what my dad used to say every time he had to go there - "there's the skeletons of the people who've been waiting!". God, they were depressing places!

Love Elaine xxx

singlehouseholder

Hear hear, praise for civil servants long over due imo. Sick of all cs being called worse than muck, its a stressful enough job as it is without being given grief from our customers. All, most, of us want to to is help.

flo5

Worked for DHSS in the late 70's so reading these brought back some memories (some good).

Best thing to come out of there was meeting my (now) husband.

Oh the good old days!

alwaysonthego_2

flo5 wrote: »

Worked for DHSS in the late 70's so reading these brought back some memories (some good).

Best thing to come out of there was meeting my (now) husband.

Oh the good old days!

was he in the queue at the time