Friday, January 4, 2013

Making me feel bad about doing good

I'm in a bit of a quandry.  As a real person, outside this blog, I've helped a new organization set itself up to directly help people with a learning disability to make their own views known rather than be told what they need.  That's fine, and we have some money to help them get to, and be supported to prepare for and present, at various meetings where critical decisions about them are being made.  What annoys me is that this support used to be provided by Social Services as part of their general support.  Now, without our support, they aren't getting to these meetings because they no longer qualify for support.  So we - funded outside government - are effectively having to spend our money to replace public funding.

This is yet another cut by the back door quality reduction method.  And by helping the people get to these meetings we're effectively accepting this.  In practice, I feel we have to do this, but I also feel that we shouldn't really be letting local and central government off the hook by doing so.  In the end, we can't not do this, because it's the people that matter, not government policy.

I know this is happening in many other contexts where cuts to essential - and more critical services than this are taking place.  But I still feel bad about it.  And I blame the government for making me feel bad about doing something good.  Not looking for an answer - it just feels better to get it off my chest.

3 comments:

  1. I am glad you got that off your chest. Doing good and feeling bad. I am a carer of an alleged person not able to make decisions for her own self and because I acted according to her wishes, it was alleged I was a bad person by acting against the Local Authority, and this happened although I am the person`s son, They presented me as BAD when I complainted.

    I NEVER felt bad because I knew in my own heart that I was acting for my own mother.. I KNOW they are BAD who did so.

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    Replies
    1. Obviously I write under a pseudonym and my spelling is attrocious because of the stress.

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  2. I know what you mean about becoming the 'bad boy' for disagreeing with the council. Hope you get the resolution you need.

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