The Game in question is difficult to define. I am no good at it however. Many of my colleagues are very good at it. They attend and hold many meetings, conduct many reviews and advocate many presentations to other people who are good at It.
What never seems to be done is much actual work. Actually seeing clients and achieving what the client wants to achieve. There is much bluster about Judicial Reviews, appeals and everlasting pointing out minor errors on the part of the Other Side. What no-one seems to ask is what the client actually wants.
We have one case where we have not seen or spoken to the client for over SIX months. We are progressing the appeal and review and general arsing about, but what no-one has done is actually see if the client WANTS us to do this.
I am loath to say this. In fact I may drink to forget later on, but I think David Cameron might be a little bit right about charities. The more contact I have with them, and the more I see of the work they do, the more it concerns me, the level of funding they receive. In a lot of cases to do no more than refer the person on to another charity, who will 'assess' the client and refer them on again. I am wholeheartedly NOT saying this generally about charitable organisations - there are many who do amazing work on very little money.
My own opinion is also that sometimes, the more places a person is referred to, the more that person becomes convinced that whatever the issue, is Someone Else's Responsibility. No-one seems to help them to take charge of their own lives. The charity becomes a crutch for them, not a helping hand.
In my own personal life, I have some shite going on. Some of it is my own doing, some of it is not. I could refer myself to many of these agencies for 'help'. I could scream and bemoan my lot (well, I do actually do that to be fair), but what I don't do is expect someone else to pick me up and do it all for me. Some might say that maybe I should learn to ask for help. In my darkest moments I have ( I got brief counselling after my father's hideous lingering death), but then you dust yourself off and move on.
In other words, the Game seems to be what some Not for Profit organisations are good at. Morally, I find it difficult to be a part of that. Practically, I need to pay the mortgage, and the private sector is fucked (daring to try and make a profit was not playing the Game apparently). I will need to get better at looking Very Busy and Important. And hold more meetings.
