St Helier may seize back welfare control

Monday 5th January 2009, 2:59PM GMT.

PARISH staff might take back welfare administration after the publication of a damning report on the failure of Income Support last week.

St Helier Constable Simon Crowcroft, pictured, who commissioned the report that was leaked to the JEP in draft form, says the revelations about the lack of protection for vulnerable claimants might force him to seize back control of benefit administration or community visits from the Social Security department.

Last week a report by former welfare staff from the Parish of St Helier highlighted a lack of control on overspends and fraud under the new £64m benefit package and a lack of community visits to check up on vulnerable claimants.

‘This has got to be a top priority,’ said Mr Crowcroft. The new Social Security Minister has got to tackle this and make it fit. If he does not, the parish will have to seriously consider taking back at least the administration of welfare, because the parish has the knowledge and the personal touch and the time to spend on people who cannot manage forms and their finances.’

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1
Spring Heeled Jack

January 5, 2009 at 3:57 pm

A very sad story. Often when services are centralised they lack the human touch prevalent in a parish system

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2
dave brown

January 5, 2009 at 4:17 pm

good idea, mr crowcroft.
to be fair to mr gorst he has only just inherited the new system.
its the lack of control of overspends and fraud
that are frightening. will the public know what these were?

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3
Pip Clement

January 5, 2009 at 4:33 pm

Considering the huge effort and the money that was put into centralising the welfare system it seems that a little more thought could have been put into it.
Now it seems that St Helier is thinking of pulling out.
No wonder some islanders are left shaking their heads in amazement!

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4
Realistic Jerseyman

January 5, 2009 at 8:50 pm

And what dizzying heights has the former Social Security Minister gone on to? Assistant Minister for our financial development! Its a scary situation to be sure.

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5
Mark’s perspective

January 6, 2009 at 8:59 am

The leaked report highlights appalling mismanagement, which needs to be addressed, that is not in dispute.

What needs to be addresses is just who is to address the mismanagement. There are only so many social workers in Jersey, some of whom presumably responsible for the mismanagement that Constable Simon Crowcroft has highlighted. How are the good and bad apples to be distributed?

Part of the justification for centralized social services was a more equitable distribution of cost to the rate payers of populous parishes like St Helier. Is Constable Crowcroft suggesting his rate payers want higher rates bills? I think not.

I suspect this whole story is a tale mismanagement ‘The Jersey Way’. A ‘big bang’ solution that went off with a ‘puff’.

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6
J G

January 6, 2009 at 9:28 am

Another fiasco which was doomed from the start and just not because of the copious paperwork involved which a lot of people could not deal with, but also the lack of the ‘human touch’.
Take the bull by the horns Mr Crowcroft and let us hope that other Parishes will follow suit.

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7
PJG

January 6, 2009 at 10:37 am

Before we knee jerk lets look at who is making this “leaked report”
The people who lost their jobs when welfare was centralised, How much of this is sour grapes.

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