... and the advice they might give

Press, 24 April 1980, Page 17

... and the advice they might give

I -We put three fictitious cases to the Citizens Advice Bureau organisers and asked how they would deal with them. They may not be typical of problems they meet daily, but they do represent a growing part of their work. ‘.The cases and their replies w’ere: ; Case 1 •John and Jane have been married four years. They have a child aged three years and a half. Until a year ago both were happy: suddenly they are at each others throats. Now the child is suffering because of the .tensions. There is no obvious worries as cause. , Neither will consider

counselling (from any source), neither has any .church affiliations, and they have few outside interests. Both are still in love and will not consider separating. They are educated, very proud, and want to try to settle matters by themselves. What can Citizens Advice do for them?

Obviously, there are no instant answers. But one thing comes through clearly. “They do need counselling or at least someone to talk to,” Mrs Sumner says.

“They need somebody,” Mrs Bowron agrees. “If they had belonged to a church, we could suggest a minister. A social worker from the Society for the Protection of Child

and Family might be useful.

“But if they are not prepared to accept professional help, we can only suggest the obvious. There may be somebody in the family they can relate to, or friends.”

“There may be more to this. One or other may be focusing attention on the child, one missing out,” Mrs Brown says. “It’s not always, as it appears initially.” And, maybe, the one they can talk to is the bureau interviewer. “You let them talk,” Mrs Bowren says. For the Citizens Advice Bureau, it- comes to an end at this point. It has to. “We often wonder what happened to *that

man’,” Mrs Sumner says. “But we learn not to get too involved.” Case 2 Jason is a pig-headed old farmer. He has always kept everything under his own thumb, ruling the home with a rod of iron. His wife has been left with no money beyond a meagre house-keeping. She has had to ask for every penny. Now she is in her 60s. She won’t leave Jason but asks, must she go on more or less isolated and in poverty amidst plenty? She has no friends. Mrs Sumner: “A lot of women don’t know their rights. In a situation like this, the man often says.

•if you leave me, you won’t get any money’.”

Mrs Bowron: “We must guide this woman to a free legal advice lawyer to learn her rights, which often clears the air considerably. It may give her confidence to take action — which may be to go to a lawyer.” Mrs Brown: “It all depends on how desperate she is feeling. There is a working-out process here. And once he finds out she is aware of her rights, things might change.”

“There are steps,” Mrs Bowron says. “To leant her rights is the first.” “It may be that he is aware of her ignorance and is manipulating the situation,” Mrs Brown

says. “She will need counselling.”

“And she should realise that Social Welfare would help her financially at some stage if she is impecunious,” Mrs Sumner adds. “Then maybe she can make some sort of ultimatum.” Case 3 Peter and Mary are single. They have lived in a combined financial set-up for 25 years, using a common pool system. Now Mary’s relatives have kicked up a fuss and want her to protect herself by claiming her past and present share.

„ “I suggest they go

a free legal advice lawyer because situations are never as simple as they seem.

“If they were to separate, they might be eligible for a Domestic Purposes Benefit”

The others agreed. In terms of emotional problems, the talking process and counselling could be important. Common sense might prevail. The ultimate answer in this case, as in all cases, lay in talking and in referral. “They are in a sense a family. I’d refer them to someone like the Society for the Protection of Home ' and Family,” Mrs Bowron says.