Red Tape

Today I had to go for an "interview" to get my National Insurance number so soon I should be allowed to get sick, become unemployed, and receive benefits. If I continue to work I should also be able to collect a pension someday! Since I took a 1/2 day I also registered with GP (general practitioner), I now have to wait a week to see if I'm accepted and can go to them for my healthcare needs. Not only that... I got an absurd amount of money taken out of my last paycheck for taxes because I had yet to send in a form with my new UK address. Oh the red tape, the red tape!!! I have to say though, I think the red tape is more understandable here than it is in the U.S. I mean really... you can get so so much from the government here that they have to make you do something for it! I am not organized/motivated enough to keep up with it though so I'll be glad when it's all done and I can just work and live!

Anyway, so I am now about a month into my employment and without a doubt I am definitely keeping busy! Last week I went on my first assessments which ended up not being as nerve- wracking as I thought they would be which was surprising! I am usually very anxious and nervous when I'm starting a new thing but honestly I think the pressure is low right now because I am new so I feel like people will be understanding if I do something slightly wrong so I'm staying calm. I don't have any "Child Protection" cases, which are the most severe cases, yet either as I haven't been trained so my current cases are quite low maintenance. Right now my main concern is trying to learn all the community resources and the jargon and lingo for everything. Community resources are the be-all-and -end-all of social work so not knowing what's out there is more than a little frustrating.

I am not alone in my newbie status though which is fabulous! My co-worker David started about a month before I did. He is a recruit from Sweden. The Council not only scoured the U.S. for suckers, they also went all over Europe! It's nice to have someone else around who is in the same position at the office. I don't feel so ignorant as he is just a clueless! Our combined ignorance isn't good when trying to find the unfamiliar addresses of clients however. Anyway, that does it for now! Just a shout out to the grand old U.S. congress for taking one small step towards true greatness and passing the healthcare bill last night!!!