"key issues in my area is the lack of privacy"

As part of our overall research,  I wanted to ask members of my community whether the benefit system has helped them or made things worse In their lives . Not all those who responded are on benefits. Looking at the twenty respondents and through other research, I realised that one of the key issues in my area is the lack of privacy. This issue has been around for a long time. 60% of the people questioned believed that lack of privacy in dealing with their situation was the main issue they faced.

I discovered that, although there are appropriate services within the community, it is the lack of discretion from community members that prevents people from asking for help. It is not that there are no services available, more that some of the public are reluctant to use them due to feeling that their personal business will be shared throughout the wider community. Often, workers and volunteers, just do not realise that sharing the personal information within the community is not right, or that they are not fully aware of doing so. This is both an issue and a barrier, because it stops people receiving the appropriate help at the right time.

I attended a meeting to discuss ways of tackling the issue of lack of privacy in the community and how we as a community can provide a better solution. The group of workers present stated that they were not aware of or had even considered any problems and basically changed the conversation to another unrelated subject. The issues and barriers that came to light reflected an insular culture in the community.

The work I have been doing has helped to change my views on the way communities work. Although I am part of the community, I feel as if I am standing on the outside looking in and I see things now that I would not have noticed before.