Civil Servants and Confidentiality

WayneMolloy

My cousin was asked to attend a meeting with The Department of Social Protection at Gandon House. He is on the dole and they are issuing all claimants with a new social services/welfare card, complete with photograghic id. He was asked to bring his current card, drivers license or passport and proof of address. Cool beans, good idea by the department - no problem there.

He showed up, got a ticket and joined the queue. Turns out he knows half the people there. All were within his age bracket and lived in his area. Obviously the department are doing it, area by area, age by age, gender by gender. He joins a group of his old school friends and starts chatting.

Anyway, his number is eventually called and he rocks up to the kiosk right in front of where his buddies are sat. They are waiting for him, as they plan to get the bus home together. he produces all his documentation, answer the few questions and waits. The lad is fluthering about on the computer, occasionally shaking his head. Asks him to spell his name again, where he was born, was he sure that he was born there, definitely sure that his name on his birth cert is the same as on the passport.......

He tries to get your mans attention, he cops on to the problem but before he does - 'Aha, were you adopted'?

Loud enough for half the room to hear. Outside of his immediate family, nobody knows that he was adopted. Well, until yesterday morning. Now his buddies do and news travels fast. None of his siblings are, and the family moved into their current location when he was three. So they left it up to him to tell people. He never told a soul. Hes an extremely shy young fella and is not really comfortable discussing adoption, even with us. His own family.

Anyway, he has taken this pretty hard. He went through the first stages of getting a visa for Canada and has until July before his acceptance to the whv progam is rescinded. So plans on moving away and not coming back. He has broken up with his long term girlfriend of three years (since school) and left his current friday/saturday job(he gets three days dole).

Just a simple bit of discretion could have prevented all of this. A mere sentence on the original form, informing him as to what documents to bring(adopted people bring their adoption cert and or birth cert).

Ive tried to contact the department as to inform them of the situation and to maybe change their practice. But the lady on the phone wanted to know who was the employee that my cousin dealt with - I dont want to get the man in trouble, my cousin said he told him about his daughter moving to Canada too(my cousins Garda background check for Canadian immigration, was also used to prove his current address). Said he was a nice middle aged guy - full of chat. I called again this afternoon, and when I asked for the lady I spoke with yesterday, I was told she was on leave!?

Long story short, the department are avoiding me like the plague now, we have no interest in lawyering up or getting the man in trouble for his indiscretion. But who can we talk to - to make sure this does not happen to someone else?

Zambia

Mate you cant its an isolated incident normally people don't attend the dole office with all their mates in earshot. The employee at the desk has job to do if you want to discuss your matters in isolation you should make that clear from the outset. The guy at the desk is discussing these details all day every day.

Its just one of those things. There are worse things that can happen.

Fred Cohen

Advise your cousin to ask to have the interview conducted in a private office, they have a number in most local offices.

WayneMolloy

Zambia wrote: »

There are worse things that can happen.

I know that, man. But still, I think that they should inform adopted people to bring in their adoption certs. A simple sentence in the letter informing him to bring that, along with the other documents - would have avoided all this.

Anyway, I got in touch with the department and they said they would mention the situation to her supervisor. But she seemed more interested in getting me to tell her the employees name. Ah, well.

Madisson

WayneMolloy wrote: »

I know that, man. But still, I think that they should inform adopted people to bring in their adoption certs. A simple sentence in the letter informing him to bring that, along with the other documents - would have avoided all this.

Anyway, I got in touch with the department and they said they would mention the situation to her supervisor. But she seemed more interested in getting me to tell her the employees name. Ah, well.

They do tell people to bring adoption certs and birth certs on the letter???