When the Department for Work and Pensions classifies someone as “furthest from the labour market,” it might sound like neutral language — a simple policy term.

But for the person it describes, already living in a state of survival, it can feel like a final verdict.

“Farthest” sounds unreachable. Irredeemable. Beyond help.

And when your nervous system is already in collapse — exhausted, anxious, and numb — those words don’t just label you. They confirm what trauma has already whispered: you’re too far gone.

But here’s the truth — how far is farthest, really?

In reality, it’s just one step. One step towards self-care. One step towards safety. One step towards believing again that change is possible. Then another step, and another, until momentum builds and evidence replaces despair.

When Systems Speak Fear Instead of Hope

I’ve often asked myself — why does government policy use such negative, dehumanising language?

When we label people as “work-shy,” “scroungers,” or “furthest from the labour market,” we reinforce stigma, not self-worth. Those words don’t motivate; they immobilise.

People living on benefits are often demonised and treated as an underclass. Many live under constant scrutiny — afraid to enjoy a coffee with a friend or buy a pair of shoes for fear of being judged. Others dare not dream of a better life because the risk of losing their only income feels too high.

Hopelessness becomes a policy outcome — not because people don’t care, but because they’ve been conditioned to believe they don’t count.

A Positive Start — From Prevention to Recovery

When I first created A Positive Start, it wasn’t for adults at all — it was for young people in secondary school (11+).

I wanted to teach them early — the life lessons I had to learn the hard way — how to understand their emotions, protect their wellbeing, and recognise unhealthy dynamics before they took root.

But despite my best efforts, I couldn’t get anyone in education to even look at it, let alone implement it. I was asked to prove outcomes for a problem that hadn’t yet happened — an impossible task. Prevention, it seems, doesn’t fit comfortably into systems that measure only crisis response.

So, I took it to the other end of the scale — the Job Centre — where people classed as “farthest from the labour market” were living what I had once lived.

And I knew I could help.

When I formed A Positive Start CIC in 2017, one of the first things I did was register on the DWP’s DPS system — a mammoth process that took months of work. We were accepted and awarded a four-year agreement to deliver services through the Job Centre.

But despite all that, not a single referral ever came through.

The system, as it stands, doesn’t allow local Job Centres to choose who they partner with. Even with proven impact, compassion-based solutions rarely make it through the bureaucracy. So instead, I continued delivering our programs as a free service — because the need didn’t disappear just because the paperwork said “no.”

My Story: From Survival to Purpose

Many years ago, after escaping domestic violence, I found myself trapped in that same system. I was anxious, isolated, and experiencing panic attacks, agoraphobia, and depression.

At the Job Centre, I was advised not to work — because once childcare was factored in, I’d be “no better off.” So, I stayed on benefits, stuck in a cycle I didn’t want but didn’t know how to leave.

Everything changed when my children and I were relocated for safety. I remember that first morning in our new home — hearing car doors slam as people left for work. My eldest looked out of the window and asked, “Where is everyone going, Mummy?”

That question broke me open. My children hadn’t known a life where people went out to work. That morning, I decided to show them a different story — that you can build the life you want, even after trauma.

I put an advert in a local shop window for childcare and found Mabel, a retired woman who became part of our family. I worked evenings in community home care while the children slept, and later, when they were older, I moved into social services.

Our lives changed because I made a choice to take one small step — and then another. Not because I was forced, sanctioned, or coerced. Those dynamics would have sent me straight back into survival.

Why Sanctions Don’t Work — and Compassion Does

When people are in survival mode, the nervous system prioritises safety, not progress.

Punishment, fear, and pressure mimic the same power dynamics that often caused their trauma in the first place.

Stephen Porges describes this as dorsal collapse — a state where the body shuts down to protect itself. In that state, no one can “engage” or “comply.” They are not lazy; they are frozen.

Healing begins not with punishment but with presence.

When we offer empathy, understanding, and a safe relational space, people start to regulate. And when they regulate, they rise.

As Viktor Frankl wrote in Man’s Search for Meaning:

“Those who have a ‘why’ to live can bear almost any ‘how.’”

The tragedy of our welfare system is that many have lost their why — not through lack of will, but through loss of hope.

The 6 Rs Pathway to Purpose helps people rediscover meaning and contribution, reigniting the human spirit that sanctions and fear cannot touch.

That’s why I created The 6 Rs Pathway to Purpose — a trauma-informed route from reliance to resilience, purpose, and prosperity. It begins with self-care and awareness, helping people reconnect with their own worth before taking steps towards employment.

Because what is often called “attention-seeking” is really connection-seeking — and what is called “work-shy” is often safety-seeking.

The Hidden Cost of Survival Mode

In my counselling work, I see first-hand the fear and panic that arise whenever a PIP review or benefits reassessment is due. For many, it’s an intensely dysregulating experience.

When you’re already in survival mode, your nervous system floods with anxiety. You overthink, catastrophise, and fall into black-and-white thinking. Every core belief of unworthiness, helplessness, and shame comes alive again.

The fear of annihilation — the sense that your entire existence could be wiped away with one decision — becomes very real.

And what is trauma, if not the fear of annihilation replayed in the present moment?

Survival mode is reactivated, and the person shuts down. That’s not “non-compliance”; it’s self-protection.

The Way Forward — The TRUST Framework

The way not to trigger survival mode — and not to deepen despair — is through compassion.

At A Positive Start CIC, we use the TRUST Framework:

T – Trigger Recognition: Identify what activates fear or collapse.

R – Reassurance: Offer calm, non-judgmental support.

U – Understanding: Listen deeply to the person’s story without assumption.

S – Safety: Create emotional and psychological safety before taking action.

T – Truth: Build confidence through honesty, transparency, and consistency.

This approach allows us to circumvent survival-mode triggers, rebuild self-worth, and help people step forward with confidence.

A Compassionate Clarification

I want to be clear — I don’t imagine that just because this worked for me, it will work for everyone. Healing and recovery are never “one size fits all.”

My approach does not include, nor does it seek to pressure, people whose disabilities or health conditions make working an impossible task. For some, safety, rest, and care are the true priorities. They are, however, always welcome to participate in programs like The 6 Rs Pathway to Purpose should they wish to — for connection, growth, or community support.

The people I’m talking about here are those, like me, who have experienced trauma that led to shutdown, dysregulation, and disconnection — often through experiences such as:

  • domestic or childhood abuse,
  • long-term stress or coercive control,
  • bereavement, homelessness, or poverty,
  • caring for dependents under extreme pressure,
  • bullying, workplace burnout, or chronic anxiety.

For many, these experiences are not isolated — they overlap, creating a lasting imprint on both mind and body.

In the UK today, more than 1.8 million people are considered economically inactive due to long-term illness, with around half reporting anxiety, depression, or trauma-related conditions. Many of them desperately want to work — but their nervous systems and circumstances keep them locked in survival.

A trauma-informed approach like The 6 Rs Pathway to Purpose acknowledges this reality. It recognises that you can’t build employment pathways on top of unhealed survival states. You have to start with safety, understanding, and emotional regulation — not sanctions and fear.

This is not about pushing people back into work. It’s about helping people rediscover self-worth, confidence, and meaning, so that work — or purposeful activity — becomes possible, sustainable, and fulfilling.

When we meet people with compassion instead of criticism, and with trust instead of threat, the results ripple far beyond the individual.

Communities become stronger.

Families thrive.

Society heals.

This is what a trauma-informed welfare system could look like — one rooted not in judgement, but in justice and humanity.

One Step at a Time

So, how far is “farthest,” really?

It’s not a distance measured in policies or performance metrics — it’s one small human step, taken in safety, trust, and compassion.

I took that step once, and it changed my life.

Now, I help others take theirs.

My Intention — From the Borders to the Nation

My vision is to see The 6 Rs Pathway to Purpose piloted in the Scottish Borders and the North West of England over a 12-month period.

These are regions where the effects of poverty, trauma, and generational unemployment are deeply felt — but so too are resilience, compassion, and community spirit.

With time, care, and evidence, this initiative can show that trauma-informed welfare reform doesn’t just change lives — it transforms systems.

Once the pilot demonstrates what I already know in my heart — that positive outcomes begin with A Positive Start — I hope to see it rolled out across the UK, creating a fairer, more compassionate pathway to purpose for all.

 

“Hopelessness is not who you are — it’s what your nervous system learned to survive. And with the right support, every person can find their way from poverty to purpose.”