any idea when the new rules for claiming benefits start?????

[Deleted User]

krisskross wrote: »

This really is an attempt to muddy the waters. Child Benefit is non means tested and dependent solely on the existence of a child. No doubt G. Brown himself claims it for his 2 sprogs. Tax credits although dependent on income simply replaces the old system of higher personal allowances when children are added to the family.

This thread is about getting people back to work and not allowing them to claim benefits for decades simply because they have children. Yes The parents have the children and should be making an attempt to support them instead of relying on benefits.

I was only pointing out that someone should be careful of labeling others as scroungers if they are then going to go on and claim benefits themselves,be they universal or means tested,personally i think it grossly unfair that parents with an income in excess of 60k can claim ctc when others in some cases get less than £50 per week to live on !

tsstss7

laurenjs88 wrote: »

I haven't read all 3 pages but my 2 cents as a lone parent. Any child aged 12, except with maybe disabilities, should be able to get themselves up, fed and off to school alone, and also back from school and in the house alone, alot of kids can cook at this age.

We wrap kids up to much, i doubt that the crime is much different now, its just made more widely available with our current media.

not singling you out but whether any kid SHOULd be able to do this not ALL can - my sil kid is now 13 and and she and her husband always worked full time leaving him to get himeself to school and come home to an empty house after starting secondary school. However he has since got into trouble because he did not go to school in the mornings when his mum was at work early and has also been getting more progressivly involved with drugs while hanging out with older kids after school.

IMO it is NOT a good idea to think that children under 14 can spend large periods of time unsupervised without some negative impact on their lives - they are going through one of the most challenging periods of their lives hormonally, they will not always make good decisions!

[Deleted User]

sexki11en wrote: »

Child benefits and tax credits are one thing (especially after actually paying in to the system) but along with everything else some get and not even trying to find work - that's what gets my goat. Maybe I should have made myself clearer. For that I apologise

SK x

Never appologise:beer: but take me as an example i worked and paid high rate taxes(for most of the time)for 25 years,its now 11 years since i was fit enough to work,but now i`ve got maybe 2 years of worry whilst this shower of sh*te,sorry govt decide which new rules i`ll have to live under.The same goes for single parents(many of whom didnt set out as such)they have worked,then due to circumstances beyond their control have found they cant and have had to live off pitiful benefits.Then along comes jimmy purnell,whos never had a proper job in his life,wasnt even educated in this country,and whos mother was a single parent and HE wants to change all the rules just to appease the daily mail readers,its almost as sad as it is pathetic.:mad:

lisamummytoarchieplusbump

i am a single mum to a 2 1/2 yr old and a 3mth old. in my area we have had work focus interviews for the whole time ive been claiming income support. ive had 3 so far and they basicly ask you what kind of jobs/training your interested in and if you find a job on their computer they help you with applying and sort cv etc and work out how much better/worse off you will be , and give you all the advice on how much childcare help and lists of childcare places.

i am currently trying to arrange getting back to work, and hoping i can come to an arrangement with family and maybe just work the weekends.

they are not forcing you to work till they are 12, which before anyone says anything my mum went back to work when i was 5yrs old and went to work after droping me off and was finished in time to pick me up, but from the age of 10yrs i was being indoors on my own till my mum finished work which was about an hour or so later.

and yes i was the usual horrible teenager, bunking off school but it wouldnt have made a difference if my mum didnt work as i bunked off in parks,streets etc and just went home at the usual time.

Oldernotwiser

tsstss7 wrote: »

not singling you out but whether any kid SHOULd be able to do this not ALL can - my sil kid is now 13 and and she and her husband always worked full time leaving him to get himeself to school and come home to an empty house after starting secondary school. However he has since got into trouble because he did not go to school in the mornings when his mum was at work early and has also been getting more progressivly involved with drugs while hanging out with older kids after school.

So, if she'd been at home when he came home from school would he not have been allowed out? I don't really see that parent in the house and child out playing/hanging around involves very much supervision at all.

elisebutt65

sexki11en wrote: »

Screw that! The rest of us have to work for a damn living, most of us FULL time getting no help at all and STILL cook, clean and look after our families whilst giving a large portion of our salary to those who do !!!! all but sit on their !!!!!! all day!

I'm sorry (actually i'm not, at all) but WHY exactly should WE struggle, working hard to support ourselves, our families AND the scroungers who quite frankly just can't be arsed and have sat on their !!!!!! for 10 years plus???

When I have children (and we fully plan to start trying next year after the wedding) I will HAVE to go back to work after the statutory maternity period. Even though I have paid into the damn system for over 13 years, taking nothing back - not a penny, I will be entitled to !!!!!! all. How is that fair? But you know what - it's MY choice to have kids - why should someone else pay for MY choice?

Too much !!!!! footing around if you ask me. It's just pure laziness and excuses. I'm GLAD the government are finally putting their foot down. And you know what? As someone who has (unvoluntarily) supported these scroungers for 13 years, I have a right to this opinion who cares if i've offended the scroungers? When they get off their backsides and do an honest days work and given part of their hard earned money to wasters - THEN and only then will they be entitled to a response.

Harsh - But SO true!

SK x

And what happens if your marriage goes t[ts up and you're left holding the babi(ies)? Are you going to find it as easy to carry on as normal? When you're school rings and you have to go and get them - what of your employer when they decide they've ahd enough of this and your job follws your husband down the pan?? A common enough situation as a lone parent. You can't classfiy ALL lone parents as scroungers - sometimes you just get thrown a curve ball.

Anyway - back to the OP - nobody is FORCING you go back to work straight away/. You could do as I did and took myself off the benefit list by going back to college and then Uni to get a degree and then a PGCE. It was perfect as the hours I had to be in Uni meant that I could be at home for the kids. I put littlie into nursery and could claim back 85% of the childcare costs via a grant and also got a loan and Lone Parent grant.

I'm now qualified as a FE teacher and have got a PT job in the local FE college - 9.15 start and my latest day ends at 4.30(only 1 day a week though), ususally I'm done by 2.30. My eldest turned 12 whilst I was at Oxford so occasionally he had to let himself in and wait for me for about 1/2 an hour and he was fine with that. The money I'm making is about 6 times what I was getting on IS - probably more - just haven't done the sums yet, with WTC. I may be on IS or whatever it is next year as my contract ends in July, but at least I now have both the qualifications and experience to make getting a job easier. Having said that my manager has already asked what days I'm available next year as he knows I may be starting my Ma part time next year.

I know a degree is not for everyone but there are so many vocational course at FE colleges and funding via the ALG's etc that you don't HAVE to claim benefit! And of course this demonstrates to future employers that you have committent and ability.

I was a latch key kid along with my 4 brothers and sisters, all of which are gainfully employed and successful members of society(finally)None of us have criminal records or been stabbed or shot. My Mum was effectively a lone parent for much of my youth due to my Dad working abroad thanks to the last great Labour brain drain, so she went out and trained to be a nurse/midwife and worked until the hours got too much for her and she finally gave in and retired a coupe of years ago. I grey up learning how to do the laundry, feed the chucks and other animals - we raised ducks, geese and turkeys for Xmas for extra money, how to cook for the family until the others got old enough to do their share, etc, etc A lot better than being pampered from the moment we got it from school!

My eldest son has already got his first job at 13 - only a paper round but he loves the freedom he has got with his own bank account with an electron card and faithfully pays in his £17 every week. He made me set him up a new account as he found out about the 8% account at Abbey for 11-16yr olds and ow he sits there feverishly working out his interest. He also helps keep the house tidy and does the washing up after tea, which he sometimes cooks for us all. I am sooo proud of him and his work ethic!:D

Sorry for the long post BTW:o

sexki11en

elisebutt65 wrote: »

And what happens if your marriage goes t[ts up and you're left holding the babi(ies)? Are you going to find it as easy to carry on as normal? When you're school rings and you have to go and get them - what of your employer when they decide they've ahd enough of this and your job follws your husband down the pan?? A common enough situation as a lone parent. You can't classfiy ALL lone parents as scroungers - sometimes you just get thrown a curve ball.

Quite possibly not, no but I'll tell you one thing. I WILL NOT sit on my !!!! for 12 years plus whilst someone else pays for my kids. Whilst they are younger is fully understandable (IF you've actually paid something into the system), but what stops a parent (or indeed parents) with school age children working part time whist they are at school? Nothing apart from bone idle laziness and a sense the world owes them something. Besides, I have no gripe with single parents (my own mother was one when my 'father' walked out but you know what - she went to work to earn her money even though it wasn't much and we sometimes didn't even have electricity in the meter) - I wasn't classifying single parents as scroungers, merely anyone who is on benefits for any length of time who are fully capable of working but choose not to We've most of us had a hard life - some of us just choose to move onwards and upwards instead of !!!!!ing and whinging about it and blaming all and sundry. I was homeless 9 years ago, living on the streets. I pulled myself up, grew a spine and now have a good job (and I didn't go to university) My choices were give up and let the state support me or fight. So yes - I do have the right to my opinion because few have been as on there !!!!!! as I was and pulled themselves back!

SK x

chinagirl

I work for DWP and have been informed the earliest end date for Income Support customers who'se youngest child is 12+ will be March 09. Then will be on a rolling road, depending on child's date of birth, what day your money is paid out on, and when your last review appointment was with a Lone Parent Advisor.

flufff

Are they going to force women in relationships back into work when their kids are 12?

Why should the state support them? After all they have a partner to do that unlike single parents who usually have gone through hell and back.

I'm divorced,had an abusive ex, my eldest is special needs so I'm classed as a carer.Despite the fact I'm at uni part time bettering myself they still wanted to force me into work.

Maybe I should just have a break down or drop dead from all the stress.

sharski

Well then.. if you're classed as a carer you've nothing to worry about.. the changes do not apply to you.

So chill out...