MSE News: Minister answers concerns on lone parent benefits

DX2

Oldernotwiser wrote: »

You could stop paying CTC/CB for children born after the parent(s) went on benefits.

So your penalising the children for the parent(s) actions, in this day and age it will never happen.

Oldernotwiser

DX2 wrote: »

So a friend looked after your child, I'm assuming someone you had known for years? Someone you were happy and comfortable leaving your child with.

I don't think people used to be so over sensitive and overprotective about who looked after a child for an hour or two.

Perhaps this is part of the current problem?

seven-day-weekend

DX2 wrote: »

So a friend looked after your child, I'm assuming someone you had known for years? Someone you were happy and comfortable leaving your child with.

Yes, someone I had known for about ten years.

I really think that unless the single parent lives in the middle of nowhere, they willl know other people in their position who they are happy to exchange childcare with.

Oldernotwiser

DX2 wrote: »

So your penalising the children for the parent(s) actions, in this day and age it will never happen.

It would be perfectly possible to change this, after all, Family Allowance used not to be paid to the first child.

SingleSue

seven-day-weekend wrote: »

Of course there are still the problems of children with disabilities, but afaik these parents are not expected to look for work when the child is five.

That is correct....the problem comes when a parent of a child with a disability wants to work to get away from claiming benefits.

By the by, due to the boys disabilities, my friend circle is woeful...they were all scared away years ago.

DX2

Oldernotwiser wrote: »

I don't think people used to be so over sensitive and overprotective about who looked after a child for an hour or two.

Perhaps this is part of the current problem?

Perhaps it is but then again people had families around them and father's didn't run off when another lass dropped her drawers.

DX2

SingleSue wrote: »

That is correct....the problem comes when a parent of a child with a disability wants to work to get away from claiming benefits.

By the by, due to the boys disabilities, my friend circle is woeful...they were all scared away years ago.

But aren't we lucky we don't actually have to look for work. With the lack of disabled childcare facilities around we will never get employment which could mean better standard of living and hell even one or two friends.

How lucky are we.

DaisyFlower

ceridwen wrote: »

With the fact that the age of youngest child having been reduced to 7 now for eligibility for Income Support - have any safeguards been put in place to stop women deliberately having another child once their youngest reaches 6 years old (ie specifically in order that they are entitled to a further 7 years on Income Support)?

I've certainly heard of at least one woman making a comment to the effect of "My youngest will soon be an age where the Government will expect me to go back to work - I'd better have another one quick to make sure I dont have to..."

Its great its being reduced to school age when IS stops in the future, however I do think what you suggest above will happen. It would be quite easy to stop, just dont pay out any extra in CB/IS/CTC for any subsequent children and make a min in work time before benefits kick in again to avoid short term sign offs.

Its still too high at age 5, most mums get 12 months maternity so its unfair even at age 5. Having a child/children doesnt render anybody incapable of working unless the child needs 24 hours care due to severe disabilities. Childcare is now more abundant than ever, even rurual areas now have plenty of nurseries and childminders close enough to use.

We need to go back to a country where parents support the children they choose to have not the state. Short term welfare is one thing, but people live on benefits as a choice as why work when you can actually net more money from the state/taxpayers.

Oldernotwiser

DX2 wrote: »

Perhaps it is but then again people had families around them and father's didn't run off when another lass dropped her drawers.

Perhaps the lasses didn't drop them so often!

DX2

Oldernotwiser wrote: »

Perhaps the lasses didn't drop them so often!

Probably better if no one dropped their drawers Solve a lot of problems.