One income working households (family)

Pedent

midnight_express wrote: »

Having children you can't afford is irresponsible and selfish. This country and the world are grossly overpopulated. The last thing we need is a welfare system that rewards the !!!!less breeders.

First, this thread is about a parent receiving benefits to enable them to provide childcare themselves versus working and paying for someone else to provide childcare instead (and presumably receiving benefits to help with the cost of that anyway). It isn't about choosing to have children or not, so your comment is irrelevant.

Second, Britain isn't grossly overpopulated. In Britain, as in much of Europe, reproduction rates are below the replacement rate, leaving us reliant on immigration to avoid a demographic crisis. See, for example, http://www.economist.com/node/21557774.

Third, failing to provide for children in poor families is irresponsible and selfish. Even if the parents have made poor decisions (which in many cases they haven't), none of the children are responsible for their poverty and so they all deserve our support. There are various challenges around targeting that support, but refusing to help parents to raise their children well would be cruel and counter-productive.

Pedent

Bournecrazy wrote: »

The reason i was thinking of giving work up was because if i went back full time or even working in the week. It is not worth it as the money i would earn in a day (approx £35-40) would be taken up with childcare and travel costs so i would be basically working to keep the kids in a nursery (which would cost me £80 a DAY!)

Are you aware that you can get help with childcare costs? You should be able to 70% of costs up to £175/week (or more if you're paying for more than one child) as part of your tax credits award.

Bournecrazy

Pedent wrote: »

Are you aware that you can get help with childcare costs? You should be able to 70% of costs up to £175/week (or more if you're paying for more than one child) as part of your tax credits award.

Thats what most of the tax credit i am currently getting is from - my 2 yr old is only in a nursery 5 hours a day once a week and that. i like to keep him there as its his only interaction with other kids his age and it gives him some change

Pedent

MissMoneypenny wrote: »

It's not "a social good" if they are raising the next lot muggers: thieves; granny bashers; Universal Credit claimants.

Of course parenting needs to be done well to be a social good; the same is true of any other social good you might perform (e.g. being a surgeon is a social good, but not if more of your patients die than ought to). This is why it's so important that parents are given the support that they need: the more today's parents struggle, the worse their children will turn out.

By the way, plenty of parents who work hard, pay taxes, and contribute to society will be eligible for Universal Credit, at least for a period in their lives. Lazily grouping them with violent criminals is as offensive as it is ignorant.

bloolagoon

Bournecrazy wrote: »

Thats what most of the tax credit i am currently getting is from - my 2 yr old is only in a nursery 5 hours a day once a week and that. i like to keep him there as its his only interaction with other kids his age and it gives him some change

Then you will lose it as it is to pay for childcare when you work 16 hours a week, I'm surprised you had a nursery open on a weekend whilst you worked previously as most are Monday to Friday.

Bournecrazy

Goodbye post - I've had all the info i needed. Now how to delete....

kelpie35

Bournecrazy wrote: »

Thats what most of the tax credit i am currently getting is from - my 2 yr old is only in a nursery 5 hours a day once a week and that. i like to keep him there as its his only interaction with other kids his age and it gives him some change

Is there not a mother and toddler group you could take your child to?

They groups help your child to interact with other children of a similar age and don't cost very much.

MissMoneypenny

Pedent wrote: »

Britain isn't grossly overpopulated. In Britain, as in much of Europe, reproduction rates are below the replacement rate, leaving us reliant on immigration to avoid a demographic crisis.

England is overpopulated: especially in London and the South East. The UK government are trying to stem the flow of low skilled immigrants (as they cost the UK money) and encourage high skilled immigrants (who create wealth for the UK and won't claim any welfare).

With the UK immigration routes to the UK, visa routes for those not skilled an anything much, have been closed down or severely restricted, since this government got in. While new visa routes have been created for those immigrants that will bring money to the UK or create jobs for British workers.. With the EU: many EU countries won't allow those using the EU route, to claim any welfare until they have paid into that country for several years and that needs to be the same for the UK too.

Pedent wrote: »

Third, failing to provide for children in poor families is irresponsible and selfish.

We need to stop parents from using their children. Giving cash to parents who don't keep their own children is what is really irresponsible, as we need to ensure all the welfare money is actually spent on the children. Some of their welfare money should go directly to the claimants utility providers, some to the schools to hand out to the children (pocket money, school outings, music/sports equipement etc) and the rest given in food (not booze or cigs) vouchers to the parents. The only cash the parents should get, is the money they earn from working.

Pedent

bloolagoon wrote: »

Then you will lose it as it is to pay for childcare when you work 16 hours a week.

Her husband works 40 hours/week.

Pedent

Bournecrazy wrote: »

Thats what most of the tax credit i am currently getting is from - my 2 yr old is only in a nursery 5 hours a day once a week and that. i like to keep him there as its his only interaction with other kids his age and it gives him some change

Okay, a few things:

With a second child, your tax credits and child benefit should go up. Other things being equal, you should get £2720/year more in tax credits, and about £700 more in child benefit.

I think you'll be able to get 70% of childcare costs of up to £150/week for each of your children in childcare (so 70% of up to £300/week in total).

When your 2-year-old turns 3, you should get 15 hours' childcare for free.

If you intend to work when your children have all reached school age, which is probably a good idea for all sorts of reasons, then it's worth thinking about how easy it will be to find a new job if you give up the one that you've got at the moment. How difficult it will be will effect what sacrifices it's worth making now to hang on to the job for the future.