£400 for Prernant Smoking Mothers to Give Quit

GwylimT

Smoking needs to stop before a child is conceived, why reward someone who had already purposely damaged their child? If a couple is willing to purposely get pregnant at a time that will cause their child harm they aren't yet fit to be parents as they aren't putting their child first.

JustOnce

FBaby wrote: »

Except that whereas rewards brings it results, punishment brings in whinging. Take CB away and mothers will cry that stopping smoking isn't easy, that they tried but couldn't do it and it isn't fair to stop benefits on this basis because it's not their fault. Make it an incentive and they find the will.

I wish they would use this study (assuming it is reliable) as evidence that rewarding good behaviour is more of an incentive and apply it to working.

There's a whole literature on this too. Reward is the best way to change behaviour; punishment will often bring about negative behaviours. Like corporal punishment for bad behaviour in schools is likely to just encourage badly behaved kids to not turn up to school, rather than attend school and behave better.

In this example, a pregnant smoking mother is to be punished for smoking whilst pregnant? Then maybe she'll just stop going to her check-ups.

zagfles

JustOnce wrote: »

There's a whole literature on this too. Reward is the best way to change behaviour; punishment will often bring about negative behaviours. Like corporal punishment for bad behaviour in schools is likely to just encourage badly behaved kids to not turn up to school, rather than attend school and behave better.

In this example, a pregnant smoking mother is to be punished for smoking whilst pregnant? Then maybe she'll just stop going to her check-ups.

They're both sides of the same coin. You can dress up a punishment as a reward easily enough.

For instance, replace the family element of tax credits (£545 a year) with a "healthy environment" reward of the same amount. Paid to people who meet certain criteria, eg not smoking/drinking when pregnant, not smoking in the house once child born, healthy diet etc.