To ask what's the beef with benefits?

when the reality is that many chose them as a way of life.

No Daisy this is your opinion, it isn't a reality. As I stated earlier, many studies have been done, including by the highly respected Joseph Rowntree Foundation, which prove, categorically, that this isn't the case. Those that actively choose to live on benefits are in fact a very, very small minority.

i have one of them term time only jobs yaaaay :P

and yeah of course you need job centre they got to tick their boxes. im quite sure people looking for jobs dont just look in the job centre probably look in different places as well, but they job centre are meant to help and as i say boxes need to be ticked.

One more thing Daisy, picking on the poor and vulnerable and down trodden will not go down well with most people

I am going to say something to you Noe Daisy that you won't like, but tough!
I think if a single mum wants to stay at home and raise her children then she should be allowed to do so, if mother's were not thrown out to work regardless of the child's welfare or the parents situation. Women would not be feeling that desperate where they felt their only option was to have another child.
I know plenty of married/partered women that don't work, would you be as critical of them.

People don't need the job centre to get a job, I don't know anybody who got work through an advert in there etc. It's a wonder how those already working manage to move jobs isn't it

Ilovesooty, jobs may not be as abundant as they were some years ago but there is still plenty of work out there if you are not picky.

This notion f 'limiting child tax credit to 2 children only'

Why??

Why 2? woo can you explain?

Is 2 the ideal? What about step/blended families? Twins?

Those with a good work ethic etc will put all their energy into finding work and will take any job that comes along and move when something better comes up. Others will simply claim benefits and do the bare minimum to look for work expecting to either remain on benefits or for the perfect few hours a week school term time only job to be handed to them on a plate

You really don't have the first idea do you?

4. Subsidise childcare. This will make work pay and remove the poverty trap for single parents and couples in low paid employment

I agree with all your points but just want to add to the above. Not all single parents live in poverty or only work at minimum wage. Plenty of single parents earn very good money and don't receive any state support at all. I think too many people think single parent = benefit scrounger of the Channel 5 variety and it's simply not true.

I would like to see childcare not only subsidised so that those working at the lower end of the wage spectrum are able to support their families (single or otherwise) but I would also like to see extended childcare made the norm so that single parents in particular can work in a field that suits their skills and experience (if your husband dies and you're a nurse working on shifts, for example, with no family locally, finding childcare to support you working nights is near impossible). Having 24 hour childcare readily available would remove a massive barrier to working that many single parents face, in my opinion.

I would also like to see increased support for study and training for single parents and single women at two levels: (1) to help those who have spent 25 years bringing up a family and caring for elderly relatives only to have their husband run off with his 25 year old secretary as you near retirement to find fulfilling employment for the remainder of their working life. Many single women have previous training they can't afford to update (think JSA sanctions if they're not available for work, no/little support for training courses) or never used because they married and became stay at home parents. (2) acknowledge that just because a young single parent got pregnant earlier than some consider desireable, she shouldn't have to spend her life on minimum wage and provide genuine training and study opportunities accordingly.

There is way too much 'I dragged myself up from nothing and I'm a millionaire' mentality that seeks to ignore the massive barriers some people face in getting a leg up in the world. Indeed, I think it sometimes serves the majority to have a minority to look down on and lord knows, we don't want that minority getting ideas above their stations, do we?!

Of course people with children can lose their jobs but it depends on the person as to the effect it has. Those with a good work ethic etc will put all their energy into finding work and will take any job that comes along and move when something better comes up. Others will simply claim benefits and do the bare minimum to look for work expecting to either remain on benefits or for the perfect few hours a week school term time only job to be handed to them on a plate.

Likewise those on IS, most either have another child to get round the change to JSA to wait until JSA kicks in before they even attempt to look for work. God forbid they look for work before that happens rather than moan about the change in benefits and criteria.

People have this warped view that everyone on benefits is there because they are vulnerable when the reality is that many chose them as a way of life.

Child benefit is also removed from benefits, it counts as 'money you already have coming in', so you don't get benefits and Child benefit.

'iliveinealighthousewiththeghoset' you said at then end of your post about someone who got pregnant so she could stay on i.s... I have never known how to put it before as i know it can start a war... but a long time ago now single mums could stay on benefits/i.s until their child was 16 then it went down to age 11. and now 5. i hear its going to be age 3 soon. i have often wondered if it had been left alone or maybe even just put down to age 11. would people of had less children... i also understand that people do it for a reason not because they cant be bothered or what ever

Hi Derek. You're partner walks out. Leaves you alone to bring up his son.
Yet you're the one worried about getting a Sanction. Something not right there.
All we ever is critique for the single parent. I have never once heard one government minister criticsize the absent parent but yet they seem to get off on penilising single mums/dads. Is it because they are an easy target I wonder.

Only the first child gets £20.30!
Additional children entitle the family to £13.55 per week.

If you can manage to turn a profit on that, then you probably deserve your free goat.

Yawn.....having a child when you can't afford it blah blah blah.... You DO know that people with children can lose their jobs Daisy don't you?

What do you suggest? Leave the children (or more likely the parents) to starve? You are so simplistic and black and white when this subject comes up.

Anybody can find themselves in that situation, believe me I know from painful and personal experience. You can be in a great position when you plan your baby. Nobody can predict that 8 years later the Dad will walk out or that the child would be autistic.

GratefulHead, single parent on benefits, Carer and no idea what the future holds.

Wow. Territory. You really have an open and shut case on how the world works, so what you're saying is, no one on benefits are allowed to have sex!.
Ahh use contraceptives will be the next reply from you I don't doubt. However in case you're unaware contraceptives can fail. How many people do we hear about where the condom splits or the pill fails are you suggesting In these cases the women has an abortion because tax payers dont like paying for other people's children. I damn well hope not. A women's duty is to her children not to the tax payer, and I say that as a tax payer.
Also a lot of people do get pregnant whilst on benefits to get the system off their back. I can give you an example. A friend of mine was claiming I.s was moved onto JSA, She purposely got pregnant solely to get back on income support, and she's never looked back. As her case proved forcing parents out to work when they are not ready, will just encourage them to keep getting pregnant to enable them to stay at home. This is the real world and people do what they have to

yep territ16 its that simple...

To add insult to injury if someone on benefits wants to improve their situation by retraining then they will have to fund it themselves. It used to be the case that you could get a free or subsidised course if you were on a means tested benefit. Not any more. It's social engineering, keep the poor/ low waged where they are and do not let them have a hope of getting out. It's sickening.
To those who say if you can't afford children don't have them, what happens if you go to uni, get your career, get married, and have your 2 kids, then your dh walks out? I wasn't "irresponsible". My circumstances changed so now I have to have top up benefits. I believe in a society that looks after the vulnerable. No one knows when that support will be needed by themselves.
Oh and benefits are give with one hand, take away with another for eg if in receipt of wftc then you don't get free school meals.

CB is only really a contribution to the cost of bringing up a young child, it will not cover the whole cost.

I honestly would not know where to start with claiming benefits now and I hope I never have too. Only ever done it once when I was single and there wasn't the stupid ridiculous sanctions or the intense pressure to find a job like it is now. Dh has a low paid job and I only work part time. I'd like more hours but there isn't any going. If Dh were to lose his job we'd be up shit creek. I know he doesn't realise hard finding another job is. They don't grow on trees and it always amuses/annoys me on here when someone complains about their job or an aspect of it they get told to find another one.

If only it were that simple.

I highly doubt there are many parents who decide to have children purely to claim child benefit. even if they did, why should the children have to suffer because of the parents lifestyle choices? they didn't ask to be brought into the world!