To disagree with Children in need

I do agree with the sentiments around children in need and the inspiration/pity stuff.

I also agree that the state should provide adequete services for its people.

I disagree that there shouldnt be any charities. For instance the RNLI are very proud of not being a government service and it stops them being a political football. There are some local charities that fullfil a local need that would be hard to create at a national level. My son goes to an sen school that is a charity, that gives it a level of independence from government policy which doesn't work. Government is never going to be perfect.

Charities though create "luck of the draw" care, CIN raised less money this year, despite inflation at 11% over the last year, so that means less help, people will go without.
Charities were originally created because their was nothing, now they should be used for the extras but they are not, they are being used to fill gaps within the NHS, Social services education etc.

The NHS is drastically short of scanners, why on earth are these being funded by a charity?

As far as i can see, charities allow Govts to duck their responsibilities.

Yes i can see the argument on salaries, though why, in most cases they earn more than the PM seems rather odd.

It also undermines/overlooks/ignores all the statutory work and support social workers and teachers do every day to support children. Because they aren't 'charity'.

We have to move away from the narrative where children (or anyone) with a disability is either to be pitied or is an inspiration - life and people are far more complicated than that, and, as someone who lives with a disability, it riles me to f*. There's nothing inspirational or pitiful about the hard emotional and physical slog of living with a disability and navigating a society that 99% of time has limited flexibility and tolerance for disabled bodies.

Absolutely hate the virtue signalling and feel good 'fuzz' CIN attempts to promote by asking people to part with however much cash. Irony being, if we raised taxes - and proportionate amount people would spend would be less than giving in one lump sum.

I don't doubt there are very positive things that are funded out of CIN. But why can't the celebrities that endorse this use their considerable influence and power to lobby the government to make these things a RIGHT for children rather than reliant on charity.

@JellyMops who are you going to vote for then, charities to help children etc have been around for hundreds of years?

@Blanc4 do you think they should do the job for free? They are running an organisation that is dealing with distributing millions of pounds. You need to employ someone who has got that expertise

No civilised first world country should have charities for its own citizens, that's what the NHS, Social Services, Schools, etc. funded by general taxation are for. We need to stop voting for governments who 'save money' by outsourcing (privatising) services. They claim it's cheaper as government run services are inefficient, it isn't, that's an argument for hiring more experienced, more capable staff, not selling off publicly owned services! And the same goes for charities, it would be far cheaper to properly fund services instead of handing it all over to several smaller organisations, each with their own staff hired to fight over the same funding pots.

Makes me even more glad that we don't have a TV

What a silly comment. There is an off switch, or alternative channels.

I don't watch these marathon fund raisers, but I recorded last night's just to watch the children's choir which featured children from DD's old primary school. Then I deleted the rest.

I guess you never watch anything on a screen?

Google any charities accounts
look at the earnings of th c e o ‘s
you will never give to charity again !

I hate all the CIN talk on Countryfile for weeks in advance. I change channels as soon as they start up about that calendar they’re so fond of.
I loath the appeal on telly which takes over an entire evening and never watch it.
It probably gives pleasure to thousands if people but I find it tedious and boring.
I give to other charities so I’m glad to leave it at that and am pleased I’m abroad this year to miss all its creepiness.

Makes me even more glad that we don't have a TV

It' seems more of a "look at us aren't we great doing this for charity " celebrity fest these days .

All rather tacky and cheap just like Comic Relief

Google any charities accounts on line
look at what the c e o s earn !
you will never give to a charity again
charity belongs at home

My dds condition meant that yes NHS funded all her care but charities provided the extras, one on one art lessons, a virtual birthday party, gifts etc. These things brightened her day and stopped it all being medical bleakness.
The kids they get aren't forced to tell their story but want to in order that more children can have the extras they had and to give something back.

I don't know, I have a really good friend who has a young son with some quite complex SEN, and he has benefited hugely from CIN funded activities. So whilst it has his drawbacks, I see the good it does too

I completely agree with you. I find it hard to agree because I know lots of children do benefit from the services that have funding from CIN but disabled and traumatised kids should not be plastered all over the tv with sad music behind to show how ‘terrible’ their life is for money. They can’t fully consent to this and they should just have the access to what they need without it. Supporting the vulnerable should be a basic in any dignified society.

Vernon Kay was somebody who does the corporate gigs I mentioned earlier. Was paid £42,000 for one evenings work last year.
So yes they can fundraise themselves with galas and balls like they do in America.

Its the older generation that is the drain on services, we are all getting older and need care and help from....yes you guessed it, from the younger people you seem to despise, they are also paying your inflation proofed pensions too.

We haven't got particularly high taxes, its around 38% overall compared to 43% in France & Hunt is going to make sure you can leave abit more behind to your kids too! taking away their incentive to work.

We have historic low levels of long term unemployment, most of the 1.2m claiming dole, are churn, short term claimants.

Anyway, its pretty sick when our PM could match the 35m raised last night and still have 705m left in his bank account and that ignores his wifes cash.

Children with MH issues, who have suffered traumatic bereavement shouldn't be reliant on Vernon Kay running 100miles.

Programs like CIN are exactly what is wrong with the UK...the poor hand over their pennies willingly like the good troopers they are whilst the rich cheer us on.

I have never watched it. The NHS has billions thrown at it, it is not short of money it is very badly managed by too many overpaid managers. It is currently employing another 200 diversity consultants at £70,000 a year, how will that improve anything?

I felt this way too. Lots of people who weren't very well off donating significant amounts, like £100. I was left with a bitter taste in my mouth.

CIN funds a children’s club at our local Mencap year on year. If it didn’t, the club wouldn’t exist and a number of kids and families would miss out on support which helps them socially, emotionally, physically etc That’s not ever going to be paid for by a government because it’s not a priority when there are people at immediate risk not having their needs met.

To say people will just support a charity directly is really naive, those sorts of local donations are vital but small in amount and inconsistent, having a business model like CIN is different means a charity is operating on less of a month to month basis and that there is less risk that projects will just stop because the money has run out and nothing is coming in.

I don’t like the CIN program and don’t watch it, now my kids are older I don’t usually even know it’s on. Whilst I don’t disagree in principle with the comments in the OP, the organisation does a lot of good work with kids and families who need more than they would get without it.

Just to reiterate (because people keep saying they do) what someone posted earlier, looks like the celebrities who appear don’t get paid, and if they can raise 4x the amount of money doing a frankly awful challenge than just donating, why wouldn’t they? I see it the same as someone ‘normal’ doing a sponsored run or something.

I was uncomfortable with radio 2 reading out how poor the people were donating. It was people donating their Christmas money and people who would struggle to the next pay day. Seemed a bit wrong. They sounded like they needed it more than the children getting some additional therapy.

Reminds me of the saying "if only charities were fully funded ,and governments had to have fund raisers to finance wars"

I dont like it and never watched it. My extent of a donation is buying a biscuit in Greggs. Its enough. I donate cash to local charities, never these big ones

I would hardly call decent support services and provision for disabled children and adults ‘all aspects of people’s lives’. A decent society supports those who are more vulnerable in certain areas. That is an important thing for taxes to go towards - and austerity has caused a lot of damage to those that need it most.

Becoming disabled could happen to any of us at any time, the ‘othering’ of disability and ‘it won’t happen to me and if it did I’d pay my own way through it’ is so frustrating but so prevalent. And probably why the government can get away with giving so little to disabled people.

I've never watched or donated to either that or comic relief.
Some rich slebs trying to guilt trip me into giving my hard earned money just doesn't do it for me.

There is so much I dislike about CIN.

Years ago when wearing PJs to school was all the rage for CIN day I'd have to go out and by new ones for my younger two who wore my eldest's scruffy hand downs to bed. It was a bloody waste of money.

I do give to charity, but I'd rather give directly to specific charities. I'd also rather pay higher taxes, if the government were going to fund services properly., which this government seem unable to do, not through lack of taxes but through lack of spending sensibly.

The only two personal stories I watched on CIN should have been helped by CAMHS and government funded Children's Centers.

I agree that the big TV appeal approach does feel a bit outdated now. But I guess pulling on people’s heart strings is the way to raise money, they know it works. I mean how much do people give to children in need the rest of the year? Agree of course they should be funded by the government, but they aren’t.